Kansas City museum receives $1M gift for youth art education: ‘Transformative’
The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art on Thursday announced a $1 million donation to support youth programming.
According to a news release shared by the museum, the gift from the Stanley J. Bushman Foundation will establish a fund to “expand access to high-quality arts programming and help nurture the next generation of artists, thinkers, and community leaders.”
Jessica May, executive director of the Kemper Museum, was quoted in the release:
“This gift is an essential part of our continued growth as a center for excellence in museum education and will help us further our vision to present groundbreaking exhibitions that support artists and ideas, as well as to be an inclusive center for creative expression and meaningful engagement with contemporary art.”
The museum, located near the Kansas City Art Institute and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, opened in 1994.
In 2018, a gift from the late Bushman and fellow real estate businessman Charles Helzberg helped fund the Kemper Teen Arts Council.
Through this program, up to 15 high school students help organize museum exhibitions, develop workshops with local artists and learn about arts careers.
The Teen Arts Council is open by application only, with meetings every other week. Members receive a $100 stipend each month.
Applications for the 2026-2027 Kemper Teen Arts Council close Aug. 3.
