Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

This museum is intimate with a few galleries. It has a contemporary style and serves up well curated shows that change frequently enough you can visit often. The size also benefits quick visits and should ease any hesitation to take the little ones. Brilliant!
«There was very little art in my childhood. I was raised in South Carolina; I wasn’t aware of any art in South Carolina. There was a minor museum in Charleston, which had nothing of interest in it. It showed local artists, paintings of birds.» Jasper Johns

On a short trip to KC, I wanted to experience a little bit of what makes this town eclectic. Being a bug Dan of co temporary art, but also being on a time crunch, I decided to visit Kemper due to its size. The museum is nestled in a residential neighborhood mixed with the university, so the area was beautiful, but parking was a little tough on a Friday. Admission is free, and the museum gladly provided free maps and exhibit info, as well as a locker area to store coats and the like. Yes, the museum is small, and it only took me about an hour to throughly digest all of the art. The exhibit on focus this time featured Swedish artists who primarily worked with oils, although some multimedia pieces dotted the space as well. Kemper has an app to download that will take you through the exhibit (apparently…I couldn’t find it in Google Play), and their staff is present and on hand to answer any question you may have. I loved the series featuring prison inmates, which allowed an up from and personal look into regret and reformation– I felt like I had a conversation without even meeting these subjects. The museum space is open and clean lined, and for those making an afternoon of it, has a café for lunch. If I lived in the area, I would be back regularly!

The museum is quite small, only 4 small galleries, but very nice. The admission is completely free, as is the parking. The docents were very helpful and friendly. One of the exhibits was an Adam Cvijanovic exhibit called American Montage when I was there that was truly the highlight of my trip. My understanding is that the exhibits rotate frequently, so this seems the sort of museum that you could go to on a very regular basis and still see new exhibits. We also dined at the restaurant, which is not only quite good, but also decorated with interesting art of its own.
If you’re going to be in the neighborhood I and have all day, I recommend starting your day here, have lunch at Café Sebastienne, then move on to the Nelson-​Atkins Museum of Art for the rest of the afternoon.
If I lived here I would visit here often. Highly recommended!

Small museum but glad I stopped by. There is free parking in the museum lot and admission is free. There are 4 tiny galleries total and 40 minutes was more than enough time. Would be a great setting for small wedding/​corporate event.
Summoning Ghosts: The Art of Hung Liu was AMAZING. The colors, size, and execution of each piece was breathtaking. Felt that she captured a complex cultural/​political Chinese American view well.

One of the smaller museums — in and out in an hour or less — that I’ve visited in my travels, the collection seemed rather limited and focused almost exclusively on more popular local artists. Maybe that’s the «20^th anniversary» thing they had going on.
I was pleased to see both a an O’Keeffe and a Warhol. The other art was good and I enjoyed myself.
Nice structure, I think they could do better. Photographs without flash or tripods are permitted.

I went to the museum for their monthly Tots on Tuesday program this past week. While we’ve been before, this week’s adventure really motivated me to review it and the museum.
The program caters to preschool-​aged children and this past week, there was a monsters theme. The fantastic storyteller read several monster-​themed books and got all of the kids to participate. She also had the kids join her in several songs and talked about some of the art in the room where the storytime took place. After that portion of the program ended. we all went outside and the kids created their own monsters with materials they provided. They didn’t rush anyone out once the hour was over either.
How much did all of this cost? NOTHING!
This is one of the best kid-​friendly programs I’ve discovered and it doesn’t hurt that it’s in such a beautiful museum. My three-​year-​old also enjoyed looking at many of the paintings and sculptures after the program ended. I think the size of the museum made it a lot less overwhelming for him than the Nelson typically is for him.
I look forward to returning more frequently!

You know you are at the Kemper when you see the huge spider sculpture. I love this museum. It is small — just the size a museum should be — unless it is named Louvre. Also the Café Sebastian at the museum is wonderful. the food and atmosphere are both stimulating, and the staff is extremely helpful and friendly.
Really, it feels like you are visiting the home of an old friend by the time you have visited the Kemper a few times.

What a great stop. It’s free, convenient, and you can have a quick look or take longer if you’d like. Some pieces stay, some change, so it’s worth stopping in again if you haven’t been for awhile.

Poor Crosby & Bebe. Their personal collection is second tier at best.
Thankfully the exhibitions that come through the space and the historically strong curatorial staff in charge of those exhibitions have had better taste than the Kempers. They stir debate and discussion and whether one loves it or hates it we’re talkin’ art and culture. The Kemper often has important shows that prompts one to think hard.
The Nerman is a better space with a much better collection. It’s a shame it’s so far out in the suburbs (but also a blessing to those isolated out in the suburbs — not that they’re the typical market for contemporary art — but if one kid gets that exposure to something their parents would never travel to see then job well done).
I don’t think people should comment on a facility if they don’t «get it» or don’t know the difference between contemporary art and modern art but then one can simply edit those reviews out of one’s own head. They’re not helpful. If one thinks that people pondering art is «pretending» and that one can get through a place even as small as this in 25 minutes then one’s idea of reading must be looking at the page but not seeing the words. Why bother looking at art if one’s view of art is so narrow. I know who the one is that’s «pretending» in that case!

While some say the smaller footprint of the museum detracts from it, I find the size quite appealing. The spaces are nicely designed, well lit, first class signage, and it’s certainly easy to find your way around. Parking is convenient, there’s no charge to get in. Apparently the museum restaurant is quite nice though I’ve not eaten there. What’s to not like?
A special exhibit of photos by Laura McPhee we viewed today – truly outstanding. The idea that there’s a museum you can visit on your lunch hour and get in and out and still see something worth your time is highly desirable. Love the Nelson, but try doing that on your lunch hour. Good luck.
Plan to return as often as new exhibits are added and old ones move on.

This museum must be judged for what it is. It cannot be compared to other museums, but instead should be appreciated on its own.
No, it’s not The Nelson, but what else is? The Kemper is a small contemporary art museum that can be appreciated in about an hour or less. There are new exhibits that make their way through it fairly regularly, so if you go two or three times a year, you can see some new stuff.
This museum along with Café Sebastienne inside make a great early afternoon combo: lovely lunch followed by some cool art.

I love everything about this museum.
It’s a perfect size with a perfect sized gift shop.
This is a pretty time sensitive tidbit but the installation that is in the main gallery right now is contemporary arrt based on maps which is one of my favorite subject matters. I really relate to the regimented idea of maps and how beautiful and colorful they are.
My favorite Saturday afternoon in a long time.

I always love the Kemper. We went because they had a map exhibit, which I enjoyed. The Kemper is great because it’s small, free and always has some interesting art.
I also wanted to add that my brother got married in June 2011 and had his wedding reception at the Kemper. The location was perfect for a smaller wedding (about 75 guests) and the staff was wonderful during the reception and helping to clean up. We also catered from the restaurant inside the Kemper and the food was absolutely wonderful. I highly recommend the Kemper as a wedding reception venue.

Some great works in an interesting viewing space makes visiting the Kemper well worth it. Come for the art and stay for the café! I wasn’t sure I could add much that hadn’t been said but I enjoyed my visit enough to wax rhapsodic!
I’ve been wanting to visit this museum for quite some time and I’m happy I did. Yes it’s small, but it makes it more accessible and not as overwhelming as some museums I’ve visited such as the El Museo de arte Thyssen-​Bornemisza. The space is open and airy, well-​lit with natural light — even on a cloudy fall day in Kansas City, yet is also very human in scale and personal. There are three galleries the Charlotte Crosby Kemper Main Gallery, the Barbara Uhlmann Gallery, and the Kemper East Gallery. I don’t like the outside design of the museum, but then not every museum can resemble the Guggenheim in Bilbao (but it would be a cool addition to the architecture of Kansas City!)
Before you enter, visitors pass Maman (1999) a sculpture by the artist Louise Bourgeois. The sculpture, which resembles a spider, is impressive and the Kemper is one of only a handful of museums with Maman on permanent exhibition. It’s a good introduction.
The museum is free so you can walk in and begin experience the artwork immediately. I enjoyed Frederick James Brown: Modern American Storyteller, but the space seemed a little cramped for such large works, and The Map as Art exhibition presenting artworks that explore issues of mapping was thought provoking but was also limited. Only a few artists were presented — 7 in all, and their works were pretty repetitive but I liked some of them a lot and others not all. I wondered if Robert Walden’s works were computer generated and I liked Nathan Carter’s mobiles but didn’t see how they were map-​like.
At first I was a bit put off by some of the permanent collection as I thought it was a museum of contemporary art and I wouldn’t describe Georgia O’Keeffe and Willem de Kooning as such but as modern artists, and then I read that the museum displays both contemporary and modern pieces.
I saw good reviews for the café and plan to try it on a subsequent visit to the museum. It looks like a great place to stop and enjoy. The gift shop is small, but well-​stocked with interesting items. The prices seem fair as well. All-​in-​all definitely worth visiting!
One caveat — if you plan on bringing your 3 year old, accept the fact that he’s going to run around screaming. Better yet, leave him at home!

The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art has a great selection of modern and contemporary works. The gallery space includes a large room that showcases frequently rotated shows. The exhibitions range in their appeal, but they are always well mounted with quality works.
The Kemper Museum features a great restaurant, Café Sebastian which is open for lunch and dinner (closed on Monday, like the Museum) and features brunch on Sunday. The menu changes seasonally. The raspberry iced tea is a specialty. Although the Kemper Museum does not boast the collection of its neighbor, The Nelson-​Atkins Museum of Art, the restaurant here is head and shoulders above NAMA’s Rozelle Court.
The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art also features a gift shop which is not particularly noteworthy.

Look, I’m not a huge contemporary art person. I don’t get it. I like art, but this contemporary stuff just seems like, to me, a drunk guy threw stuff on canvas and was hip enough to convince people it was cool and artsy. I’ve tried and tried to like contemporary art museums — I’ve been to them in Chicago, London, and a couple other places. It’s just not my thing. So, take this with a grain of salt if you do like contemporary art.
The place is small… like, surprisingly, freakishly small. You can get through the whole thing in about 25 minutes if you don’t analyze the works like you’re pretending to know what the heck they are. I’ve been told exhibits change pretty frequently, so that’s a perk — since there are so few exhibits to begin with due to its size, they would need to change on a regular basis to get anyone to come back in any meaningful frequency.
Entrance is free… awesome. Parking is free… awesome. For those two reasons alone, along with it being such a quick visit, you’d be a fool to not at least try it out. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? However, to me, it’s no Nelson Atkins Museum by any means, or even a fraction of being close.

I’m a big fan of this museum, but due to its size, it CAN be rather hit or miss. Their gallery space is quite limited, and only a small percentage of wall space seems to be dedicated to their permanent collection. If you’re lucky, they’ll have some Todd Hido photography on display. With a passion unknown to most, I love Todd Hido’s photography.
Anyhow, offtrack. The Kemper Museum has a constantly rotating series of exhibitions that I would say 80% of the time are quite excellent. An exhibition that I REALLY loved was David Bates: The Katrina Paintings. Now that I do a bit of research, I realize that show was almost 2 years ago! It’s just really stuck with me, I guess. Don’t worry, there’s usually something quite good here.
Awesome fact about the Kemper: totally free! KC is a great town for free art, and this should be on the heavy rotation.
I think the Kemper should be on everybody’s heavy rotation for sexy dates in KC. It’s small enough to not be daunting, has an incredible and intimate restaurant (Café Sebastian) and… well it’s an art museum! That just screams cultured and sophisticated and sexy.

I’m with my friend-​in-​real-​life Brandi C. on this. I’m a traditionalist when it comes to art. But I do think that it’s really important to challenge oneself, especially in genres/​fields we enjoy. I constantly try to wrap my head around modern classical music, and so too, I pretty consistently get out and try to grapple with modern art.
The Kemper is not huge, and you have Café Sebastienne to spell you should you want to pace the viewing. You can really see it all in about an hour, maybe a bit more. But it’s worth coming back to, again and again, and is a wonderful counterpoint to the very traditional Nelson, just about next door.

Generally, this is not the kind of art that I prefer. So, while this museum is nice, and free (which is completely awesome), it’s not my favorite place to spend time.
The museum is sort of small, but is open and airy, so that you feel like there’s a lot more space than there actually is. Part of the building is taken up by Café Sebastienne, which is a great place to have a meal, and there’s also a small gift shop.
My personal favorites here are the Chihuly glass sculptures, and the grounds surrounding the museum are really nice as well. Even if you’re not really into contemporary art, the Kemper is worth a visit, and it’s the sort of place where you could spend a great deal of time or just a bit of time, depending on your schedule.
Parking seems to be limited, so we just parked up the street and walked. It was a nice day, so the walk was enjoyable and gave us some more time to explore the grounds.
I’ll be back for a return visit, mostly for the café!

It had been about a year since I had been to the Kemper Museum, and wow, has it changed for the better. I’ve always been happy to have a contemporary museum in the city. It is housed in a pretty cool building within a great neighborhood consisting of the KC Art Institute and Nelson-​Atkins Museum of Art. The permanent exhibit has always been good and the visiting exhibits are anything from good to great. But during this visit, the entire place was filled with terrific piece after terrific piece. I believe the curator has changed within the last couple of years, if true, she is doing a great job here.
Currently the Kemper has two shows up featuring the Gao Brothers (amazing) and Marc Swanson (gorgeous). Stop by before they are gone. But if this is the quality that the curator is putting together, it should always be a good time to stop by the Kemper.
A must at the Kemper is Café Sebastienne. Great food in a great space. It’s seasonal food prepared perfectly. It’s great for a nice lunch or perfect for a special dinner out. If nothing else, stop in for a good glass of wine after checking out the museum itself. While in the neighborhood, go across the street and spend some time at the Nelson-​Atkins too, support the arts in KC.