Matthew Thompson

Matthew Thompson

Matthew Thompson is an educator, historian, and writer who has lived in Kansas since 2005. His research interests include Progressivism and the Socialist Party of America, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War. He enjoys studying visual arts to help make the world and its history accessible and exciting to others.

Honors: Jason Needham

Honors: Jason Needham

For Jason Needham, creating art nowadays is all about the journey. What began as a self-imposed challenge for the Kansas City artist during his time as a stay-at-home parent has become the mainstay of his creative output. Needham’s early career focused on comic-style Pop Art paintings, a process he describes as “just having an idea and executing it.

“John Ferry: Mid-Century Modern” and “Nora Othic: Animal Show,” Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art

“John Ferry: Mid-Century Modern” and “Nora Othic: Animal Show,” Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art

For a contemplative look at humanity through an anthropological lens, two new exhibitions at Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art are rich fodder for imagination and introspection. “Mid-Century Modern,” by John Ferry, and “Animal Show,” by Nora Othic, offer vigorous and adroit renditions of our efforts to consummate our species’ insatiable yearning for self-expression through form and […]

“Appropriation Nation,” Kansas City Artists Coalition Snap Gallery

“Appropriation Nation,” Kansas City Artists Coalition Snap Gallery

Some of the most iconic European masterpieces convey simple, universal feelings, but white artists do not have a monopoly on expressions of love, bravery, wanderlust, curiosity, or compassion. Artist Chico Sierra’s awareness of this fundamental truth permeates his exhibition, “Appropriation Nation,” in a beautiful and enticing way. Rather than attempting to assert the legitimacy of […]