Alumni Weekend
The KCAI Alumni Relations Office is excited to host its first annual Alumni Weekend this fall, from September 5-7 at the Kansas City Art Institute.
Alumni are invited to a weekend of festivities, including workshops, a panel discussion, and brunch with Dr. Peggy Shannon, The Nerman Family President. We will also host the opening reception of ArtSalon: Biennial Alumni Exhibition at the KCAI Gallery.
Friday,
September 5
5 – 9PM
First Friday Gallery Hop in Kansas City
7 – 11PM
Artspace 25th Anniversary Party
Emily and Todd Voth Artspace
16 E 43rd St, KCMO 64111
Saturday,
September 6
All events take place on the KCAI Campus
9 – 10AM
Check-in and Breakfast
Vanderslice Reception Rooms and Mildred Kemper Terrace
9 – 11AM + 1 – 3PM
Campus Tours
Meet outside Vanderslice on Rowland Commons
10AM – 12PM
Alumni Perspectives Panel
Epperson Auditorium
12 – 1:30PM
Lunch
Vanderslice Reception Rooms and Mildred Kemper Terrace
1:30 – 3PM
Artist Workshops
5 – 8PM
ArtSalon Opening Reception
KCAI Gallery
Sunday,
September 7
All events take place on the KCAI Campus
10AM – 12PM
Farewell Brunch with Nerman Family President, Dr. Peggy Shannon, and Featured Artist Ben Gould ('15 Painting)
Mildred Lane Kemper Terrace
Alumni Perspectives Panel
Saturday | 10AM – 12PM
Epperson Auditorium
A casual conversation with KCAI alumni reflecting on their creative careers and the impact of mentorship and networking along the way.
Alumni Panelists:
Jessica Cornelison (‘13 Illustration)
Nathan Fariss (‘00 Photo/New Media)
Dani Mays (‘23 Illustration)
Imani Nixon (‘17 Photography)
Afton Lin Shumate (‘23 Illustration)
Artist Workshops
Saturday | 1:30 – 3PM
(Workshops sponsored by KCAI Art+Design Labs)
Beals Studio Workshop
Beals Studio
Create custom keychains and participate in a laser-cutting assembly with Ki Jean (‘22 Graphic Design).
Bubbles & Bodies
Lower Epperson
Join Peregrine Honig (‘20 Painting) for a figure drawing session with a live model.
Viva La Tinta
Rowland Commons
Create unique prints with the Viva La Tinta printmaking collective, led by Edwing Mendez (‘14 Graphic Design).
Alumni Weekend Featured Artist: Ben Gould (’15 Painting)
Ben Gould (’15 Painting) is an artist currently living and working in New York City. After a sudden diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome and the recent development of thyroid cancer, Gould’s studio practice has transformed to harbor an investment in the body, exploring limits, resistance, and the loss of control. His interdisciplinary practice is built upon intimacy, urgency, and collaboration - cultivated by a deep interest in how energy is directed, rerouted, and transferred across our anatomy, geology, and built world.
Gould will produce a new performance for Alumni Weekend, The Waiting Room, which has been made in opposition to the medical industrial complex of our nation, yet also indebted to it. Informed by states of bureaucratic limbo and the suspension of care, the performance is built according to the repetitive, unending structure of ‘on hold’ music - eventually devolving into chaos. Working closely with musicians Michael Gould and Arthur Gould ( ’71 Ceramics), an unrelenting score for percussion and cello compounds over the course of an hour and is amplified throughout the campus. As the music consumes its own repetitive melodies transcribed from the on-hold music of medical institutions, it culminates with an intensely visceral choreographic work performed by Gould alongside the musicians.
This performance will take place on Saturday, September 6 in Epperson Auditorium at 7 p.m. during the ArtSalon: Biennial Alumni Exhibition.
ArtSalon: Biennial Alumni Exhibition
September 5 – October 19, 2025
The Alumni Exhibition marks the beginning of a new tradition showcasing the work of KCAI alumni. The opening the reception will take place during Alumni Weekend on Saturday, Sept 6 at the KCAI Gallery.
We invite all alumni to submit work for display. Please review the artwork requirements carefully before submitting.
See who's coming to Alumni Weekend:
Beverly J. Ahern ('86 Fiber)
Brittany Alkhatib ('15 Graphic Design)
Alex Asher ('11 Animation & Art History)
Edward Balda ('70 Painting)
Gail Barnett Holdgraff ('91 Fiber)
Natalie Beer ('03 Painting)
Paige Beltowski ('15 Fiber)
Sarah Berger ('86 Painting)
Belinda S. Blake ('81 Photography)
Mitch Bolander ('86 Printmaking)
Anna Bradsher ('82 Design)
Justin Brancato (attended KCAI, '96-'98)
Rochelle Brickner ('15 Fiber)
Cathy Broski ('91 Ceramics)
Mary Lou Brous ('82 Design)
Edan Bryant ('00 Design & Illustration)
Theodore Bunch ('11 Sculpture and Creative Writing)
(James) Jeff Burk ('79 Photography)
Colin Burke ('11 Photography)
Marcus Cain ('98 Painting & Printmaking)
Marietta Camillieri ('84 Sculpture)
Hector Casanova ('98 Illustration & Art History)
Megan A. Channell ('01 Painting)
Michael Claeys ('94 Design)
Miranda Clark ('14 Painting
Oliver T. Clark ('14 Sculpture & Art History)
Sarah A. Cockrell ('99 Illustration)
Jason Comotto ('11 Photography)
Trey Copeland ('18 Photography)
Michael Crane ('79 Photography)
Sherry Cromwell-Lacy ('72 Painting)
Jeffrey S. Crowe ('93 Ceramics)
Stephanie Cunningham ('88 Design)
Benjamin Davis ('15 Sculpture)
Tabitha Dawson ('20 Illustration)
Darcy N. Deal ('91 Photography)
Mary Jo DeMyer ('79 Painting)
Elizabeth Derstine ('17 Sculpture)
Deborah Dixon ('18 Graphic Design)
Wesley Derstine ('15 Illustration)
Valerie Doran Bashaw ('84 Fiber)
Jill Downen ('89 Painting)
Daryl Duit ('71 Design)
Allegra Eccles ('24 Graphic Design)
Mark E. Estes ('79 Photography)
Nathaniel D. Fariss ('00 Photo/New Media)
Samantha Ferrer ('17 Ceramics)
Sarah Ferrer ('17 Ceramics)
Adrian Fitts ('16 Illustration)
Lucy A. Fletcher ('86 Design)
Anthony Flores ('25 Animation)
MacKenzie Fulmer ('19 Illustration)
Anne Gagel ('00 Painting & Creative Writing)
Luis Garcia ('04 Design)
Michael Gardner ('88 Design)
Thomas A. Gieselman ('00 Photo/New Media)
Nemo Gould ('98 Sculpture)
Lance Grabowski ('71 Printmaking)
Kristy B. Greathouse ('99 Painting & Printmaking)
Gary E. Greer ('74 Design)
Ving Ha ('88 Design)
Jenny Hahn ('99 Illustration)
Pierce Haley ('15 Ceramics)
Eva Louise Hall ('12 Animation)
Jaclyn Hamilton ('00 Painting)
Doreen Hann ('93 Design)
Darren Hanshaw ('81 Design)
Annalee Hanson ('24 Fiber)
Clint Hanson ('18 Sculpture)
Howard Harris ('71 Industrial Design)
Michelle Harris (attended KCAI, '69-'71)
Shari Hartbauer ('86 Photography)
Sara Haug ('16 Painting & Printmaking)
Holly J. Hayden ('03 Illustration)
Andrew Hergert ('07 Painting)
Michael Herring ('00 Design & Illustration)
Jim Hesse ('93 Design)
Kathryn Hogan ('00 Design)
Peregrine Honig ('20 Painting)
Nina Jaramillo ('25 Animation)
Mandy Johnson ('05 Painting)
Calder Kamin ('09 Ceramics & Art History)
Theresa Kasun ('88 Painting)
Bryan Kearney ('97 Painting)
Gary Keshner ('78 Sculpture)
Barbara Kluepfel ('88 Printmaking)
Gary Kodner ('77 Design)
Rebecca A. Koop ('79 Ceramics)
Ly Larson ('23 Graphic Design)
Don Lauter ('71 Design)
Chris LaValley ('89 Painting)
Linda Lighton ('89 Sculpture)
Gardner Littleton ('21 Animation)
Cathy Logan ('74 Sculpture)
Melshonda Lowe-Dobbins ('94 Design)
Mary Jeanne Luckey ('78 Ceramics)
Meredith Lucius ('18 Illustration)
Jennifer Madrigal ('03 New Media)
David Mai ('78 Ceramics)
Teresa Mandala ('99 Design)
Whitney Manney ('12 Fiber)
Brianna Mason (attended KCAI, '15-'17)
Catherine Massaro-Fisher ('79 Painting & Printmaking)
Isabella Matute ('20 Photography)
Cult Mayor ('22 Illustration)
Dani Mays ('23 Illustration)
Jessica A. McGan ('04 Painting)
Jacob Mecklenborg (attended KCAI, '96-'97)
Linda Melazzo ('75 Painting)
Edwing Mendez ('14 Graphic Design)
Rebecca Miller ('93 Photography)
Lexie Millikan ('15 Fiber)
Rich Monson ('60 Painting)
Theodore Morris III ('22 Animation)
Toni A. Moss ('63 Design)
Ken Munger ('84 Painting)
Harper Newell ('20 Fiber)
Hadley Newton ('23 Illustration)
Talon M Newton ('23 Illustration)
Peggy Nichols ('76 Painting and Printmaking)
Robyn Nichols ('79 Design)
Penelope Nicolopolis ('77 Painting & Printmaking)
Imani Nixon ('17 Photography)
Tom North (attended KCAI, '76-'79)
Kadie Nugent ('15 Fiber)
Dean Olson ('76 Painting)
Max Penner ('60 Graphic Design)
Matthew Petry ('21 Animation)
Shelly R. Pinto ('86 Painting)
Suzanne Pointon ('69 Painting)
Lilah Powlas ('24 Graphic Design)
Constance Preston ('88 Sculpture)
Jazmyne Roddy ('17 Animation)
Monica Roesner ('15 Graphic Design)
Michael Sandbothe ('00 Illustration)
Eryn M. Scally ('98 Design & Illustration)
Alyshia Schamp ('10 Painting)
Char Schwall ('87 Painting)
Malory K. Sforza ('13 Painting & Art History)
Phil C. Shafer ('00 Photo/New Media)
Alan Sharpe ('23 Animation)
Gary Shipps ('94 Ceramics)
Afton Shumate ('23 Illustration)
Jeff Sidney ('02 Illustration)
Shannon L. Sleeper ('99 Illustration)
Mariya Slipych ('23 Sculpture)
Kari Smith ('99 Design & Illustration)
Sean Starowitz ('10 Interdisciplinary Arts)
Susan E. Steindler ('77 Ceramics)
Katelynn Stevens ('25 Graphic Design)
Caroline M. Stoddart ('85 Sculpture)
Jennifer Su ('10 Photography)
Anna Sudo ('23 Sculpture)
Cindy Sutton ('88 Painting)
Gordon Tanner ('79 Design)
Geof Teague ('98 Photo/Video)
Bernadette Esperanza Torres ('91 Ceramics)
Monica Turner ('17 Ceramics & Art History)
Kaelen Van Cura ('00 Painting)
Izzy Vivas ('21 Painting)
Suthyrn Wakefield ('25 Animation)
Jennifer Walker ('83 Sculpture)
Jason Wang ('20 Ceramics)
Richard Washington ('81 Intermedia)
Leo Wille ('25 Animation)
Allan Winkler ('75 Ceramics)
Violet Zadoyan ('25 Graphic Design)
Vladimir Zimakov ('00 Design & Illustration)