Discover how the iconic Olmec heads of Mexico were created, explore the true meaning behind the imposing Teotihuacan pyramids and get a peek into the culture and daily life in the Mayan city of Chichen Itza. Art historian and microarcheologist Dr. Diana Magaloni-Kerpel uncovers millennia-old murals and sculptures throughout Mexico and Central America — then studies them to understand what their colors, textures and techniques reveal about these ancient cultures. Join her as she brings ancient Mesoamerican civilizations to life in a way you’ve never seen before.

Single tickets on sale at https://tickets.kauffmancenter.org/19760.

Subscriptions are also available here.

With landscapes spanning the towering Himalaya, arid plains and dense jungles, India is home to an unmatched diversity of wild cats. While many of the big cats are well known and thoroughly documented, photographer and filmmaker Sandesh Kadur is on a mission to highlight the country’s lesser-known felines in order to protect their future. Discover the tiny, grumpy-faced Pallas’s cat, the fishing cat that jumps into water to catch its prey, and the ancient, elusive clouded leopard. Through Kadur’s captivating images and video, you’ll get a unique and up-close look at a world of wild cats.

Single tickets on sale at https://tickets.kauffmancenter.org/19757.

Subscriptions are also available here.

At the Heart of the Matter is a solo exhibition of new work by artist Judith G. Levy. Throughout the exhibit, she wrestles with the heaviness of contemporary life, saturated by gender-based violence, racism, antisemitism, xenophobia, ecological disaster, and the global pandemic. In the midst of seemingly ceaseless emergency, this exhibition stakes its claims on empathy, care, and a shared humanity. Like all forms of representation in her practice, the individual works are both real and metaphorical, playful and sincere. Using still and moving images and found objects, she moves across mediums, gently nudging visual and material cultures toward more compassionate horizons.

Levy depicts everyday objects as agents that reveal a shared human vulnerability. The front door acts as a threshold into the sanctity of home, while doubling as protection from the potential perils of the world beyond. The exhibit also reflects on the fluidity of global and local identities in a series of portraits photographed in simple, natural light. All of the participants are connected to the artist through trusted, word-of-mouth networks. Often dressed to reference their countries of origin, they cradle vegetables and fruits that are common, though not native to the United States. The series is a complex expression of immigration provoking viewers to consider their assumptions behind feelings of familiarity and difference. Old travel postcards are overpainted to reconstruct their locations, transformed by drought and flooding in present times and our not too distant futures. Through worn away landscapes and monuments, this work turns ironically on the souvenir’s inherent nostalgia for a lost world that was always predicated on the devaluation of lives and ecologies.

Photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale shares her personal odyssey — from documenting the heartbreaking realities of war to witnessing the inspiring power of an individual to make a difference. Her award-winning work illuminates the unsung heroes and communities working to protect our wildlife and find harmony in our natural world. Hear her awe-inspiring stories of the reintroduction of northern white rhinos and giant pandas to the wild, as well as Kenya’s first indigenous-owned and run elephant sanctuary.

“Wild Hope” is sponsored by the Kansas City Zoo.

Single tickets on sale at https://tickets.kauffmancenter.org/19753.

Subscriptions are also available here. 

Grab the sticky geckos, break out the duck cakes and alert the grannies! It’s time to meet the much-loved Heeler family, who will be coming to Kansas City with Bluey’s live show, Bluey’s Big Play – The Stage Show! The Emmy® Award-winning animated preschool series hits the road as fans of all ages see Bluey, Bingo, Bandit and Chilli as they’ve never seen them before. Presented by the Kauffman Center and Tobin Entertainment, watch as the Heelers embark on their very first live theater show in the U.S., featuring puppetry, live actors and iconic sets. Based on an original new story written by Bluey creator Joe Brumm, Bluey’s Big Play – The Stage Show also contains new music by Bluey composer, Joff Bush.

All attendees must have a ticket regardless of age.

VIP packages are also available for purchase during the checkout process and include a Meet & Greet photo opportunity, Bluey VIP lanyard and Bluey VIP gift. All Meet & Greet attendees must hold a valid ticket to the performance in any price category and a VIP package ticket uplift. All children attending the VIP Meet & Greet must be accompanied by at least one adult.