Artistic Expressions: Explore Kansas City’s Dynamic Art and Gallery Culture
By Lysa Allman-Baldwin
One of the most exciting things about Kansas City is that its cultural landscape is an ever-evolving experience. Among its growing number of calling cards is the lively art and gallery scene.
From incredible fine art galleries and studios, to contemplative public art installations and multi-dimensional art-related events, here is a virtual guide to some of the city’s best artistic expressions:
The Crossroads Arts District is home to a cornucopia of hundreds of one-of-kind gallery spaces and art studios, many of which are showcased during the city’s monthly First Friday events.
Among them is Weinberger Fine Art, featuring 5,000 square feet of captivating, first-rate works from local, regional and international artists.
The KCAI Crossroads Gallery: Center for Contemporary Practice is one of the city’s most popular art spaces. The two-gallery facility and cross-disciplinary learning studio features fantastic works created by students from the Kansas City Art Institute.
At the H&R Block Artspace, located in Midtown, emerging regional, national and international artists share their transformative contemporary works of art through dynamic exhibitions, public art projects and other collaborations.
Another neighborhood gem is the Buttonwood Art Space, a voluminous, community-centric gallery where a portion of every work sold—all created by the eclectic mix of artists—benefits a locally connected non-profit organization.
Displaying art forms that exemplify the rich Latino culture and traditions, the Mattie Rhodes Art Center and Art Gallery in the historic Argentine neighborhood explores cultural themes through textiles, folk art, masks, ceramics and other visual art mediums.
One of the newest innovative arts experiences in town is Black Space Black Art, where a growing community of the city’s African-American visual artists hold collective receptions and art installations at spiritual centers, barbershops, salons and other businesses and venues.
Kansas City’s strong and vibrant regional arts ecology extends into the residential neighborhoods as well.
In Brookside, nationally ranked Leopold Gallery offers artistic creations including dramatic Kansas City Royals Art, hypnotic wind sculptures and other wide-ranging works in an inviting and intimate setting.
The 2010 Gallery in Prairie Village possesses an expansive collection of traditional figurative and representational paintings, sculptures and photography attracting art lovers from across the region.
In Leawood, the Leawood Fine Art Gallery exhibits a wide selection of vibrant acrylics, glass, ceramics, paintings, photography and more.
Just a stone’s throw away in Overland Park, you’ll find that painted works by artists reflecting 19th-century America are central to the visual experience at The Rice Gallery of Fine Art.
Also in Overland Park is Prairiebrooke Gallery. The cultural tapestry here encompasses a diverse collection of beautiful original art created by local, national and international artists of distinction.
To explore these and other artistic venues, check out the Visit KC interactive map, a popular online resource detailing the locations of art galleries and related spaces in the greater Kansas City area, plus so much more.