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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 looks toward the future with a new strategic plan and leadership additions.

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art Looks Toward the Future, Announcing a New Strategic Plan and Leadership Additions

PressRelease_RavenHalfmoon9-30-25.pdf

Kansas City, MO – Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art presents the exhibition Raven Halfmoon: Ride or Die, on view November 14, 2025 – April 19, 2026. Building on the Kemper Museum’s legacy of visionary commissions, this solo exhibition by Raven Halfmoon (b. 1991, Caddo Nation, based in Norman, Oklahoma) features five ambitious, site-responsive works. The exhibition is organized by Jessica S. Hong, Chief Curator, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.

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.

Says Halfmoon, “When I was traveling through Kansas City, I was struck by a statue titled The Scout by Cyrus E. Dallin. It is a commanding ten-foot sculpture depicting a Native rider atop his horse, looking into the distance. I thought of my ancestors on my father's side, who are Otoe-Missouri - Tribal Nations whose homelands include Missouri, Nebraska, and, going even further back, the Great Lakes region. That rich history was part of what inspired the creation of my exhibition, Ride or Die, opening at the Kemper Museum. The exhibition reflects my experience growing up in Oklahoma, which is part of the North American Great Plains. We also have a rich Western heritage culture in addition to 38 federally recognized Tribal Nations. My show features powerful Native female riders, a bucking horse, and canine protectors—all entities who I see as Ride or Dies.”

Hong explains, “Formidably punk, Raven Halfmoon’s site-responsive exhibition expands the Kemper Museum’s legacy as a space of artistic experimentation and innovation. Engaging local histories and narratives, Halfmoon’s new body of work fosters a site of critical convening, reminding us that defiance can be a generative, empowering tool to honor and fortify our past, present, and future.” 

Image: Left: Scouting the Horizon (2025). Stoneware glaze. 41 x 23 x 20 inches. Right: 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 (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. Her first institutional exhibition, Raven Halfmoon: The Flags of Our Mothers, opened in June 2023 at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, and has since traveled to the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, The Contemporary Austin, and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Halfmoon’s work can be found in major institutional collections including 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, and Forge Project Collection, among others. 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 (Loewe Foundation, Madrid, Spain.)

Join us at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art as we celebrate two landmark exhibitions opening for the Fall: Raven Halfmoon: Ride or Die and The Atrium Project: 10 Years, 10 Stories. The public reception will take place at the Kemper Museum, followed by a talk by Halfmoon at the Kansas City Art Institute. This is a special opportunity to hear directly from the artist, explore the ideas driving her work, and gain deeper insight into the themes that shape her creative vision.

5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Opening Reception at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

Cash Bar Opens 5:00 p.m. | Reception 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fall-exhibitions-opening-celebration-tickets-1758299534239?aff=oddtdtcreator

7:00 p.m. Jedel Visiting Artist "Current Perspectives" Lecture with Raven Halfmoon at Kansas City Art Institute

Open to the public
Location: Epperson Auditorium
Kansas City Art Institute
4415 Warwick Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64111
RSVP here: https://events.humanitix.com/current-perspectives-raven-halfmoon/tickets

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.; 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.

Media inquiries: Meg Blackburn, meg@blackburncreative.com

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art Presents the Exhibition 
Raven Halfmoon: Ride or Die