On a recent trip to the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, we hit the JACKPOT! In the form of this piece by Bisa Butler, A Man's Worth. Pam, one of the prairie makers, had turned us on to her work several months ago and I have been following her instagram account. When I turned a corner inside the gallery and spotted this I might have made a fool of myself. It is quilted and appliquéd cotton, wool, and chiffon... and it is stunning.
Chris and Dan, the non-sewing members in our group, agreed it was the piece on display that most appealed to them. There is a link below to the artists website, her work is beyond description so I won’t try except to say it grabs you... and it does not let you go.
Several other pieces that caught my attention are below, including this "Wrapped Walk Ways" in Loose Park (Kansas City) by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. I love the writing on the photograph and the overview/plan. This was done in 1978 and was up for about 2 weeks. Seamstresses were involved!
This museum is small and so easy to wander through. The exhibits take can be seen in 15 minutes or savored over 45 minutes to an hour. Highly recommended if you are in the area. Admission is free but they require reservations to limit the number of people in the galleries. Masks also required.
Helpful links:
Bisa Butler Information including lots more of her amazing work.
I miss going to the Kemper and the Nelson. Its been almost 2 years since I've been to KC to visit my high school friend- we always tried to get together every year and we would go to all the galleries and museums--there's one other we always sent to-I cant think of the name-downtown in the warehouse district--oh Ive got it- the Belger! Anyway since I probably would have to take the train up to see her- I guess I will need to wait a little longer. Another fabulous gallery is at Johnson County Community College-one of my favorites!
Posted by: Janet G | 01/23/2022 at 06:57 AM
Janet: I am not familiar with the Belger. Thank you for pointing me in the direction of looking for it.
Posted by: Carol | 01/23/2022 at 07:55 AM