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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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Graffiti or “street art” has been largely synonymous with being made and viewed outdoors, on surfaces of public structures throughout cities worldwide, usually without permission. The visual vocabulary used by graffiti artists has often expressed modes of activism, creative thought, and personal and cultural insignias. Contemporary artists like Barry McGee (Twist) and many of his fellow “taggers” from San Francisco’s Mission District as well as others like Chicago native and KCAI alumnus Jordan Nickel (POSE) have made the transition from working outside to showing in galleries.* This is a development that has significantly changed the artistic practice of graffiti artists, prompting the making of three-dimensional and smaller compositions.

Visual signifiers and recognizable motifs often associated with graffiti culture, such as abstract graphic shapes, vibrant colors, bold lettering, and mural-like dimensions, are identifiable in works by artists outside of the genre. These works, culled from the Kemper Museum’s permanent collection, serve as examples of the influence that graffiti has had on artists showing in museum contexts.

New York-based artist Frank Stella’s Ohonoo (1994), part of his iconic Moby Dick series, evokes elements of graffiti such as distinct lines, sweeping gestures, and bright colors done on a monumental scale. Greg Miller and Archie Scott Gobber incorporate text into their works, another visual component used by graffiti artists and often inspired by comic book artists and illustrators. Graffiti is also intertwined with pop culture and politics as a means to deliver messages quickly and to a wide public audience. Roger Shimomura includes political figures and media icons in many of his works, such as Untitled (1984), to address sociopolitical issues of Asian American ethnicity, while Ed Blackburn’s Painted Magazine Rodeo Rider (1976) recontextualizes an iconic image of an American cowboy from small scale magazine ad to billboard-size status. In the painting Ride or Die (2005) Gajin Fujita (Hyde) incorporates multiple aspects of graffiti art informed by his years as an active member of two Los Angeles–based graffiti bombing crews.

*Graffiti artists use personal signatures or “tag names” to identify their works.

Ed Blackburn (American, b. 1940)
 Painted Magazine Rodeo Rider, 1976
 acrylic on canvas
 108 x 156 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, 2004.10
 © Ed Blackburn

Gajin Fujita, (American, b. 1972)
 Ride or Die, 2005
 spray paint, paint marker, paint stick, gold and white gold leaf on wood panels
 84 x 132 1/2 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, 2005.39a–c
 © Gajin Fujita, courtesy of the artist and L.A. Louver Gallery. Photo: courtesy of the artist and L.A. Louver Gallery

Archie Scott Gobber, (American, b. 1965)
 In Loving Memory of You, 2008
 enamel on wood panels
 80 x 144 inches
 Collection of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri
 Museum purchase made possible by gifts from the Collectors Forum and the Sosland Acquisition Fund, 2008.26
 © Archie Scott Gobber, courtesy of Haw Contemporary, Kansas City, MO. Photo: James Allison Photography, 2013

Jim Hodges, (American, b. 1957)
 Dot, 1999
 light bulbs and ceramic sockets on wood and metal panel
 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 x 5 inches. Collection of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri
 Bebe and Crosby Kemper Collection, Gift of the William T. Kemper Charitable Trust, UMB Bank, n.a., Trustee, 1999.12
 © Jim Hodges. Photo: Dan Wayne

Roger Shimomura, (American, b. 1939)
 Untitled, 1984
 acrylic on canvas
 60 1/2 x 72 1/4 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
 © Roger Shimomura. Photograph courtesy of Dan Wayn

Exhibition Preview

Ride or Die

Installation view, Ride or Die, Kemper at the Crossroads, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
 Photo: Tammy Ljungblad.