August 2022
Soundings: An Exhibition in Five Parts
August 18 – October 30, 2022 Curated by Candice Hopkins and Dylan Robinson Tour Organized by Independent Curators International (ICI) How can a score be a call and tool for decolonization? Curated by Candice Hopkins and Dylan Robinson, Soundings: An Exhibition in Five Parts features newly commissioned scores, performances, videos, sculptures and sound by Indigenous and other artists who respond to this question. Unfolding in a sequence of five parts, the scores take the form of beadwork, videos, objects, graphic notation, historical belongings, and written instructions. During the exhibition these scores are activated at specific moments by musicians, dancers, performers and members of the public, gradually filling the gallery and surrounding public spaces with sound and action. The exhibition is cumulative, limning an ever-changing community of artworks, shared experience and engagement as it travels. Soundings shifts and evolves, gaining new artists and players in each location. Some artworks have multiple parts, others change to their own rhythm as the exhibition grows. At the core of the exhibition is a grounding in concepts of Indigenous land and territory. To move beyond the mere acknowledgement of land and territory here means offering instructions for sensing and listening to Indigenous histories that trouble…
Find out more »October 2022
2022 Charlotte Street Foundation Visual Artist Awards
Opening Reception Wednesday, October 5, 6-8 p.m. The H&R Block Artspace, in partnership with the Charlotte Street Foundation, is pleased to present the 2022 Charlotte Street Foundation Visual Artist Awards exhibition featuring new work by 2022 Fellows Andrew Mcilvaine, Harold Smith Jr., and Johanna Winters. Representing a continuing partnership with the Charlotte Street Foundation that dates to 1999, the Artspace continues to host this annual award exhibition on a triennial basis with the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. The 2022 Charlotte Street Foundation Visual Artist Awards represents the Artspace’s ninth CSF award exhibition. Since 1997, Charlotte Street’s Visual Artist Award has supported 100 outstanding visual artists living in Kansas City through annual, unrestricted cash awards, with a total of $751,500 distributed directly to visual artists. These competitive awards recognize locally based artists who are creating outstanding artwork and show great accomplishment and promise. These awards provide financial support, critical attention, and increased exposure for these artists with the aim of fostering their continued artistic and professional development. Artspace Visitor Guide The Artspace is open and free to all. To protect the well-being of visitors, students, and staff, the gallery may limit large numbers of guests,…
Find out more »Selections from the Collection: (Un)Wavering Ideals
The Artspace reopens its Studio Gallery upstairs with Selections from the Collection: (Un) Wavering Ideals, featuring works from the KCAI teaching collection in conversation with works by Kansas City-based artists. Organized by the Artspace’s Jesse Howard Fellow Hùng Lê (’22 Fiber), (Un) Wavering Ideals features artists whose works question and critique various facets of American society to understand and uncover the ideals upon which America was built. Utilizing various techniques including printmaking, painting, and sewing, these artists investigate themes of identity, nationalism, immigration, gender, race, and citizenship within an increasingly polarizing political environment. Through their works, these artists raise questions about what it means to be American, for whom this country was built, and what America will stand for going forward. Featured artists include Vito Acconci, Michelle Chan, Judy Chicago, Archie Scott Gobber, Phillip Mason, Bernadette Negrete, Peter Saul, Kara Walker, and Aleah Washington. Image: Vito Acconci, Wav(er)ing Flag, 1990, three-color lithograph on six sheets, 18 x 24 in. (each sheet), Gift of Jack Lemon and Landfall Press. Collection of the Kansas City Art Institute.
Find out more »Alumni Reunion & Open House
Join us for an Alumni reunion & Open House to meet KCAI’s new Nerman Family President, Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar! Campus will be open for alumni to visit all major studios and student ambassadors will lead short tours of the new buildings. Saturday, October 8 1 – 3 PM Remarks at 2 PM Drinks and appetizers will be served. The Courtyard at KCAI Between the new Barbara Marshall Residence Hall and Tony Jones Studios for Animation and Illustration. Parking is available in the KCAI south lot and on the street. Hotel discounts are available to KCAI Alumni on the Alumni benefits page. This will be an in-person event only – we hope to see you at KCAI! RSVP by October 3 at alumni@kcai.edu or 816.802.3468
Find out more »Jedel Visiting Artist: Beili Liu
Thursday, October 20 at 7 p.m. Epperson Auditorium Beili Liu is a visual artist who creates site-responsive installations and performances that address themes of migration, cultural memory, labor, social and environmental concerns. Working with commonplace materials and elements such as thread, needle, scissors, feather, salt, wax, and cement, Liu manipulates their intrinsic qualities to extrapolate complex cultural narratives. KCAI Sculpture Department hosts the annual Jedel Visiting Artists to engage students in creating new artworks that enhance their educational experience with contemporary ideas. The program is underwritten by the Jedel Family Foundation, which brings nationally recognized artists to KCAI and Kansas City for an annual talk and to engage with students and faculty
Find out more »December 2022
End of Semester Exhibition and Sale
Friday, December 2, 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Saturday, December 3, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday, December 4, noon - 5 p.m. Shop for one-of-a-kind works made by KCAI students at the End of Semester Exhibition and Sale. Visit each studio on campus including Animation, Ceramics, Fiber, Filmmaking, Foundation (North and West), Graphic Design, Illustration, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Product Design, Sculpture, and Social Practice. The campus is large, so download a map and plan your visit! All proceeds benefit individual student artists and designers.
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