FEATURED ARTISTS 

Gabrielle Akins

Paige Bennett

Junior Brown 

Zhakia Foster

Carly Henley 

Bella Lusk

Janelle Manns

Veronica Parks

Cherline Philogene

Shawn Roundtree

Fern Scott

Aerie Tobias

Elan Warren

Camarie Whayne

Lavender Yang

Roots: A Reclamation is an exhibition featuring current members of the Kansas City Art Institute’s Black Student Union. As the title suggests, each artist addresses Roots as a metaphor for unpacking and reclaiming a collective and individual relationship with Black identity. Alienation within our community, storytelling /oral histories, confronting injustices, music, and black excellence are all themes that converge under the umbrella of this showcasing. Through a diverse body of works we ask the viewer to look deeper into all the universes that make up a community and how each story represents a voice within a chorus of voices that make up the black experience.