Kansas City Art Institute

Kansas City Art Institute Founded in 1885, the Kansas City Art Institute is a private, independent fully-accredited college of Art & Design.
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KCAI provides a rigorous, diverse curriculum and an immersive studio experience for students who are passionate about the realization of their ideas. KCAI offers 13 majors: Animation, Art History, Ceramics, Creative Writing, Fiber, Filmmaking, Graphic Design, Illustration, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Product Design and Sculpture. The mission of KCAI is to prepare gifted students to transform the world creatively through art and design.

08/28/2026

✨ Upcoming KCAI GALLERY Exhibition! ✨

Twenty-Two Springs
Two Tone Press × KCAI Ceramics Department

Opening Reception
Saturday, September 12 | 5–8 p.m.
KCAI Gallery
4415 Warwick Blvd. | Kansas City, MO

The opening is during KCAI Alumni weekend!

This exhibition, on view September 12–October 18, 2026, celebrates the enduring intersection of letterpress printing and ceramics. Since 2005, Two Tone Press, founded by sisters Michelle Dreher (’01 Illustration & Art History) and Angie Dreher, has collaborated with graduating students and faculty in the KCAI Ceramics department to create a custom letterpress poster for each annual juried exhibition.

The exhibition brings together the 22 posters and 100 ceramic works collected over the past 22 years for the KCAI Ceramics department teaching collection. Together, these works reveal the layered histories and parallel processes of this partnership, creating a rich narrative of collaboration between letterpress printing and ceramics.

The exhibition also marks several significant milestones: the achievements of generations of graduating seniors, the founding of Two Tone Press, and the retirement of celebrated Ceramics department chair Cary Esser.

As part of the process, Esser worked with Ceramics senior Savanah Johnson (Savanah Johnson), who spent the summer cataloging and organizing the department’s entire 50-plus-year teaching collection. Designed as a hands-on resource for students studying ceramic techniques and approaches, the collection provides a library of the department’s history from both a broad and hyper-individualized perspective.

Featured ceramic works were selected from the department’s teaching collection and juried by Dr. Stephanie Fox Knappe, Sanders Sosland Senior Curator of Global Modern and Contemporary Art and Head of American Art at Nelson-Atkins Museum, and artist and founding member of KC Urban Potters Meredith Host (Meredith Host : Host for Home) (’01 Ceramics).

The exhibition traces the stories embedded in each work, from first impression to final firing, creating a record of marks made to last.

Mo DickensMo Dickens

📦 You’re invited to The Fantastic Hat Parade! 📦September 11, 2026 | 10 a.m.📍 Kansas City Art Institute | 4415 Warwick Bl...
08/28/2026

📦 You’re invited to The Fantastic Hat Parade! 📦

September 11, 2026 | 10 a.m.
📍 Kansas City Art Institute | 4415 Warwick Blvd., KCMO

The public is warmly invited to witness this free celebration! 🎩✨

Participating students will depart the Foundation West building and head toward Vanderslice Hall at 10 a.m., cutting through campus and making a stop at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The parade will return to campus along East 45th Street, with sophomore, junior, and senior students cheering their arrival on the campus green.

The Fantastic Hat Parade stands as a cherished KCAI tradition, a dazzling rite of passage that welcomes first-year Foundation students into the enduring lineage of the Kansas City Art Institute, an institution of creativity and learning since 1885.

The project frequently produces inventive, boundary-pushing creations, as students engage in three-dimensional work outside the digital mediums where some may feel most comfortable. The Foundation Year at KCAI brings together all students, regardless of intended major, for a collective fellowship of creative exploration and The Fantastic Hat Parade plays a major role.

08/26/2026

ARTFARE | Sunday, September 27, 2026 | 6:00 p.m.
📍 Vanderslice Hall | Kansas City Art Institute | 4415 Warwick Blvd.

🎟️ Tickets & Patron Levels available at https://kcai.edu/artfare

ARTFARE 2026 brings together two creative worlds for one unforgettable evening. Experience a collaborative menu where artists inspire chefs, and every dish tells a story of creativity, connection and mutual inspiration.

For example, Executive Chef Linda Duerr and Sous Chef Jon Ponzer of The Restaurant at 1900 have been paired with KCAI alumna Shelly Pinto (Shelly Pinto) (’86, Painting), whose fascination with color and the movement of patterns is central to her practice. “I can spend hours getting lost mixing colors and manipulating shapes,” she says.

Pinto’s Kaleidoscope Series serves as the central inspiration for The Restaurant at 1900’s forthcoming offering at ARTFARE. Sous Chef Ponzer isn’t giving away the surprise, but he does offer one hint: the dish incorporates the shapes, colors, and overall feel of Pinto’s work. And, of course, it tastes delicious. That’s the first standard.

For ARTFARE, Linda, Jon, and Shelly will join 10 other chef/artist pairings, each exploring the connections between food and artistic practice. The pairs are encouraged to engage in conversation and draw inspiration from one another, with each chef ultimately creating a dish inspired by the collaborative process. As guests move through the space, they’ll experience a one-of-a-kind dining event shaped by these creative exchanges.

🔗 Visit https://kcai.edu/artfare for Patron Levels and details 🔗

We hope to see you at these events!

✨🌀 Welcome to the Class of 2030 at the Kansas City Art Institute! 🎉👋These photos capture our newest First Year Foundatio...
08/24/2026

✨🌀 Welcome to the Class of 2030 at the Kansas City Art Institute! 🎉👋

These photos capture our newest First Year Foundation students and transfer students as they begin their first day of fall classes on campus, following the first part of orientation at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

We’re so excited and proud to welcome our returning students, faculty, and staff back to campus and into the energy and rhythm of our incredible community. We can’t wait to get to know our newest members and experience the creativity, connection, and collaboration that make KCAI so special.

Can’t wait for what’s next!

08/21/2026

Paige Bennett / Paige Bennett (’26 KCAI Ceramics Department) creates sculptures that often explore figure fragmentation, choosing which parts of the figure to emphasize to build a narrative.

“A lot of the themes in my pieces are things in my life that I don’t often talk about with a lot of other people, and I’m kind of using my artwork as a way to start conversations and, like, kind of open up to people,” she says.

This Saturday, she opens her first solo exhibition:

International African American art museum of KC Presents:
Impact: An Unwritten Catalog

Opening Reception:
Saturday, August 22, 2026
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Impulse Art Gallery
1007 Armour Road
North Kansas City

Closing Reception:
Saturday, September 19, 2026
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

She explains that her deepest interests from a young age have been figurative painting and drawing, with a focus on anatomy and capturing the human form in two dimensions. Through the KCAI Foundation Department program, she found a new direction in sculpture, translating that 2D experience and study into three-dimensional form, which shaped her journey at the Kansas City Art Institute.

She says, “I like to stay in pretty low [firing] temperatures because I like to keep things pretty matte for the most part, and then I’ll have shinier, more satin glazes as a highlight to certain parts. Especially in ceramics, when you cover a piece in just something all shiny, you kind of lose a lot of the sculpting—especially because it is just, like, melting into all of the crevices.”

“With my drawings, I usually tend to do landscapes, and I kind of want to bring that into a more sculptural realm. Having settings where people clearly used to be but aren’t anymore evokes a different kind of feeling that I want to continue to explore in the future. I’ve been working at this kind of smaller scale now because I feel like I can more thoroughly get through some ideas.”

08/20/2026

📦 Move-In Day 2026 at the Kansas City Art Institute! 📦

We’re so excited to welcome students back to campus as they move into Barbara Marshall Residence Hall and the KCAI Studio Apartments! It’s a big moment for so many students who have been anticipating this day for months, if not years, with many having attended Pre-College ArtLab (PCAL) multiple times throughout their high school careers.

We’re also so happy to welcome our transfer students to the Kansas City Art Institute as they take part in New Student Orientation.

RAs (Resident Assistants) Eve Williams | (Junior, ) and Kenli Mobisa | (Senior, and Creative Writing) share their perspective on Move-In Day, from the flurry of creative expression filling each space to the nervous excitement that comes with a move to independence.

“With family saying goodbye, there’s nervousness in the air, but there’s still this nice, new feeling of new beginnings with the studio spaces, and also our new, like, homes,” Williams says.

students Sam Wellengorf, Nikki Rubino, Madelyn Baker also share their thoughts as they settle into their rooms

We can’t wait for the first day of classes on Monday!

Artists. Chefs.ARTFARE 2026 brings together two creative worlds for one unforgettable evening. Experience a collaborativ...
08/18/2026

Artists. Chefs.

ARTFARE 2026 brings together two creative worlds for one unforgettable evening. Experience a collaborative menu where artists inspire chefs, and every dish tells a story of creativity, connection and mutual inspiration.

ARTFARE | Sunday, September 27, 2026 | 6:00 p.m.
📍 Vanderslice Hall | Kansas City Art Institute | 4415 Warwick Blvd.

🎟️ Tickets & Patron Levels available at kcai.edu/artfare

Among the group of 11 pairings, KCAI Painting Department Associate Professor Samantha Krukowski (samantha krukowski) is collaborating with Chef Ted Habiger (Ted Habiger) of Oil on Linen and Room 39.

Habiger is an Honorary Chair of the event along with Tiffany Thompson, who was an early recognizer of Krukowski’s work at her urban farm (located a half block from KCAI campus) called Little Art Farm (little art farmer).

“They were trying to figure out what I was doing.’ And then Tiffany said, ‘Oh, this is an art practice. Like, all of this.’ And I said, ‘Thank you. Thank you for knowing that,’” Krukowski said. The food harvested from the farm will be featured in the ARTFARE menus.

As Honorary Chairs, Tiffany & Ted will also host a special PATRON PARTY at the space on September 16 from 5:30–8 p.m. The evening will explore the central concept of ARTFARE through food grown on the site, drawing inspiration from Krukowski’s work, views nature as a collaborator and challenges the idea of the artist as the sole maker.

🔗 Visit kcai.edu/artfare for Patron Levels and details.

For example, the table settings may incorporate Krukowski’s “Ground Paintings,” materials that have been buried in the ground for two years, resulting in designs and marks that are difficult to predict. The pair may also incorporate eco-printed table coverings, created through a lesser-known process that leaves behind ghostly markings and natural color.

For the ARTFARE event, each chef/artist pairings draw inspiration from one another, with each chef ultimately creating and presenting a dish inspired by that collaborative process. As guests move through the space, they’ll encounter a one-of-a-kind dining experience shaped by these creative exchanges.

📷: Ash Parsons Story

08/18/2026

ARTFARE | Sunday, September 27, 2026 | 6:00 p.m.
📍 Vanderslice Hall | Kansas City Art Institute | 4415 Warwick Blvd.

🎟️ Tickets & Patron Levels available via kcai.edu/artfare

ARTFARE 2026 brings together two creative worlds for one unforgettable evening. Experience a collaborative menu where artists inspire chefs, and every dish tells a story of creativity, connection and mutual inspiration.

For example, Chef Ted Habinger (Ted Habiger) of Oil on Linen & Room 39 has been paired with KCAI Painting Department Associate Professor Samantha Krukowski (samantha krukowski) whose artistic practice centers around a space a half block away from Vanderslice Hall - an oasis-like urban farm: little art farmer.

Tiffany Thompson and Ted Habiger are the Honorary Chairs of ARTFARE 2026 and will also host a special PATRON PARTY at the space on September 16 from 5:30–8 p.m. The evening will explore the central concept of ARTFARE through food grown on the site, drawing inspiration from Krukowski’s work in the garden and her broader creative practice, which views nature as a collaborator and challenges the idea of the artist as the sole maker.

🔗 Visit kcai.edu/artfare for Patron Levels and details.

For the ARTFARE event, Ted and Samantha will join 10 other chef/artist pairings, each exploring the connections between food and artistic practice. The pairs are encouraged to engage in conversation and draw inspiration from one another, with each chef ultimately creating and presenting a dish inspired by that collaborative process. As guests move through the space, they’ll encounter a one-of-a-kind dining experience shaped by these creative exchanges.

We hope to see you at these events!

Micah Parsons (KCAI Camera Arts ’29) | (Mouse☀️ / mouseinthestu) reflects on projecting films at Screenland Armour: “The...
08/13/2026

Micah Parsons (KCAI Camera Arts ’29) | (Mouse☀️ / mouseinthestu) reflects on projecting films at Screenland Armour: “There’s kind of a tactile nature to it where you’re holding the movie itself in your hands, and you know, that’s like the actual product that was created to then be projected onto a screen, rather than just scanned into a computer, digitized, and then had that sent out to everyone.”

Looking forward to the first day of fall classes at the Kansas City Art Institute, Micah shares how his love of photography and moving images led him to a job at Screenland Armour (408 Armour Rd, North Kansas City), working up to projecting films (after a lot of training).

It means working hands-on with 70mm film prints, including Christopher Nolan’s recent release, Odyssey Movie. Parsons says (based on what he’s witnessed at Screenland Armour) interest in 70mm continues to grow, driven in part by what audiences are seeking out: the unique experience of seeing a film projected on physical film.

Working with the reels, Parsons says the experience makes him think somewhat linearly about the enormous amount of work that goes into creating a single film, from production to the moment it reaches the screen. He also reflects on the power of 70mm film and the positive feeling of presenting a movie as the director intended.

“I almost feel like this is a retaliation in sorts to the digital age and the age of AI and everything. The fact that there is a push to go back to analog, more back to basics, and everything, it does make me a little bit more hopeful for the future, that there can be a world where stuff like this can still exist.”

As he enters his second year at KCAI, Parsons is looking forward to learning more about the darkroom. “The confidence in which the professors that I’ve met have spoken about the art form and stuff just has me very convinced that I’m in good hands.”

At the same time, he’ll continue his management role at Screenland Armour, where he encourages anyone at KCAI, or anyone who simply wants to nerd out about film and 70mm screenings, to stop by and say hello.



📷 by Ash Parsons Story

08/13/2026

Looking forward to the first day of fall classes at the Kansas City Art Institute, Micah Parsons (Mouse☀️ / mouseinthestu) (KCAI Camera Arts ’29), shares how his love of photography and moving images led him to a job at Screenland Armour, where he has trained as a projectionist.

That means working hands-on with 70mm film prints, including Christopher Nolan’s recent release, Odyssey Movie. Parsons says (based on what he’s witnessed at Screenland Armour) interest in 70mm continues to grow, driven in part by what audiences are seeking out: the unique experience of seeing a film projected on physical film.

“There’s kind of a tactile nature to it where you’re holding the movie itself in your hands, and you know, that’s like the actual product that was created to then be projected onto a screen, rather than just scanned into a computer, digitized, and then had that sent out to everyone,” he says.

Working with the reels, Parsons says the experience makes him think somewhat linearly about the enormous amount of work that goes into creating a single film, from production to the moment it reaches the screen. He also reflects on the power of 70mm film and the positive feeling of presenting a movie as the director intended.

“I almost feel like this is a retaliation in sorts to the digital age and the age of AI and everything. The fact that there is a push to go back to analog, more back to basics, and everything, it does make me a little bit more hopeful for the future, that there can be a world where stuff like this can still exist.”

As he enters his second year at KCAI, Parsons is looking forward to learning more about the darkroom. “The confidence in which the professors that I’ve met have spoken about the art form and stuff just has me very convinced that I’m in good hands.”

At the same time, he’ll continue his management role at Screenland Armour, where he encourages anyone at KCAI, or anyone who simply wants to nerd out about film and 70mm screenings, to stop by and say hello.

🎥 The ripple effect of a renewed fascination with analog media on the KCAI campus. 🎥

Address

4415 Warwick Boulevard
Kansas City, MO
64111

Telephone

(816)4724852

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