Alice Thorson

Alice Thorson is the editor of KC Studio. She has written about the visual arts for numerous publications locally and nationally.

Editor’s Letter, March/April 2021

After 30 years as executive director and chief curator of the JCCC Gallery of Art and then The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Bruce Hartman retired Dec. 31, 2020. (See Arts in Brief, p.18, Mar/Apr 2021 issue.) His departure from the post marks a watershed moment for the museum and the community. Hartman’s tenure at […]

February 22, 2021
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Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Acquires Early Drape Painting by Sam Gilliam

At 87, groundbreaking American abstractionist Sam Gilliam has reached the pinnacle of his career with a spate of international exhibits and prices sometimes topping the million-dollar mark. Following a high-profile exhibit at the Kunstmuseum Basel in 2018, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., will present a major retrospective in spring 2022.

January 26, 2021
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Editor’s Letter, January/February 2021

The new year brings positive thoughts as the country prepares to welcome a new president, and a vaccine promises an end to the cultural depredations of the pandemic. With the announcement of the first group of panelists, there is great cause for optimism about the art to be commissioned for Kansas City International Airport. The […]

January 6, 2021
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Gallery Glance: Haw Contemporary Re-releases Edition of Wendy Red Star’s “The Last Thanks”

Museum goers in Kansas City have had multiple opportunities to see Crow artist Wendy Red Star’s “The Four Seasons” photographic self-portraits in exhibits at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, each of which acquired a print of the work for its permanent collection. Red Star, now based in Portland, […]

November 4, 2020
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‘In a League of Her Own’

For 21 years, the Kansas City Art Institute’s H&R Block Artspace at 43rd and Walnut Streets has served as the college’s front door to the community, consistently presenting exhibits and displays that inspire, provoke, educate and entertain, furthering the school’s intellectual and creative mission.

October 29, 2020
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Editor’s Letter, November/December 2020

As the pandemic continues, the inventiveness of artists and the resourcefulness and resilience of KC’s cultural institutions are things to celebrate. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art have reopened, with precautions in place. The Kansas City Symphony is traveling all over the metro, presenting smaller ensembles for smaller audiences, bringing […]

October 29, 2020
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