Five KCAI artists receive the Charlotte Street 2026–2028 Studio Residency Program
06.15.2026
Charlotte Street has announced the selection of 17 artists for its prestigious 2026–2028 Studio Residency Program, selected from a competitive pool of 167 applicants by an expert jury panel.
Supported by the Windgate Foundation, the two-year program provides free 24/7 studio space, professional development, and multidisciplinary networking opportunities to promote creative production and community building. Among the incoming visual artists cohort are five exceptional individuals from the Kansas City Art Institute community. This year’s KCAI awardees include faculty members Lisa J. Maione (Associate Professor of Graphic Design) and Justin Korver (Assistant Professor of Foundation), alongside alumni Gaylin Eugene Nicholson (’25 Sculpture & Ceramics), Hunter Silvey (’22 Painting & Entrepreneurial Studies), and Chaneryna Thach (’24 Illustration).
Lisa J. Maione (Associate Professor of Graphic Design)
Lisa J. Maione is a Kansas City-based artist and an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at KCAI. Alongside her academic career, she founded and operates for instance llc, a design consultancy focused on typography, publications, and creative research. Her multifaceted practice blends design education with independent creative inquiries. The residency will provide her with a rich creative environment to further her studio practice and expand her artistic research.
Justin Korver (Assistant Professor of Foundation)
Justin Korver is an Assistant Professor of Foundation at KCAI, where he mentors students navigating their first year of college. Originally from Iowa, his artistic practice is influenced by the minimalism of the plains, mid-century design, and a critical examination of the social construction of masculinity. He brings an extensive exhibition and residency history to the cohort, with recent shows at the Contemporary at Blue Star, grayDUCK Gallery, and Artpace, alongside international programs in Berlin and Mexico City. This residency will allow Korver to further develop his conceptual work while continuing his active role as an artist and educator in Kansas City.
Gaylin Eugene Nicholson (’25 Sculpture & Ceramics)
Gaylin Eugene Nicholson (‘25 Sculpture & Ceramics) creates work that delves into the fragility of memory and the emotional weight of grief. Drawing heavily on his rural Kansas upbringing, his practice explores how domestic environments manipulate and distort personal histories. Nicholson’s accomplishments have already earned him the 2025 Windgate-Lamar Fellowship and the International Sculpture Center’s Outstanding Student Accomplishment Award. His upcoming residency will serve as a platform to continue breathing new life into unnoticed spaces through distorted materials and forms.
Hunter Silvey (’22 Painting & Entrepreneurial Studies)
Hunter Silvey (‘22 Painting & Entrepreneurial Studies) is an interdisciplinary artist, working across installation, fiber, and painting. Silvey utilizes unconventional synthetic materials like hand-dyed vinyl, mylar, and bubble wrap to create atmospheric, transparent color fields. Her deeply personal practice serves as a methodology for navigating complex emotions, past traumas, and queerness. By placing figures within imaginary voids, Silvey invites viewers into an elusive dreamscape that sparks vital conversations regarding gender, sexuality, and relationships.
Chaneryna Thach (’24 Illustration & Asian Studies)
Chaneryna Thach (‘24 Illustration & Asian Studies) is a Kansas City-based paper artist. Her narrative-driven work utilizes intricate cut paper and mixed media to explore identity, belonging, and her Cambodian American heritage. Through layers of color and paper, Thach reflects on her lived experiences and ancestral history, honoring and questioning the legacy passed down to her. Her vibrant compositions aim to spark a sense of wonder while educating audiences about the complexity, resilience, and beauty of Cambodian culture.
Since 1997, Charlotte Street has functioned as the primary incubator, provocateur, and connector for Kansas City’s contemporary arts community. The organization centers the region's most forward-thinking visual artists, writers, and performers, acting as their leading advocate on both local and national stages. To date, Charlotte Street has distributed over $3 million in awards and grants to champion individual artists and their innovative projects. Through initiatives like the Studio Residency Program, the foundation continuously fosters a collaborative culture rooted in risk-taking, openness, and creative excellence.