Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex

01/26/2026

Due to inclement weather, the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex will be closed on Tuesday, January 27th.

Connect2Culture and Spiva Center for the Arts can be reached via email, and Connect2Culture’s Box Office can be reached via phone.

📧 Connect2Culture: [email protected]
☎️ Connect2Culture Box Office: (417) 621-9824
📧 Spiva Center for the Arts: [email protected]

05/22/2025

This morning, Connect2Culture and Spiva Center for the Arts attended a ceremony marking the transfer of the Joplin Memorial Run Sculpture from Active Lifestyle Events to the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex. The 17-foot sculpture, created by local artist Jorge Leyva, pays tribute to 161 lives lost in the May 2011 Joplin tornado and served as the start and end points for the annual Joplin Memorial Run. While the sculpture’s ownership changes, its meaning will endure for years to come on the Complex’s grounds.

📸 Photo taken by Curtis Almeter.

04/08/2025

01/17/2025

Everyone at the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex is excited to share that the building recently earned the 2024 American Architecture Award in the Museums and Cultural Buildings category! Read more about this awards program, which recognizes the most prominent buildings, landscape, and planning projects around the globe, with this article from The Joplin Globe.

The sleek Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex, 212 W. Seventh St., has earned a place among the most innovative buildings in the world.

12/23/2024

What a fantastic day at the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex for A Winter Welcome!

The Spiva Center for the Arts Makers Market and Make & Take Ornaments kicked off the festivities, followed by the glowing Outdoor Canopy Celebration and an unforgettable performance of An Evening in Kringle City presented by Connect2Culture.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in making this day so special. We look forward to more community moments like this!

Stay tuned for more events at the Cornell Complex—there’s always something exciting happening here.

11/12/2024

A day of art, culture, and holiday spirit at the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex! Join Connect2Culture and Spiva Center for the Arts for “A Winter Welcome” on Saturday, December 7th, including:

10am– 5:45pm: Spiva Makers Market + Make & Take Ornaments
6–6:30pm: Outdoor Canopy Celebration
7pm: Connect2Culture Presents "An Evening in Kringle City"

It’s a day you and your family won’t want to miss! Details and information: A Winter Welcome.

11/08/2024

This week marks the second year since the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex opened!!! 🎉

In the building's second year, Connect2Culture (C2C) and Spiva Center for the Arts (Spiva) have held more than 330 events, entertaining more than 28,950 people! See the infographic for more exciting numbers.

In celebration, the Complex, C2C, and Spiva, invite the public to come enjoy the upcoming events they have planned.

Cornell Complex Announcement: In celebration of its second anniversary, the Cornell Complex is planning exciting updates. This December, a new stage covering will be unveiled on the Leggett & Platt Green. Save the date for December 7th, and stay tuned for further announcements. Additional details will be shared soon.

Upcoming Events from C2C: Connect2Culture will present The Voice and American Idol singer-songwriter Marybeth Byrd Music on Saturday, November 9, at 7pm, followed by TheaterWorks USA’s production of Charlotte’s Web on Saturday, November 23, at 2pm. In December, Connect2Culture will host An Evening In Kringle City on Saturday, December 7, at 7pm, and Christmas with Guy Penrod on Saturday, December 14, at 7pm. Tickets are available at connect2culture.org, by calling (417) 621-9824, or at the C2C box office inside the Cornell Complex (Tue–Sat, 1–5pm).

Upcoming Events from Spiva: Spiva Center for the Arts presents three recently opened exhibits: Joy Spiva Cragin 77th Annual Membership Show, What Follows is True by Sean Fitzgibbon, and Upon Closer Inspection by Joplin Regional Artists Coalition. Plus, don’t miss the Holiday Makers Market on Saturday, December 7, from 10am to 5:45pm, where local artists and artisans will showcase unique, handcrafted gifts just in time for the holiday season.

02/01/2024

What a difference three years can make! On this day in 2021, officials from the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex, Connect2Culture, and Spiva Center for the Arts joined community members on the parking lot of Memorial Hall for the groundbreaking of the Cornell Complex. Fast forward to today and the Complex is a hub for the arts and culture in Joplin, welcoming more than 28,000 guests and hosting more than 400 events in 2023!

Enjoy some memories from the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex's groundbreaking ceremony!

01/19/2024

The Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex is proud to unveil two new interactive blue penguin sculptures this weekend! These limited-edition artworks by Cracking Art serve as ambassadors to the Complex and the primary residents that call it home—Connect2Culture and Spiva Center for the Arts. Formed from recycled plastic and crafted in Italy, the almost four-foot tall penguins are just two of many similar animal sculptures found in notable art institutions across the globe.

Visit the Complex this weekend to interact with the penguins, take photos, explore Spiva Center for the Arts’ exhibits, and enjoy a piano performance from Connect2Culture. And don’t forget to tag us !

The penguins are a gift to the community made possible by the generosity of Sharon and Lance Beshore.

02/01/2023

The Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex and two of its resident organizations, Connect2Culture and Spiva Center for the Arts, were recently the subject of Missouri Southern KGCS - TV’s “Newsmakers.” Catch the entire episode to learn about the Complex, Connect2Culture’s 2022-2023 Performance Season, and Spiva’s exhibits!

01/31/2023

A great reminder of gallery etiquette from The Joplin Globe’s Marta Churchwell! Follow the link below to brush up on the dos and don’ts of visiting an art gallery, then drop by the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex to view Spiva Center for the Arts' galleries.

During a recent visit to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art at Bentonville, Arkansas, a museum docent called me out for taking a photograph of the artwork.

01/10/2023

Since its opening in November, the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex has seen a whirlwind of activity! We are still walking on air two months after representatives from Connect2Culture and Spiva Center for the Arts, donors, legislators, artists, and community members celebrated Joplin’s new home for the arts. Relive some of our favorite moments with photos from the opening events, including the Donor Celebration, Opening Reception and Performance, and Public Opening. Then look forward to making the Cornell Complex “your place to be” in 2023!

Photos courtesy Curtis Almeter.

Relive some of our favorite moments from the Cornell Complex's opening events, including the Donor Celebration, Opening Reception and Performance, and Public Opening. Then look forward to making the Cornell Complex “your place to be” in 2023!

Photos courtesy Curtis Almeter.