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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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­­­­­Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art names Jessica S. Hong Chief Curator

PressRelease_AndreaCarlson_KemperMuseum.pdf

Kansas City, MO – Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art presents the exhibition Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons, on view August 29, 2025 – February 15, 2026. Andrea Carlson (Grand Portage Ojibwe/European descent, b. 1979; based in northern Minnesota and Chicago, IL) describes her landscapes as both “nowhere and everywhere.” These imagined scenes do not depict specific places but rather consider how landscapes are composites of histories, relationships, and power. Grounded in Anishinaabe understandings of space and time, the works in this exhibition reflect on how land carries memories of colonial expansion and violence, as well as Indigenous presence and resistance.

Across painting, video, and sculpture, Carlson organizes landscapes around one constant: the horizon. This line is reminiscent of her homelands on Lake Superior. It is also a significant art historical trope that artists have employed to depict territories as vast and vacant, ripe for the taking. Carlson’s landscapes, however, are not empty but densely layered with a range of motifs from colonial tactics to her family and peers, Ojibwe culture, and Indigenous sovereignty. Refracting images across horizons, Carlson creates prismatic landscapes that become sites of memory, where the land is both host and witness, while beckoning us toward a place that lies beyond empire’s grasp.

Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons is curated by Iris Colburn, Curatorial Associate at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, where the exhibition was on view from August 3, 2024 – February 2, 2025. The Kansas City presentation of the exhibition is organized by Jessica S. Hong, Chief Curator, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.

The Kemper Museum presentation focuses on Carlson’s sustained interest in effigy mounds—Indigenous earthworks that lie across the Midwestern U.S. and beyond. Countless mounds have been destroyed by colonial expansion, including the construction of highways and urban development. In Carlson’s work, the mound is not only a recurring form but also an enduring point of inspiration to think about absence and loss alongside memory and renewal. By confronting ongoing histories of erasure and dispossession, Carlson invites us to consider how what appears lost can be retained, reimagined, or regained. 

Hong explains, “The Kemper’s presentation centers the living breadth of Indigenous histories and experiences across the Midwestern region. Connecting present-day Chicago and Kansas City, this exhibition foregrounds Indigenous presence and resilience and the complex histories woven through these lands, while honoring the distinctiveness of the nations, communities, and narratives rooted in each place.” 

Art Credit: Andrea Carlson (b. 1979, Grand Portage Ojibwe/European descent), Exit, 2019, screen print, 33 ½ x 47 ¾ inches, Courtesy of the artist © Andrea Carlson

Andrea Carlson (Grand Portage Ojibwe/European descent, b. 1979; based in northern Minnesota and Chicago, IL) is a visual artist and writer currently living on Potawatomi land in Chicago, IL. Andrea’s layered practice includes painting, drawing, and arts writing on subjects ranging from museum studies to Indigenous Futurisms to assimilation metaphors in film. Her art is in various collections, such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Walker Art Center, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and National Gallery of Canada. She has received many awards from organizations such as the Joan Mitchell Foundation (2016), Chicago Artadia Award (2020), and US Artists Fellowship (2021). Her first museum survey organized by the Denver Art Museum, Andrea Carlson: A Constant Sky, will open on October 5, 2025.

Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons | Artist Talk & Opening Celebration
Thursday, August 28, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Cash Bar Opens 5:30 p.m. | Artist talk 6:00 p.m. | Reception 7:00 p.m.

Join us at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art for an evening with artist Andrea Carlson. The program begins with opening remarks from Executive Director Jessica May and Chief Curator Jessica Hong, followed by an introduction to Carlson and her powerful new exhibition. This is a special opportunity to hear directly from the artist, consider the ideas driving her work, and gain deeper insight into the themes that shape her creative vision.

Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons | Media Walkthrough with Chief Curator Jessica Hong

Friday, August 29, from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

In Kansas City, 2025 Exhibition Support is provided by:

The Bebe and Crosby Kemper Foundation for the Arts, UMB Bank, n.a., Trustee; William T. Kemper Charitable Trust, UMB Bank, n.a.; Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation; the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; and Visionaries Members of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. 

Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Lead support for the Chicago presentation of Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons is provided by R. H. Defares and the Zell Family Foundation.

Major support is provided by Newcity, Charlotte R. Cramer Wagner and Herbert S. Wagner III of Wagner Foundation, and the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Generous support is provided by the Sandra and Jack Guthman Chicago Works Exhibition Fund. Additional support is provided by Bockley Gallery, the Jessica Silverman Gallery, and D. Elizabeth Price and Lou Yecies.

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.

Media inquiries: Meg Blackburn, meg@blackburncreative.com

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art Presents the Exhibition Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons