Artist talks, special tours, hands-on workshops, films, lectures, and performances are scheduled throughout the year, many in conjunction with exhibitions on display.
Groups of ten or more may schedule free docent-led guided tours of Kemper Museum’s Permanent Collection and special exhibitions; to see more information visit the Museum's Tours page.
Taking place weekly at Kemper Museum, stop in for live music curated by the musical talent of Kansas City!
The Kansas City Songwriter Series, curated by Kansas City Trumpeter Hermon Mehari, features select songwriters who vary in genre and will perform in the formation of their choosing. Playing original music, whether its neatly polished old material or new unfinished works, each week will be a different musical experience you won't want to miss!
This week: Mikal Shapiro
Kemper Museum’s fifth annual block party! Join us to celebrate the museum’s twenty-fifth anniversary with featured music, food trucks, exhibition tours, family activities, a Museum Shop trunk show, and outdoor movie screening on the museum lawn to close the evening. Click here for full details.
RSVP on Eventbrite:
https://2019-block-party.eventbrite.com
A special series hosted inside Kemper Museum galleries with Laura Frank of Inner Space Yoga, participants will be guided through meditation, qigong, breathing instruction, and sound healing. Some blankets and mats will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring their own yoga mat and small cushion, if possible. No experience necessary. Space is limited.
RSVP on Eventbrite:
https://kempermuseum-guided-meditation--july.eventbrite.com
Jazz flutist, educator, band director, and vocalist Amber Underwood is a native of Kansas City and has been entertaining and performing music since the age of 8. Her musical journey began on the piano and soon after she started playing classical flute. While in college, Wood discovered Jazz and became intrigued with the art form inspired by musical influences like Bobbi Humphrey, Hubert Laws, Frank Wess, Herbie Mann, and Nestor Torres and found a love for the art form.
RSVP on Eventbrite:
https://kempermuseum-amberunderwood.eventbrite.com
Amber Wood graduated from Wichita State University at the age of 20 with a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance, and by 23 she completed a Master of Arts in Arts Administration and Music Business from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory. She earned a second Master’s degree in Education and Teaching Music from Pittsburgh State University.
In 2014 the Amber Underwood Project was formed with the mission to showcase the rich tones of the flute with a modern and fresh take on smooth jazz and R&B sounds. Wood lives and works in Kansas City.
Organized and MC’d by Poet Laureate of the 18th and Vine Historic Jazz District Glenn North, this event will feature local spoken word artists who will perform a combination of original and known works inspired by artworks currently on view at Kemper Museum.
RSVP on Eventbrite:
https://kempermuseum-lexiconspokenwordnight.eventbrite.com
Participating artists include Darrien Case, awarded “Best Newcomer” in 2018 and “Best Slam Artist” in 2019 by the Music and More Poetry Foundation; Evan Lovelace, actor in the North American Premier of The Shawshank Redemption at the Metropolitan Theatre and educator for The Culture House and Theatre for Young America, among other performing arts institutions; Marjai Neal, who represented Kansas City Public Schools at the Brave New Voices poetry slam competition in 2017; Michael Patton, whose poetry is a reflection of his activism, he serves as a member of the Arts Industry Sector Council and the Board of Directors of the Black Archives of Mid-America; and Angela Roulette, awarded “Best Spoken Word Act” in Pitch Magazine’s “Best of KC 2013” edition and creator and producer of Estrogen Rush!, an all-female poetry show.
Glenn North is Director of Public Programs at Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center and is currently serving as the Poet Laurate of the 18th & Vine Historic Jazz District. He is the author of City of Song, a poetry collection celebrating Kansas City’s rich jazz heritage and the tragedies and triumphs of the Black experience, and is co-founder and artistic director of Louder Than A Bomb Kansas City.
Enjoy coffee and a tour of the exhibition with Erin Dziedzic, director of curatorial affairs at Kemper Museum and Jade Powers, assistant curator. They’ll discuss planning for Lexicon, including the decision to rotate works on view throughout the exhibition.
RSVP on Eventbrite:
https://kempermuseum-lexiconcuratorledtour.eventbrite.com
A special series hosted inside Kemper Museum galleries with Laura Frank of Inner Space Yoga, participants will be guided through meditation, qigong, breathing instruction, and sound healing. Some blankets and mats will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring their own yoga mat and small cushion, if possible. No experience necessary. Space is limited.
RSVP on Eventbrite:
https://kempermuseum-guidedmeditation-august.eventbrite.com
Puerto Rican-born, New York-based artist Angel Otero speaks about his newest commission: the 2019-2020 site-specific installation in the Kemper Museum atrium.
RSVP on Eventbrite:
https://kempermuseum-angelotero.eventbrite.com
Angel Otero (b. 1981, Santurce, Puerto Rico; lives and works in Brooklyn, New York) is a visual artist best known for his process-based paintings. While much of his works have been influenced by memories based in photographs and other family memorabilia combined with the gestures of twentieth century painting, his latest works highlight the artist's unique process as a form of narrative in itself.
Through his innovative process of oil paint scraping, Otero venerates historical oil painting while confronting it head on. Otero's 'deformation' approach to painting his works––first across glass and then once dry, flaying the dried paint and reconstructing the composition anew across large canvasses––is representative of how the artist perceives the process of reconfiguring both personal and historical narratives. Instead of representing his life through art, Otero archives moments within it by creating opportunities of surprise and discovery. His work is a constant negotiation between the individual and art history.
Artist Hew Locke presents on major themes throughout his career and works in the exhibition, Hew Locke: Here’s the Thing.
RSVP on Eventbrite:
https://kempermuseum-artist-talk-locke.eventbrite.com
Every Saturday from 1:00–2:00 p.m.
FREE | All ages
A casual opportunity for visitors to engage with artwork through informative conversations with Museum docents. Ask questions about the artwork on view and enjoy informative and lively dialogue.
No reservations required, just "drop in" and learn something new!
