Events
KCAI hosts a variety of fundraising events throughout the year, primarily to benefit the college's student scholarship fund. About 98 percent of KCAI students receive some form of financial aid.
Two major biennial events, gala and auction, rotate each year, while the Art of the Car Concours takes place annually, in June.
Auction 2013
INNOVATION, Kansas City Art Institute's 2013 Art and Design Auction boasted new experiences, interesting art, cutting-edge technology and KC's hottest DJ, all in a hip, chic environment.
The Kansas City Art Institute hosts an art and design auction every other year as a benefit for KCAI’s student scholarship fund. Auction items include artwork donated by faculty and alumni, along with classic 20th and 21st century design pieces acquired with assistance from local design and architectural firms.
For the 2013 auction, the Zahner Company produced "Factum Through Topography" (pictured above), a sculpture created by Hannah Lodwick (senior, painting and art history), who won a student design competition.
Akio Takamori ('76 ceramics) was the featured artist for the auction this year. Several events were held prior to the auction celebrating this artist and his artwork coming to Kansas City.
The Art of the Car Concours is an annual event held on the KCAI campus featuring more than 200 vintage, classic and special-interest vehicles, including cars, trucks, racing cars and motorcycles belonging to collectors from all over the region. The event is a benefit for KCAI’s student scholarship fund and is growing in popularity among vintage and classic car collectors. The Concours has no formal judging or classes of vehicles and aims to provide a wide range of high-quality, original, vintage vehicles in an informal setting.
The Art of the Car Concours takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on a Sunday in late June each year.
Gala
The Kansas City Art Institute gala, held every other year and featuring a student art performance, is a benefit for KCAI's student scholarship fund. In 2012, the theme of the gala was "Art as Magic: Be Transfored."
Arts KCFund
The ArtsKC Fund is managed by the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City and raises money annually to support a wide range of visual and performing arts organizations, individual artists and arts-related programs. More than 50 percent of individual artists who have received grants since the program started in 2007 have been KCAI alumni and faculty.
In 2011 KCAI began working with the ArtsKC Fund to host a week-long campaign on campus as an opportunity for involvement by faculty, staff and students. Campaign activities have included a raffle awarding art-related prizes, a silent auction and a staff jeans day in which staff could make a donation of $5 to wear jeans to work.
2011 ArtsKC grants recipients included Laura Berman, associate professor of printmaking; Renee Laferriere Cinderhouse (’01 sculpture and art history); Jason Dixon (’09 interdisciplinary arts); Luke Firle (’03 painting); Ari Fish (’06 ceramics); Ryan Fletcher (’10 ceramics); Richard Fritz (’96 painting); Diana Heise, special assistant professor of digital filmmaking; Nicholas Naughton, lecturer in the printmaking department; Peggy Noland, lecturer in the fiber program; and Julie Malen (’09 ceramics).
Additionally, KCAI was an Ovation grant recipient in 2011. Seventy percent of the fund is awarded to Ovation grant recipients, comprised of 23 nonprofit organizations, including KCAI.
For more information about the fund, visit ArtsKC.