Logan Compton ('23 Painting) and Kevin Hopkins ('23 Painting) have been named amongst the 40 finalists for the $10,000 prize.
June 29, 2021
KCAI Honors Professor Emeritus Wilbur Niewald and Board of Trustee Member Herb Kohn
Congratulations to two of KCAI’s dear friends for their special campus recognitions; the Wilbur Niewald Senior Painting Studios and the Herb Kohn Center for Social Practice. Wilbur Niewald Senior Painting Studios Naming the senior painting studios commemorate Professor Emeritus Wilbur Niewald’s lifelong relationship with the college, which began when he was just ten years old and a student at Blenheim Elementary School in Kansas City. A KCAI representative selected him as the winner of a drawing contest and he won free Saturday classes for a year.! He graduated from the college with a B.F.A. in ’49 and an M.F.A. in ’53 and went on to influence generations of students during his long tenure in the college’s Painting department. He served on the Painting faculty for 43 years and was Chair of Painting from 1958 to 1985. He retired from KCAI in 1992. “It’s grand to memorialize such a wonderful person by naming the studios that were his domain for so many years. It is a token of deep respect for Wilbur and is on the behalf of the many faculty, colleagues and students who worked and studied with him,” said Nerman Family President Tony Jones. Wilbur is known for his cityscapes and landscapes, which depict KC urban vistas. Since the 1970s, he has read more…
June 24, 2021
KCAI Announces Sue Nerman as Chair of Board of Trustees
Kansas City Art Institute is pleased to announce that Sue Nerman has been elected as Chair of the KCAI Board of Trustees. She succeeds Frank Uryasz, who has served as Board Chair since May of 2018. “I’m deeply grateful to Frank for his leadership and guidance through the campus transformation and the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic. With her dynamic forward-thinking and boundless energy, Sue is perfectly positioned to lead the college in the next chapter as we move from the physical to the fiscal,” said Nerman Family President Tony Jones. Sue joined the KCAI board in 2009 when she stepped into a position held by her late mother-in-law Margaret Nerman. She serves on the Development and Facilities committees and most recently co-chaired the college’s successful Space to Create capital campaign, which raised more than $25 million to transform the college. For over 25 years, Sue has held leadership roles at her family company Excell Brands and has worked at Farmland Foods and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. She is currently on the board of the American Public Square, is an ambassador for KC Scholars and a Lead to Read volunteer. For over 20 years, she served in various positions as read more…