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

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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.

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Considering Kansas City’s storied legacy of jazz, Riffs on Real Time explores the expansive possibilities of riffing and more broadly, the power of rhythm and music. As the exhibition’s starting point, Leslie Hewitt’s eponymous work nods to this musical approach by creating juxtapositions and layers in her compositions demonstrating riffing’s conceptual richness. Riffs on Real Time builds on this idea with works from the Kemper Museum’s collection featuring artists riffing on different artistic styles or movements and aspects of popular culture. Additionally, it includes works highlighting the cultural and sociopolitical dimensions of rhythm and music as well as their ability to convene, even galvanize.  

Organized by Jessica S. Hong, chief curator, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

Roger Shimomura (American, born 1939), Untitled, 1984, acrylic on canvas, 60 ½ x 72 ¼ inches, Collection of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri, Bebe and Crosby Kemper Collection, Museum purchase, Enid and Crosby Kemper and William T. Kemper Acquisition Fund, 2000.13.01. Art and photo © Roger Shimomura, courtesy of the Lawrence Lithography Workshop.

Frederick James Brown (American, 1945-2012), They Had the Right to Sing the Blues, 1995, acrylic on canvas, 92 x 148 ½ inches, Collection of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri, Anonymous Gift, 2002.20.01. © Frederic J. Brown Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. 

Featured Works

"Music is a space of convening," Jessica S. Hong Chief Curator, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

Silent Concert: Echoes & Reverberations

Join Chief Curator Jessica S. Hong for a casual gallery talk focused on Stan Douglas: Metronome and Riffs on Real Time, and stay for lunch at the museum's new restaurant, Oil on Linen.

Curator's Gallery Spotlight

Director's Gallery Spotlight

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

Riffs on Real Time

Leslie Hewitt (American, born 1977), Riffs on Real Time (5 of 10), 2024, chromogenic print, 1/1 edition + 1 AP, 30 ⅝  x 44 ¼  x 2 inches framed, Courtesy of the Artist and Perrotin © Leslie Hewitt. Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli, 2024. 