KCAI AAPI Student Group Presents Perseverance: Shifting Tides at Leedy-Voulkos Art Center
03.06.2026
Opening Friday, March 6, 2026 at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center’s Opie Gallery in Kansas City. The exhibition is on view March 6–20.
A Closing Reception and Artist Talk will take place Saturday, March 18 at 1 PM at the gallery.
The Kansas City Art Institute Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) student group presents Perseverance: Shifting Tides, a collaborative exhibition exploring water as a cultural, symbolic, and experiential force within Asian American identity. The exhibition opens Friday, March 6, 2026 at the Leedy‑Voulkos Art Center’s Opie Gallery in Kansas City.
On view March 6–20, the exhibition brings together work by KCAI students and emerging artists examining the many meanings of water—from cultural symbolism and spiritual cleansing to migration and ocean crossings that shape diasporic experiences.
In many Asian and Asian American traditions, water represents life, adaptability, and transformation. Perseverance: Shifting Tides draws on these ideas to explore the fluid nature of identity. Through sculpture, fiber, ceramics, illustration, and interdisciplinary practices, participating artists reflect on themes including immigration, family relationships, queerness, cultural inheritance, and belonging.
See video for more discussion on the exhibition from the KCAI AAPI
The exhibition highlights the voices and creative practices of KCAI students, including:
- Leon Cay (Junior, Ceramics & Asian Studies)
- Sophia Gaeun Lee (Junior, Sculpture & Art History)
- Kaitlin Welch (Sophomore, Illustration & Entrepreneurial Studies)
- Lucas Nguyen (Sophomore, Fiber, Asian Studies & Entrepreneurial Studies)
- Chloe Beattie
- Cindy Chanhsavang
- Cillian Sager
- Thomas Singhirunnusorn
- Yash Singh
Installation images captured ahead of the opening offer a behind-the-scenes look at students preparing the gallery for First Friday Kansas City, when the surrounding Crossroads Arts District fills with visitors exploring exhibitions across the neighborhood.
Exhibition Details
Perseverance: Shifting Tides
March 6–20, 2026
Opie Gallery, Leedy‑Voulkos Art Center
2012 Baltimore Ave
Kansas City, MO 64108
Visitors are encouraged to attend the opening during First Friday to meet the artists and experience the work in person.
Closing Reception & Artist Talk
Saturday, March 18, 2026 | 1 PM