Ian M.
Yelp
I would recommend the Kemper. We were in Kansas City to run a marathon. Our party consisted of a nephew, a niece, and the niece's husband -- these are all adults my age, which is to say they are already retired. We then were joined by a friend of the nephew's and mine, with whom we have run other races. Beforehand, we wanted to take in the culture of the area. The others had researched it; the niece's husband had grown up in the KC suburbs. They selected the Kemper. We are all interested in art. The niece is an avid amateur, producing works in many media. The Kemper has two wings on one floor, with a restaurant that contains additional works.
Admission is free, with a requested donation, and because it is the proper thing to do we chipped in, not that one ought to be bragging about one's own virtues, and this was too modest to be the subject of a boast anyway. The receptionist, if that is the proper word, was friendly and informative. She offered quite a bit of background, which she must have to repeat throughout the day, and it did not sound at all as if it were scripted. People who have the responsibility to greet guests should all be like that. Whether by selection or training, that was someone suited to the role. She was the the only individual there who was gregarious. One of the guards is also a jazz musician, and I consider it a bonus to chat with someone who is working and to learn a bit about a subject in which I already have interest, an American genre that thrives in the metropolitan area. I regret I passed up the opportunity to talk to the artist in residence. He looked too busy though. They said you could engage him. I took a few photos.
That guy was in the cafe, on scaffolding. I would say that a highlight not to be missed are the canvases there, in Cafe Sebastienne, which you can look at even if you are not dining in the facility. We were there early. The service had not yet started, so we were not disturbing folks. There are 100 pieces by Frederick James Brown, who passed away only in 2012, portraits, apparently in styles paying homage to others, eclectic, talented, and a massive undertaking.
I know nothing. I took an art history course in college, a single three credits worth of summer evenings. I was pleased, albeit not too much so for that would make one insufferable, to recognize a Hung Liu and an Alice Neel, having seen major retrospectives of those two contemporary painters. The other items, including sculptures outdoors, were interesting, worth engaging with.