Midwestern Artists' Exhibition

Sponsored by the Kansas City Art Institute and held in the campus galleries, the Midwestern Artists' Exhibition was a regional group show comprised of artists from Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Colorado. Although the dates of the exhibition vary from year to year, the show was primarily exhibited during January, February, or March. For instance, in 1920, the inaugural year, the exhibition was shown for two weeks in March. However, in 1921, it was shown throughout the month of January.

It is also important to note that the exhibition was not held every year. This annual exhibition allowed artists from these five states to showcase their painting, sculpture, and graphic arts skills. While the show promoted artists' talents, this also became an opportunity for the public to purchase the art on display.

A panel of judges juried each exhibition and distributed awards, which were both gold medals and monetary gifts: Kansas City Art Institute Awards, and Missouri-Kansas Art Exhibit Awards (for painting, sculpture, graphic arts, decorative arts, and honorable mentions in textile decoration). Select jurors and art organizations provided the cash prizes. The exhibition catalogues served as resources for artists. They often included advertisements for supplies and art-related magazines, and available art classes held at KCAI. The digitized exhibition catalogs can be found on Internet Archive.

Select Sources

Kansas City Times, December 24, 1923, 6.

Kansas City Times, December 19, 1923, 3.

Kansas City Star, October 7, 1923, 1.

"Museum Retrospective," Parnassus 7, no. 4 (1935): 33-36.

"Midwestern Artists Exhibition," American Magazine of Art 15, no. 4 (1924): 209-10.

Donald Bear, "For the New York World's Fair Contemporary Art Exhibition," Parnassus 11, no. 3 (1939): 14-18.

Contributors

Sydney Breakfield, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art