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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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Learn more about current and upcoming exhibitions at Kemper Museum of Comtemporary Art

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art Exhibition Schedule 2026-2028

PressRelease_KemperExhibitionSched5-8-26 (1).pdf

Barbara Takenaga, Forte (2011), Acrylic on linen, 54 x 135 inches. Courtesy of Uncrated Art Foundation, Kansas City, MO. Image: courtesy DC Moore Gallery, New York, © Barbara Takenaga. 

Note to Editors: The following schedule is preliminary and subject to change. Please check details before publishing with Kemper Museum’s press contact meg@blackburncreative.com

Edra Soto: the place of dwelling 
10th Annual Atrium Project 
January 30, 2026–March 6, 2027 

Installation view, Edra Soto: the place of dwelling, January 30, 2026 - March 6, 2027, Atrium, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Photo: E.G. Schempf, 2026.

Edra Soto (b. 1971, Puerto Rico) alters and recontextualizes common functional objects—wrought-iron screens, plastic lawn furniture, and electric fans, ubiquitous in her native Puerto Rico—to create objects and environments that celebrate the voices of working-class communities. Soto’s installation is commissioned for Kemper Museum’s tenth annual Atrium Project and is a direct response to the original 1994 Gunnar Birkerts architecture. Addressing the tabernacle-like center, Soto’s installation invests the space with personal memories of her Catholic upbringing, a gesture that both questions methods of colonial indoctrination and celebrates sacred sites filled with signs and symbols offering guidance and direction. By infusing elements of vernacular design with sacred symbolism, Soto proposes a correlation between art museums and churches as similarly charged spaces for the discovery of higher meaning. The commission is organized by Kevin Moore, Independent Curator. 

The World in Kansas City 
March 6 – August 8, 2026 

César López, Structural Form: Globe (expanded), 2025. 5052 H3 Aluminum, Chain, Hardware, Aluminum Rod, Shaft Collar, Motor (1RPM). 48 x 48 x 48 inches. Image courtesy the artist.  

Initially inspired by conversations around the 2026 global soccer tournament and potential influx of international visitors to Kansas City, this exhibition foregrounds the already present and increasingly expansive global context in which we live. For generations, people from different regions of the world have migrated to the region for a variety of reasons—from fleeing upheavals in their homelands to seeking new opportunities. Our artistic community has reflected this dynamic, supported by area universities and arts institutions and organizations, drawing artists from across the globe. While not intended to represent the entire world, this exhibition recognizes the complexity of these histories and narratives and commemorates this city’s evolving global spirit by featuring artists with global backgrounds who have either established themselves or had meaningful experiences in the city and region. Critically, their practices examine nuanced and interconnected systems, ideas, and experiences, revealing how we all belong to a shared social and cultural fabric. The exhibition is organized by Jessica S. Hong, Chief Curator, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. 

Second Nature: Photography in the Age of the Anthropocene 
May 22 – September 13, 2026 

César López, Structural Form: Globe (expanded), 2025. 5052 H3 Aluminum, Chain, Hardware, Aluminum Rod, Shaft Collar, Motor (1RPM). 48 x 48 x 48 inches. Image courtesy the artist.

Initially inspired by conversations around the 2026 World Cup and potential influx of international visitors to Kansas City, this exhibition foregrounds the already present and increasingly expansive global context in which we live. For hundreds of years, people from different regions of the world have migrated to the region for a variety of reasons—from fleeing upheavals in their homelands to seeking new opportunities. Our artistic community has reflected this dynamic, supported by area universities and arts institutions and organizations, drawing artists from across the globe. While not intended to represent the entire world, this exhibition recognizes the complexity of these histories and narratives and commemorates this city’s evolving global spirit by featuring artists with global backgrounds who have either established themselves or had meaningful experiences in the city and region. Critically, their practices examine nuanced and interconnected systems, ideas, and experiences, revealing how we all belong to a shared social and cultural fabric. The exhibition is organized by Jessica S. Hong, Chief Curator, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.

Lie. Sit. Stand. Be Still.
August 28 – January 31, 2027

Dean Mitchell, Release Me, 1991. Oil on Masonite, 30 x 44 inches. Collection of the Kemper Museum pf Cpntemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri. 1997.06.01. © Dean Mitchell. Photo: Dan Wayne.

The works featured in Lie. Sit. Stand. Be Still. suggest slowness, contemplation, silence, and rest. Referencing a 1995 portfolio in the Kemper Museum’s collection, which include poetry by Michael McClure and lithographs by Robert Graham, Lie. Sit. Stand. Be Still. offers an invitation to the viewer. States of rest and pause are referenced and/or encouraged throughout the exhibition with figurative works from the Kemper Museum’s collection alongside meditative abstractions and imagery. This exhibition emphasizes restoration and temporal liminality as key to the human experience, both necessary and sublime. The exhibition is curated by Amy Kligman, an artist and arts organizer living in Kansas City, MO. 

Barbara Takenaga: Awestruck 
October 9, 2026 – April 11, 2027 

Barbara Takenaga, Forte (2011), Acrylic on linen, 54 x 135 inches. Courtesy of Uncrated Art Foundation, Kansas City, MO. Image: courtesy DC Moore Gallery, New York, © Barbara Takenaga.  

Barbara Takenaga: Awestruck is the first comprehensive survey of the artist’s work in nearly a decade. Presenting abstract paintings made over the past 25 years, the exhibition brings together dazzling demonstrations that highlight the many approaches to abstraction that have shaped Takenaga’s career. Featuring some 50 works from institutional and private collections, this exhibition includes paintings up to her most recent, revealing Takenaga’s continued push to further her approach across increasingly expanding canvases, opening new paths within her ongoing exploration of abstraction. Takenaga reminds us that painting is a practice of both action and chance, so too is looking and perceiving: we make the work through our active gaze. Known for her mesmerizing, intricate compositions, this exhibition examines Takenaga’s paintings through four thematic sections: an emphasis on process, a masterful confusion of scale, an embrace of illusion, and reverent nods to art history. Together, these strategies work to upend the viewer’s expectations, engaging imagination and stoking curiosity. The exhibition is curated by Jessica May, Executive Director, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and Tae Edell, Independent Curator.  

Roberto Lugo
October 2027 – Spring 2028

Portrait of Roberto Lugo. Photography by Jay Agbay. Courtesy of the artist. 

The Kemper Museum is excited to present the first mid-career survey of acclaimed ceramicist Roberto Lugo, Kansas City Art Institute graduate and self-proclaimed “Village Potter” whose innovative practice blends traditional ceramics with contemporary cultural commentary, opening October 2027, and on view through Spring 2028, organized by Kemper Museum Chief Curator, Jessica Hong. Spanning Lugo’s full journey— from his humble beginnings to his role as a leading voice in contemporary art—the exhibition offers an in-depth look at an artist who uses the medium of clay to amplify marginalized histories and celebrate overlooked figures and moments. 

Media inquiries: Meg Blackburn, meg@blackburncreative.com

Exhibition support is provided by The Kemper Family Foundations; UMB Bank, n.a., Trustee; the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. 

The World in Kansas City 
Presenting Sponsors Kristen and Dan Fromm; Linda Lighton, Lynn Adkins, and the Lighton Fund; Elizabeth and Majid Amirahmadi; the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. 

Second Nature: Photography in the Age of the Anthropocene 
Presented by Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts, Commerce Bank, n.a., trustee | J. Scott Francis and Susan Gordon, Francis Family Foundation | Gattermeir Family Foundation, J. Peter Gattermeir | Karen and Jack Holland | Mary Kemper Wolf and Gary Wolf. 

Barbara Takenaga: Awestuck 

Presented by Linda and Mike Lyon; Catherine and Geoff Smith; Kemper Family Foundation 


Exhibition support is provided by The Bebe and Crosby Kemper Foundation for the Arts, UMB Bank, n.a., Trustee; and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

Bold. Inclusive. Contemporary. Since 1994, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art has been a creative force in Kansas City and beyond, championing today’s artists and sparking conversations that matter. As Missouri’s first contemporary art museum, Kemper has introduced generations of visitors to the most compelling global voices in modern and contemporary art. Admission is free, thanks to the generosity of supporting members. 

Home to a growing collection of nearly 1,500 works, the museum showcases both established and rising artists, with a strong emphasis on those from historically underrepresented communities. Housed in an iconic building designed by Gunnar Birkerts, Kemper Museum offers an ever-changing mix of exhibitions, installations, and bold new projects, presenting 8 to 10 major shows each year and a robust schedule of events. Its restaurant, Oil on Linen, features an art-inspired menu by Chef Ted Habiger, who is known for his commitment to local farmers and sustainable practices.

Kemper is more than a place to see art. It’s a place to engage. From hands-on family activities and artist talks to community partnerships and thought-provoking exhibitions, the museum’s free public programs invite people of all ages and backgrounds to connect, create, and be inspired. 

Kemper Museum is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. For more information about the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, please visit kemperart.org.

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
Exhibition Schedule 2026 – 2028