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4420 Warwick Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64111

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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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On view at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons considers how landscapes are shaped by history, relationships, and power.

Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons

Andrea Carlson (Grand Portage Ojibwe/European descent, b. 1979; based in northern Minnesota and Chicago, IL) considers how landscapes are shaped by history, relationships, and power. Her artworks imagine places that are “everywhere and nowhere,” visualizing these shifting yet ever-present dynamics. 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 imagined 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 prismatic works are not empty: they are densely layered with an abundance of motifs, making reference to the tactics of colonialism as well as her family and peers, Ojibwe culture, and Indigenous sovereignty. Confronting ongoing histories of erasure and dispossession, Carlson proposes that what appears to be lost can be remade, reimagined, or otherwise regained.

Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons is curated by Iris Colburn, Curatorial Associate at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The Kansas City presentation is organized by Jessica S. Hong, Chief Curator, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. 

Artist Talk | Andrea Carlson

Featured Works

8 Artists Having a Breakout Moment This Fall

A Preview of Kansas City’s 2025-2026 Arts Season

In addition to her visual work, Andrea Carlson has published numerous essays, statements, 
and interviews about the histories and themes that inform her practice. Kemper Museum has curated a selection of these writings as supplementary reading materials for the exhibition.

Further Reading Resources:
Andrea Carlson

Generous contributions of all sizes help keep museum admissions FREE for all visitors.

At Kemper Museum there is no charge for admission, special exhibitions, or community programs. Your donation underwrites these expenses and inspires many thousands with contemporary art each year.

Installation view, Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons, August 29, 2025 - February 16, 2026, Sally Kemper Wood Gallery and Barbara and Paul Ulhmann Gallery, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Photo: E.G. Schempf, 2025.

Installation view, The Atrium Project: 10 Years, 10 Stories, November 7, 2025–April 19, 2026 , Charlotte Crosby Kemper Gallery, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Photo: E. G. Schempf, 2025.

In Fall 2025, The Atrium Project: 10 Years, 10 Stories will mark the initiative’s 10th anniversary with an exhibition featuring all participating artists—several represented in the Kemper Museum’s collection.

The Atrium Project: 10 Years, 10 Stories

Launched in 2016 by then–Kemper Museum Curator Erin Dziedzic, the Atrium Project was created as a platform for emerging and mid-career Hispanic and Latine artists. Each year, one artist has been invited to create a site-responsive work for the Museum’s central atrium, activating a large, prominent convening space with bold new directions in subject or scale.  

Developed over the course of a year, each commission begins with an artist’s visit to Kansas City—an experience that often subtly informs the final work. The series provides space for experimentation, storytelling, and reflection, grounded in both personal vision and place.  

To mark the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Atrium Project, this exhibition brings together for the first time work by the nine previous participating artists: José Lerma (2016–17), Firelei Báez (2017–18), Paul Henry Ramirez (2018–19), Angel Otero (2019–20), Joiri Minaya (2020–21), Aliza Nisenbaum (2021–22), Pepe Mar (2022–23), Sarah Zapata (2023–24), and Lucía Vidales (2024–25), with Edra Soto’s commission debuting in 2026.  

Across these projects, shared themes emerge: gathering as spiritual and social act; tracing layered histories; and exploring material, memory, and identity through personal and communal lenses. The Atrium Project: 10 Years, 10 Stories celebrates a decade of artistic innovation and the Museum’s ongoing commitment to supporting artists at pivotal moments in their careers, while looking ahead to what comes next. 

Organized by Jessica S. Hong, Chief Curator, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art 

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

Raven Halfmoon

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. 

Organized by Jessica S. Hong, Chief Curator 

Featured Artworks

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. Raven Halfmoon’s first institutional exhibition Raven Halfmoon: The Flags of Our Mothers opened Spring 2024 at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, and has since traveled to the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, and will continue on to The Contemporary Austin. Halfmoon’s work can be found in the permanent collections 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, Forge Project Collection and several others national institutions. 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.

Image Credit: Raven Halfmoon (b. 1991, Caddo Nation), Artist Portrait with The Guardians in Progress at UAP (Urban Art Projects), 2024, Bronze, 108 x 47.38 x 43.79 inches, Courtesy of the artist and Salon 94. © Raven Halfmoon. Photo: Salon 94.

Raven Halfmoon: Ride or Die

Installation view, Raven Halfmoon: Ride or Die, November 14, 2025–April 19, 2026 , Charlotte Crosby Kemper Gallery, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Photo: E. G. Schempf, 2025.

Free contemporary art museum in Kansas City, Missouri

Edra Soto: the place of dwelling

Learn more

Contemporary Art. Bold Voices. Free Admission.

Welcome to Kemper Museum

The World in Kansas City

Second Nature: Photography in the Age of the Anthropocene

Kemper Museum invites you to discover and experience firsthand how art can change your life, promote wellness, and improve wellbeing.

Art & Wellness: Inviting Surprise

Join us for a drop-in tour led by a Kemper Museum docent on the fourth Saturday of the month at 1 PM.  Docent guides will spark curiosity and conversation about select artworks and exhibitions. Gather at the Visitor Services desk in the Atrium at 1 PM to participate. No registration required.

Gallery Conversation with a Kemper Museum Docent

Celebrate the opening of the "place of dwelling", a new installation by Edra Soto, created for Kemper Museum’s 10th Annual Atrium Project

Edra Soto: the place of dwelling — Member Preview & Artist Talk

Kemper Museum and Ensemble Ibérica present a special concert in celebration of Dálida and Michael (Serenata del Tres Cubano), a painting by acclaimed artist Aliza Nisenbaum and featured in the exhibition, The Atrium Project: 10 years, 10 stories.  

Ensemble Ibérica: Material, Memory, and Place

Ensemble Ibérica: Material, Memory, and Place 

Join artist and activist Alex Kimball Williams of Bad Alaskan for a performance-driven workshop inspired by Raven Halfmoon: Ride or Die

Power & Noise with Alex Kimball Williams

Practice your French and English and learn about contemporary art at Kemper Museum each Thursday.

French-English Language Exchange Club

Join Jimmy Lee Beason II and Dr. Daniel Wildcat for reflections on Andrea Carlson’s work and Indigenous landscapes past present and future.

Indigenous Horizons: Andrea Carlson Closing Celebration

Join us for a drop-in tour led by a Kemper Museum docent on the second Saturday of the month at 1 PM.  Docent guides will spark curiosity and conversation about select artworks and exhibitions. Gather at the Visitor Services desk in the Atrium at 1 PM to participate. No registration required.

It’s love month! Join the Kemper Teen Arts Council for a day of art-making inspired by the people and things we love!

Teen-led Saturday: Love is Everywhere

Experience the Kemper Museum’s collections through the unique perspectives of Kansas City contemporary artists.

Beyond the Studio: Chantel Guzman-Cupil

Dálida and Michael (Serennata del Tres Cubano)

Paintings

Carry III

Sculptures

Carbon, silver and gold

Works on Paper

Helen Frankenthaler and Alexander Liberman in her East 83rd Street studio, New York - 1967, with GUIDING RED

Photographs

Deck

Textile Installations

In Praise of Prairie Dogs

Prints

The Wedding

Film & Video

Untitled Escape Collage

Mixed Media

Keep admission, special exhibitions, and programming free for everyone.

Home

Experience art in new and unexpected ways with Kemper Museum Docent Cynthia Orr on fourth Fridays at 3 p.m. Explore select artworks in depth through carefully designed activities and discussions. Every monthly session is unique, so feel welcome to return and bring a friend. 18+.

Suggested $5 donation; all are welcome. Registration encouraged.

Kemper Museum admissions are FREE thanks to support from members and other donors. Join today!

Click here for information on how to get to the museum and where to find our paid parking lots.

Kemper Museum admission is always FREE, thanks to generous support of our Members and donors.

Join us for a drop-in tour led by a Kemper Museum docent on the fourth Saturday of the month at 1 PM. No registration required. Docent guides will spark curiosity and conversation about select artworks and exhibitions. Gather at the Visitor Services desk in the Atrium at 1 PM to participate.

Click here for information on how to get to the Museum and where to find our paid parking lots. 

Parking is Free for Supporting Members, and ample free street parking is also available around the Museum.

Join us to celebrate the opening of the place of dwelling, a newly commissioned installation by Edra Soto, created for Kemper Museum’s 10th Annual Atrium Project. This special evening marks the debut of Soto’s site-responsive work in the Museum’s central atrium and a milestone moment in the Atrium Project’s ten-year history.

Guests are invited to experience the place of dwelling before the public opening, followed by a conversation between Edra Soto and Kevin Moore, Independent Curator. Together, they will explore the ideas, materials, and architectural responses shaping the installation, including Soto’s engagement with vernacular design, personal memory, and sacred symbolism.

The evening concludes with a reception, offering time to revisit the installation and continue the conversation.

Schedule:
5:30 PM — Exhibition Preview and Cash Bar
6:00–7:00 PM — Artist Talk (Edra Soto with Kevin Moore)
7:00–8:00 PM — Reception

Admission:
Free for Supporting Members (Use promocode emailed to you or contact membership@kemperart.org for help)
$15 for Free Members
Not a member? Everyone is welcome—join as a Free Member to attend, click here.

Click here for information on how to get to the Museum and where to find our paid parking lots. 

Join us for a lively concert honoring sound, connection, and cultural memory.  

This painting features Ensemble Ibérica co-founder Michael McClintok alongside his wife, Dálida T. Pupo Barrios. 

Come early for free bites provided by Oil on Linen as you settle in (first come, first serve). Interested in staying late for dinner? Make a reservation ahead of time to guarantee a seat! Menu and pricing here. 

This performance is Pay What You Wish with a $15 suggested donation. Registration required.

Beau Bledsoe – guitar 
Ezgi Karakus – cello 
John Currey – percussion 

Ensemble Ibérica creates music and programming that enlightens, heals, and connects audiences and artists globally. 

Artwork Credit: Aliza Nisenbaum (b. 1977, Mexico City, Mexico), Dálida and Michael (Serenata del Tres Cubano), 2021, oil on canvas, 64 x 57 inches, Museum purchase made possible by a gift from the William T. Kemper Charitable Trust, UMB Bank, n.a., Trustee, 2022.6.2. © Aliza Nisenbaum. Photo: E.G. Schempf, 2021 

Join artist and activist Alex Kimball Williams of Bad Alaskan for a performance-driven workshop inspired by Raven Halfmoon: Ride or Die.

This multidisciplinary workshop invites participants to explore the history of Indigenous protest while experiencing an intimate performance of Bad Alaskan's original music. Through immersive, interactive activities—including creative writing centered around affirmations and invitations to co-create music—you’ll reflect, respond, and create in community.

Alex Kimball Williams (she/they) is an activist and protest musician whose work centers creativity as a social justice skill. Her work reimagines traditional Indigenous melodic motifs on synthesizers with elements of meditation, blending poetry & music to examine topics such as climate justice & mental health.


This is a ticketed event. Tickets are Pay What You Wish with a $15 suggested donation. Registration required.


Click here for information on how to get to the Museum and where to find our paid parking lots. Parking is Free for Supporting Members, and ample free street parking is also available around the Museum.