Due to hazardous road conditions, KCAI’s campus and administrative offices will open at 10 a.m today, Friday, January 24. New student orientation will begin with lunch at 11:30 a.m. Morning activities in the central shop will be rescheduled. Please be safe when traveling to campus.
January 16, 2020
Sculpture Faculty Win Major Accolades
Two Sculpture faculty members are kicking off the new year with incredible accomplishments. Chair Jill Downen (’89 Painting) has been selected to exhibit at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art’s new contemporary art space the Momentary and Jarrett Mellenbruch has received a prestigious Creative Capital Award. Downen is one of 60 artists chosen for State of the Art 2020, which celebrates the opening of the new contemporary art space, the Momentary. The exhibition will be on view at the Momentary and Crystal Bridges from February 22 through May 24 and is free for all visitors. Downen’s art envisions a symbiotic relationship between the human body and architecture, where the exchanging forces and tensions of construction, destruction and restoration emerge as thematic possibilities. The work that will be exhibited, Three Dimensional Sketchbook, is a cabinet of drawers that viewers may open to view a range of material sketches. Each drawer features a label and keyword which poetically corresponds to its contents. With the opening of each drawer, the artwork reveals a visual-spatial language in miniature scale. “The opportunity to exhibit at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is meaningful in that I can share my voice within a national conversation about contemporary art today,” said Downen. Mellenbruch’s The Redwood Preserve was one read more…
January 15, 2020
KCAI Dedicates Barbara Marshall Residence Hall
Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) recently announced the naming of their new Student Residence Hall after Kansas City Philanthropist and Emeritus Board of Trustees member Barbara Hall Marshall. Marshall, who joined the KCAI board in 1967, has played an important role in the growth and success of KCAI. “For the 40 years Barbara served on our board, she was an ardent advocate for arts education and first and foremost, deeply cared about our students. It’s fitting that her legacy is associated with our new building that provides a home away from home — a place where students can relax and recharge. We are honored that the residence hall is named after a woman who will forever be part of KCAI,” said Tony Jones, The Nerman Family President. In addition to serving on the board, Marshall was a volunteer for KCAI’s Fireside, Sketch Box and Vanderslice committees. In 2017, KCAI awarded her with an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts. During the dedication, KCAI also announced the naming of the Sherman Family Student Union. Located on the first floor of the residence hall, KCAI’s first-ever student union is named in honor of the John and Marny Sherman family and will create a read more…