Raven Halfmoon, Tushka Manahatta, 2025, Stoneware, glaze, 36 1/2 x 26 x 17 1/2 inches (courtesy of the artist)
Two Landmark Exhibitions at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art continue the tradition of commissioning new work
Kansas City’s cultural landscape continues to evolve, shaped by artists who challenge history, celebrate identity, and create space for underrepresented voices. This fall, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art presents two significant exhibitions that reflect this commitment: The Atrium Project: 10 Years, 10 Stories and a solo exhibition Raven Halfmoon: Ride or Die.
The Atrium Project: 10 Years, 10 Stories
This exhibition brings together all nine existing Atrium commissions for the first time in a historic presentation. Over the past several years, the series has introduced Kansas City audiences to groundbreaking projects by José Lerma, Firelei Báez, Paul Henry Ramirez, Angel Otero, Joiri Minaya, Aliza Nisenbaum, Pepe Mar, Sarah Zapata, and Lucía Vidales. It also looks ahead to the 10th anniversary Atrium commission, opening in January 2026, with a newly commissioned work by Edra Soto.
Raven Halfmoon: Ride or Die
Caddo artist Raven Halfmoon presents a bold solo exhibition. “I build sculptures that demand to be heard and experienced,” she has said. “My artwork exists to break the mold of the romanticized Native American stereotype and to simply say: We are still here, and we are powerful.”
Ride or Die marks a turning point in Halfmoon’s artistic journey, boldly expanding her creative practice. Created specifically for this exhibition, the works engage with Kansas City’s cultural and historical landscape. Halfmoon reclaims cowboy mythology through powerful cowgirl figures that subvert colonial tropes with punk-infused energy. A new large-scale bucking horse sculpture, responding to Cyrus Dallin’s The Scout, embodies resistance and sovereignty—an untethered force challenging stereotypes and asserting Indigenous power, protection, and narrative control.
Raven Halfmoon: Ride or Die opens Friday, November 14, 2025 and The Atrium Project: 10 Years, 10 Stories opens Friday, November 7, 2025. Both are on view through early 2026. Andrea Carlson: Shimmer on Horizons is on view through February 15, 2026, and Figure it Out: Lucía Vidales Selects is on view through January 11, 2026.
