Permanent Collection

4420 Warwick Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64111

Contact

Kemper Museum Policies

The Kemper Museum website uses cookies. By continuing to use the site, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use.

Hours

Employment

Docent Portal

Policies

News

Accessibility Statement

Accessibility

Atrium Project

Oil on Linen

Visit

Free Admission

Programs

Location & Directions

Plan Your Visit

Kemper Museum is a free art museum in Kansas City, Missouri that presents global contemporary art.

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

The Arterie

Exhibitions

Exhibitions & Collection

Calendar

Groups & Tours

Volunteer

Public Programs

Mission

History

Architecture

Leadership

Community Partners

About

Give

Memberships

Legacy Society

Gala

Annual Report

Support

Cafe

Museum Shop

Special Event Rentals

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art acknowledges it resides on the ancestral territory of the Osage, Kaw, and Otoe-Missouria, among other tribal nations forcibly moved to the region such as the Shawnee, Wyandot, Delaware, Potawatomi, Sac and Fox and Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo) nations. We recognize and support the continued vibrancy of Native communities and cultures today who continue to thrive, as well as the inherent sovereignty of tribal nations. We are compelled to serve and advocate for these communities in accordance with our public mission.

Kemper Museum acknowledges and respects the diversity of Native people connected to this land today. Many recognize the land and all beings who live within it as relatives. We acknowledge the earth we inhabit, the waters of the Blue River, the Kansas River, the Missouri River, and the plants, animals, and people supported by them. 

We acknowledge our responsibility to be good caretakers of the land we occupy. 

Click here to learn more about our land acknowledgment process.

Land Acknowledgement

Join

Celebrate

Shop

Raven Halfmoon

Ride or Die marks a pivotal moment in Halfmoon’s artistic evolution and a bold expansion of her creative practice. These works, created specifically for this exhibition, engage with the cultural and historical landscape of Kansas City and the surrounding region. Long intrigued by cowboy mythology, Halfmoon flips the script on the “cowboy vs. Indian” trope. Her powerful cowgirl figures dominate the space, subverting colonial narratives with punk-inflected force, as they assert control, power, and protection over both personal and collective Indigenous narratives. 

While she has previously depicted standing horses, a new large-scale sculpture of a bucking horse marks a breakthrough in Halfmoon’s practice. Responding to Cyrus Dallin’s The Scout (1921), a monument currently standing in Kansas City’s Penn Valley Park—which was intended as an homage but ultimately perpetuates stereotypical views of Native peoples—Halfmoon’s horse instead is untethered and unyielding, embodying the spirit of resistance and sovereignty at the heart of Ride or Die. 

Organized by Jessica S. Hong, Chief Curator 

Raven Halfmoon, Tushka Manahatta (2025). Stoneware glaze. 36 ½ x 26 x 17 ½ inches. Images courtesy of the artist and Salon 94. © Raven Halfmoon. Photography by Kes Efstathiou.

Raven Halfmoon, Scouting the Horizon (2025). Stoneware glaze. 41 x 23 x 20 inches.

Featured Artworks

Raven Halfmoon (b. 1991, Caddo Nation) lives and works in Norman, Oklahoma. Halfmoon attended the University of Arkansas, where she earned a double BA in ceramics/painting and cultural anthropology. Halfmoon’s work has been featured in gallery exhibitions both nationally and internationally. Raven Halfmoon’s first institutional exhibition Raven Halfmoon: The Flags of Our Mothers opened Spring 2024 at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, and has since traveled to the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, and will continue on to The Contemporary Austin. Halfmoon’s work can be found in the permanent collections The Museum of Fine Art Houston, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, Philbrook Museum of Art, Forge Project Collection and several others national institutions. In 2023, she was selected as an Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellow (Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN) and in 2024 she was a finalist for the international Loewe Craft Prize.

Image Credit: Raven Halfmoon (b. 1991, Caddo Nation), Artist Portrait with The Guardians in Progress at UAP (Urban Art Projects), 2024, Bronze, 108 x 47.38 x 43.79 inches, Courtesy of the artist and Salon 94. © Raven Halfmoon. Photo: Salon 94.

A Preview of Kansas City’s 2025-2026 Arts Season

Join us at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art as we celebrate two landmark exhibitions opening for the Fall.

Fall Exhibitions Opening Celebration

Experience the Kemper Museum’s collections through the unique perspectives of Kansas City contemporary artists.

Beyond the Studio: Ellie Naeger

Exhibition support is provided by Barbara and Steve Abend, among others.

Exhibitions are always free thanks to the generosity of members and other donors. Join or donate today to support free access to contemporary art.

Raven Halfmoon: Ride or Die

Installation view, Raven Halfmoon: Ride or Die, November 14, 2025–April 19, 2026 , Charlotte Crosby Kemper Gallery, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Photo: E. G. Schempf, 2025.