ArtSalon highlights the longevity, depth of KCAI alumni’s regional influence
Photo by Collyn Robinson
ArtSalon, Kansas City Art Institute’s (KCAI) inaugural biennial alumni exhibition, is not only a chance to showcase alumni work but an opportunity to strengthen connections between current students, alumni, and the impact of its collective arts community.
ArtSalon’s celebration of the institution’s creative legacy is an occasion where art is available for purchase by attendees, proceeds earned are then split between the artist and the KCAI Annual Fund—supporting student scholarships. This fundraiser, attended by hundreds, featured 180 pieces of artwork priced at $1,000 or under. This two-year labor of love, which coincided with their planned alumni weekend, was an anticipated art party of the fall, and an inventive way to keep the rich lineage, which is the heart of KCAI, alive.
For curator and alum Sara Haug ’16, this exhibition marks a shift in how KCAI engages with its graduates. After meeting with faculty earlier this year, she was invited to help shape the event alongside fellow curators. What emerged was a model designed to celebrate artists at every stage of their careers.
“We really want to honor the artists, their ability to create these amazing things, and give back to their alma mater,” Haug says. That ethos resonated across an overwhelming response: hundreds of alumni submissions, spanning from the early 1960s to recent graduates. “It was incredible to see the whole spectrum of people and mediums represented.”
Rather than grouping work by medium or chronological order, the curators opted for a different kind of conversation—one guided by color.
“We decided to curate the show by color, so artists’ works speak in different contexts depending on their placement and surrounding neighbors,” Haug explained. One artist could have multiple pieces of work shown, but the placement changes the framework entirely. The effect highlights connections across time and practice, reinforcing how individual voices contribute to a shared artistic dialogue.
Among those voices is Harper Newell ’20, who studied fiber. Newell started in painting, but was inspired to move to fibers. Their woven works layer threads into vast gradients of color, creating an immersive effect.
Photo by Collyn Robinson
“I really fell in love with weaving… using different colored threads to create intersections that form larger gradients,” Newell says. “I love that tension between the tiny threads and the big weavings.”
Newell draws inspiration from artists like James Turrell, known as the master of light, who challenges human perception. “I want my work to create a meditative environment in the same way,” they added.
Megan Videmschek ’19, another alum featured in the exhibition, found their path by moving in the opposite direction. While Videmschek initially wanted to explore fiber works, they felt a calling to move to paintings.
“My work is always concerned with language, symbolism, and narratives that evolve over time—especially how symbols change meaning as they’re carried forward through history,” Videmschek says. Their text-based pieces often create unexpected images, “almost like a Rorschach test.”
Photo by Collyn Robinson
Current first-year student, Al Kirk ’29, found their experience meeting alumni and walking through the exhibit to be inspirational.
“I’ve met a lot of alumni. Getting to know what their major was and how interesting their life was before and after college gives me an idea of what I can do after college,” Kirk says. “It’s also amazing to look at all the work and step back, and kind of take inspiration from everything.”
The event’s opening reception, on Sept. 6, also featured an artist performance by alum Ben Gould ’15, who graduated with a degree painting . The immersive art experience took place in a packed auditorium brimming with excited participants waiting to view the debut of Gould’s work titled “The Waiting Room”—a visceral live performance aimed at “questioning systems of care and states of health.” The showing was accompanied by a live score of cello and percussion “built on the repetitive patterns of on-hold music that slowly descends into chaos.”
The alumni artwork is on display at the KCAI Gallery through Oct. 19.
