Two, the Aesthete Way

The new Bloch Building at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the meteoric rise of First Fridays in the Crossroads District have redefined Kansas City as a cowtown that grazes on well-hued pastorals as much as on pastures. The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art at Johnson County Community College (12345 College Boulevard, Overland Park), is a wide-open, minimalist space that measures 38,000 square feet and provides a major new venue for art. Today, the Nerman debuts Third Thursday: Visiting Artists’ Presentations. The event, which highlights artists working within Kansas City, features the work of Barry Anderson, associate professor of art and art history at UMKC, and Anne Austin Pearce, director of Greenlease Gallery and visiting assistant professor of communication and fine arts at Rockhurst University. Anderson focuses on video and audio installations, whereas Pearce creates “symbolic narratives” through ink, colored pencil and acrylic paint. Larry Thomas, associate professor of fine arts at JCCC, and Allison Smith, assistant professor of art history at JCCC, moderate a discussion with the artists from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. today. Tickets are free. Call 913-469-3000 for more information or visit jccc.edu/museum.

Thu., Nov. 20, 3:30 p.m., 2008