Printmaking Pioneer: Jack Lemon’s Influence Lives On in Kansas City’s Creative Community
05.20.2025
A recently published article in KC Studio explores the connections between KCAI alumnus Jack Lemon (’63 Painting & Printmaking), master printers, and national artists in a new wave of exhibitions.
The Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) has been instrumental in shaping American printmaking, with a legacy that began with alumnus Jack Lemon (’63 Painting & Printmaking) and his influential Landfall Press. This legacy is now being revisited alongside the contributions of Michael Sims and the Lawrence Lithography Workshop, two key figures who helped define the region's printmaking scene.
A new exhibition at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, supported by a major gift from Richard and Evelyn Craft Belger, highlights Sims and his Lawrence Lithography Workshop. The show includes prints from the Belger's donation of over 105 pieces and draws from hundreds more purchased by the museum, providing insight into the collaborative process between artists and master printers. Every choice, from paper selection to ink layering, reflects a hands-on, creative approach that goes beyond simple reproduction.
KCAI is an important part of this story, with many of the artists Sims has worked with having connections to the school. The exhibition reflects KCAI’s ongoing support for collaboration and experimentation in the arts. While it honors Sims' legacy, it also highlights the school’s continued role in contributing to Kansas City’s printmaking community.
KCAI’s Emily & Todd Voth Artspace celebrated the collaborative spirit behind printmaking with the exhibition Imprint: Celebrating the Collaborative Impulse in Printmaking. The show highlighted the rich history of collaboration at KCAI, particularly through the work of Jack Lemon, who played a pivotal role in establishing one of the first professional lithography workshops at an American university. It featured prints created in collaboration with renowned artists like Peter Saul and H.C. Westermann, who worked with Lemon at KCAI in the 1960s.
The exhibition underscored the school's longstanding commitment to fostering collaboration and artistic innovation, with Lemon’s work demonstrating how printmaking goes beyond simple reproduction. The Artspace's focus on Imprint emphasized KCAI’s ongoing influence in the printmaking community, continuing to inspire new generations of artists to explore the collaborative potential of the medium.