Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer Dan White began documenting the Kansas City jazz scene and its central figures in 1987. Collectively, these works pay tribute to those who have shaped—and sustained—the city’s rich cultural heritage.
SPARKS OF ART features original welded sculptures from MINDDRIVE students in grades 8-12. Each piece tells a story of experimentation, perseverance, and progress. Come witness how raw steel and bold ideas come together through the power of process.
Every. Other. All. is an exhibition exploring the ubiquitous and mysterious world of microbes. The invisible microbial world includes bacteria, fungi, and viruses—tiny yet essential life forms that are integral to the ecosystems of all living beings. These invisible yet vital organisms are present everywhere. They are otherworldly. They are within us all.
This exhibit features fourteen bronze sculptures by the artist Ulysses Grant Speed. These pieces, in the Western Art tradition, depict heroic, hardworking cowboys. They were collected by Bill Haw Sr., a Kansas City businessman, rancher and entrepreneur.
Portrait of a City brought together 49 photographers from across the Kansas City metro to create a collaborative portrait of this place we call home.
Expressions of Strength celebrates the diverse talents and perspectives of fifteen African American women artists and members of the African American Artists Collective. The exhibit features new, small-scale artworks that explore themes of empowerment, identity, and community, and simultaneously reveals an enduring spirit that unites them.
Kansas City-based artist Anne Garney creates plein air landscape paintings that burst with joyful vibrancy. Inspired by the Fauvist painters, her super-charged palette and structural brushstrokes capture the light, allure and energy of national and international sites.
President Harry S. Truman’s background did not suggest he would become a champion of civil rights. But, for this soldier-turned-president, the abuse and brutal lynchings of black WWII veterans were a call to action.
Día de los Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday where families remember deceased relatives and loved ones. Its roots date back to Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica over 3000 years ago.
Gwen Murphy and Terri Pollack, two Kansas City-based artists, exhibit artwork with a focus on women. Murphy’s contemporary quilts explore issues of historical bias, gender and equality through a craft form charged with meaning. Pollack’s paintings of empowered women at work capture everyday life as viewed from her computer screen.
Bruce McClain’s graphite drawings on paper pay tribute to an often-unseen, vulnerable population — the elderly. This exhibit features a series of metaphorical portraits and ekphrasis poetry.
No Divide KC is a Kansas City nonprofit organization with a mission of creating safe and inclusive spaces for all people though the Arts. To build social awareness, and in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, No Divide KC presents the work of two KC-based artists, Bubble Gum Kurt and Jared Horman. The exhibit’s colorful installation, drawings and textile work express volumes of Queer Joy and encourage visitors to playfully explore.
On loan from the Leavenworth County Historical Society, this exhibit of historical photographs from the post-Civil War era reveals a notable segment of American history in surprising detail and reframes the rich legacy of Leavenworth in a new light.
During the Ice Age, giant mammals dominated the landscape of what is now Kansas City. Most became extinct about 10,000 years ago, and only some are represented today by descendants of diminutive size.
"This Series is my expression of joy in witnessing dancers alive within the music. For me, painting my photographs, enhances the vibrant movements of pretty bodies in motion. I coax ancestral rhythms and seductive patterns into tangible form to excite and enlighten the viewer."
“I am a weaver, which means I get to see and be apart of the transformation of a white cone of yarn into a colorful, delicate piece of fabric. Sitting at my loom has become my safe place, a sanctuary. Thread by thread, beat by beat of the weaving loom while creating a piece of art or scarf, provides a meditative experience, which allows me to step away from everyday worries and fears. In the same way, I hope my artwork inspires peace, hope, and contemplation, serving as a beautiful distraction during our busy and chaotic lives.”
