A Powerful Tribute to the First Enslaved Africans in America: Art and Memory Collide in Kansas City

Kansas City, MO — On Friday, August 1, 2025, and again on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, The Missouri Arts Council Honoree 2025 Individual Artist https://missouriartscouncil.org/missouri-arts-awards-honorees-2025 – 1983/, Karen E. Griffin (KE) | Art by KE Griffin will host a groundbreaking, immersive installation honoring the 406-year journey of African descendants in America. The August 20th Candlelight Ceremony will mark the historical anniversary of the first landing of enslaved Africans in America. This solemn and sacred moment invites the community to gather, remember, and commit to truth-telling through art, history, and education.

The installation features eight illuminated orbs suspended from the ceiling, each representing a voice of the ancestors. The 29 piece installation will echo through the gallery space, capturing the spiritual and emotional odyssey from Africa to the warship and onto American soil.

Twenty visual artworks will line the gallery wall, interpreting messages left scratched into the woodwork of the slave ship — silent cries, survival codes, and sacred symbols translated through modern art. Each piece serves as a testament to the resilience and of the enslaved.

The August 20th Candlelight Ceremony and live performance will mark the historical anniversary of the first landing of enslaved Africans in America. This solemn and sacred moment invites the community to gather, remember, and commit to truth-telling through art, history, and education.

This historic production is led by an accredited visual, teaching, and performing artist, certified nationally and internationally recognized storyteller, whose life’s work is to awaken communities to the power of ancestry, history, and art. Designed by local Black visual artist, educator, and performer, “SN08201619” connects cultural memory to contemporary consciousness, bridging past and future through education and artistic expression.

Location:

The Bunker Center for the Arts

1014 E. 19th Street, Kansas City, MO 64108

Dates & Times:

Opening Installation: Wednesday, August 20, 2025 | 7 PM

This installation aims to educate and inspire future generations by grounding them in the untold stories that shaped America. Through the lens of Black History, Women’s History, Juneteenth, the Pan-African Flag, and the Women’s Suffrage movement, this exhibition sheds light on the legacy of the first 20 enslaved Africans — and the countless lives shaped by their journey.

Join us in honoring the unheard, unveiling the unseen, and remembering the legacy.

Studios Inc and Hadley Clark present “This Water”, a solo exhibition opening September 12th, through October 25th 2025. Studios Inc will host an opening reception on Friday, September 12th from 5 – 8 pm with an Artist Talk on September 20th from 12 – 1 pm.

Hadley Clark walks an ever-expanding circuit connecting her life and her studio practice; from sewing table to home closet to backyard compost to garden beds to kitchen stovetop, and changing with the seasons, and back again, and a little wider next time. Functionally, this belief system results in work that is made slowly and humbly with plant-dyed, found, and donated textiles, often incorporating discarded cuts from the floor of Clark’s studio, and leans in the direction of the emotional, psychological, and memorializing qualities of a garment in the life of its wearer. This exhibition captures the artist as she eschews garments’ utility on the body in favor of the personal and spiritual signifiers they carry on the wall.

“This Water” is a summative exhibition of sculptural works made by Hadley Clark during her time as a resident at Studios Inc, 2023 – 25.

Launched to serve mid-career artists, Studios Inc is Kansas City’s only nonprofit arts organization offering pivotal three-year residencies to mid-career artists who are poised to significantly expand their careers. Studios Inc offers a unique immersive experience for resident artists, who use their studio and exhibition space to produce and exhibit work, network and learn from one another, and attract and cultivate relationships with art patrons, collectors, and arts professionals.

“This Water” will be on view in the Studios Inc Exhibition Hall September 12th through October 25th. Exhibition hours are Wednesday through Friday 10am-4pm and Saturday 12 – 4pm.

Come join us for our August Exhibition — composed of two solo shows from artists Karen E> Griffin & Payton Koranek!

ARTIST STATEMENTS -

Karen E. Griffin:

Karen E. Griffin (KE) creates striking two-dimensional portraits that aim to empower viewers to embrace their unique identities as well as African based abstractions depicting cultural and community narratives. She fuses high fashion with vibrant storytelling of African American heritage. Inspired by her connection to the diaspora, Karen uses African prints to meticulously render each image, capturing the intricate details of the fabric and the bold energy of the patterns. Her work celebrates the enduring influence of African textiles on contemporary style, inviting viewers to explore the rich cultural narratives woven into every thread. Karen’s work celebrates the rich tapestry of African American culture through the exploration of prints, patterns, and symbols. By incorporating these elements, she aims to create pieces that resonate deeply with the African American community and offer a connection to our ancestral heritage. “While we may never fully comprehend the lives of our ancestors, we carry their legacy within us through our fashion, food, culture, dances, and music.” Her art serves as visual expression of this enduring connection.

Payton Koranek:

My ceramic work is deeply rooted in the natural world. It’s an exploration of nature’s profound influence on our lives — a connection that provides solace and grounding. In my ceramic practice, I seek to create a visual narrative that reflects these themes: the idea of a “safe space” where we can reconnect with both ourselves and the earth. Whether I am sculpting a figure or shaping a vessel, I aim to weave organic forms, minimal color palettes and soft textures to mimic nature. Each piece is an exploration of this delicate balance — between form and function, the body and the environment. It is an invitation to slow down and to honor the profound interplay between nature and the human experience

Outreach International is thrilled to welcome Luna & Lark Apothecary to our space for a pop-up residency for the month of August at Outreach International HQ (112 W 18th St).

Luna & Lark offers a curated selection of indie, woman-owned beauty brands that are cruelty-free, sustainably made, and meet EU clean beauty standards. Think trusted names like Three Ships, Indie Lee, UpCircle, and more — plus a special co-branded product in the works to support Outreach’s women’s empowerment programs worldwide.

Catch them from 4 – 9 on Friday and 11 – 4 Saturday and Sunday. Learn more at lunaandlarkapothecary.com or follow @lunaandlarkglow on Instagram.

Join us for an exhibit of exquisitely rendered icons made in the Byzantine style by artist Connie Ehrlich. Made using traditional egg tempera with natural pigments and genuine gold leaf on special wood panels, each icon reveals magical nuances of light and color. These contemplative artworks were created specifically to remind us of the intersection between the physical and spiritual worlds. The result is a set of quiet, sacred objects of luminescent beauty, an antidote to a world of neverending noise.

We will be hosting First Friday receptions on September 5 and October 3. Connie Ehrlich will be giving an artist talk at 6:30pm on September 5, followed by an audience Q&A.

We will be open for gallery hours every Saturday in September and October, from 2 – 4pm.