Anita is a nationally recognized visual artist based in Kansas City. She received her BA in Art from Kansas State University and MA in African American Studies from the University of Kansas. Her portraits are known for their ability to evoke emotion and her unique hatching technique. She specializes in traditional drawing, digital art and oil painting. Her work celebrates Blackness through: Black culture, fashion, history, and sisterhood.

Crissi Rice’s art practice is deeply rooted in celebrating the beauty and significance of black women's hair and culture. Her inspiration is from the rich experiences of her mother, grandmother, and sisters, I aim to honor the resilience and legacy of their ancestors who have contributed to shaping their identity. Rice captures the complexity and diversity of natural hair, highlighting its beauty and symbolism within her community. Her art serves as a homage to the strength, pride, and heritage of African American & Indigenous women.

As much civil servant as artist, Don Wilkison creates art informed by rigorous research and a passion for emotional audience engagement. His art practice is rooted in active experimentation uncovering how human actions intersect with the world. The results are then transcribed through an interdisciplinary lens to create projects that often mix visual imagery with experiential endeavors.

Dora Kearney combines her decorative painting skills with her fine art background to create wonderfully unique art pieces. She utilizes acrylic paints layered with inks, plasters, foils, glass beads, glitters, and even drywall mud to achieve the perfect textures, infusing movement and sparkle in unexpected ways. Since the 90s, she has been immersed in the world of art and continue to experiment with new ideas and techniques.

Edwing is an independent creative consultant based in Kansas City with over ten years of experience in advertising, branding, and design. He has produced award-winning work with agencies like Barkley, Handsome Inc, and DMH. Today, Edwing continues his work with educational and mentorship-led organizations such as Big Brother Big Sisters, TFA, and several local KC schools. As a designer, he seeks to create a more equitable world by placing the community at the center of the design process. As an artist, he explores how design and technology skills can be used to express ideas rooted in identity.

Elise is currently based out of Kansas City, MO. She holds a BFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2006. She is a current MFA candidate at SACI in Chicago. She was the recipient of the 2022 Inspiration grant presented by ArksKC. Her work has been exhibited nationally in solo shows and group shows. Her art has been featured in several publications, and is part of private collections. In addition to her artistic pursuits, she is a community activist, mother, and curator. She is the current art director at Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art.

Erick is a '16 Kansas City Art Institute graduate. His studio practice has been mainly printmaking but has recently moved towards ink drawings and illustrations. His art is always layered in meanings, symbols, and experiences from being a Chicano in the United States.

Color, form, pattern, and texture are the primary guiding elements for Hollie. She tells stories through the macro and micro imagery and messaging incorporated in her art. Blakeney creates pieces that evoke both a sense of curiosity and contemplation, inviting the viewer to engage in with a sense of meandering exploration and reflection. Her approach is spontaneous; working the surface while creating an interplay of images and pattern that results in a complex and nuanced surface for viewers to engage with.

Isaac Tapia was born in Mexico, where he lived until moving to the U.S. when he was 9. Isaac is one half of the duo IT-RA Icons, a business collaborative committed to making fine art more accessible through murals, public art, youth mentorship and community engagement. In his solo artwork, Isaac focuses on portraits that elevate important-yet often under-represented-members of his community and celebrate the complex narratives of contemporary migration.

Jean McGuire returned to painting after a nearly 40-year hiatus. She has had work in group shows both locally in Kansas City, and nationally. Her current body of work focuses on figurative pieces based on antique photos that she finds intriguing. Using a very limited palette her work tries to honor the lives lived by these people who were captured by primitive cameras in a brief, fleeting moment of time.

Karla Deel lives and works as a writer, historian, photographer, poet, designer, and explorer in Kansas City, Missouri. Her first book publication, Storied & Scandalous Kansas City, a History of Corruption, Mischief, and a Whole Lot of Booze (Globe Pequot Press, 2019), continues to bring disparate groups of people together in celebration of a shared history.

Katherine Looney is a 34-year old Black and Native American visual artist living in Kansas City, Missouri. She mainly works with oils when creating realistic portraits. Many of her works are based on photos she has taken of her own friends and family. In 2020 Katherine was featured in a group showcase Real Black at the UMKC Gallery of Art. She is currently working on her first solo exhibition for 2024. She has a Bachelors Of Science in Architecture from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has been painting with oils since 2007.

Kim Newton believes in creativity, authenticity and growth. Her work fuels the human emotional journey with a time-honored tradition. Emotion is the thread that connects all people. Her work creates pieces that elicit universal human reactions. Through these sacred sources she finds her creative voice to tell impactful stories that ignite the spirit. Her fabric affirms the beauty of human essence, our experiences, our value a our strength.

Maria, a lifelong civil rights attorney, reflects on the momentous changes and awakenings of 2020, a year marked by loss, adaptation, and activism. Witnessing the death of George Floyd during the pandemic, Maria was moved to tears, igniting her passion for acrylic pouring art. Inspired by the protests and the phrase "I Can't Breathe," Maria embarked on creating a series titled "The Pandemic/Revolution 2020," using metallic paint to symbolize the struggle for justice.

Martice is a multimedia creative, photographer + graphic designer from Kansas City, Missouri. She has an insatiable craving for bright colors + bold patterns. She enjoys a combination of traditional media with digital art techniques. It’s a visual symphony with an abstract, graffiti twist.

Michele Renee Sherlock artistic influences began in her 20's when she moved to New York City and developed a love of art museums, art galleries and international travel. Sherlock has studied abstract composition, collage, and intuitive painting theory in the U.S. Michele studied color theory in Sauveterre-de-Bearn, France in October 2023, along with her exhibition in Paris, France.

In 2021, Bryce Holt started painting full-time. He is a self-taught artist focused on figurative and representational pieces with a story behind each one. Storytelling is at the heart of Holt’s work. Each painting he creates has a narrative behind it before it is started. Kyle Holt the realm of arts business and management. Together, they are the Patrons.

Remy Wharry’s artwork is a reflection of her experiences as a Black woman, celebrating resilience, diversity, and beauty in every form. Whether it’s vibrant murals, striking portraits, or intricate illustrations in children’s book to capture emotions these stories strike. Wharry has also turned her love for the arts into a thriving paint business, RAW Art Paints, to support her fellow creators.

Susan is an Intuitive Visionary Artist and Angelic Warrior. After near death experiences as a child Susan was given the ability to see into the Angelic Realms allowing her to see the angels in their pure light form. She also creates healing art with a conscious heart from her visions during meditation. This is her way of connecting with the divine and to assist humanity to do the same and recognize the divine within ourselves and each other.

Through bold strokes and vibrant colors, Zac brings his subjects to life, imbuing them with a sense of vitality and depth that resonates with audiences. Drawing inspiration from personal experiences and imaginings, Zac's work transcends traditional boundaries, offering a glimpse into the myriad of emotions that surround us everyday. With each brushstroke, Zac captures his passion of art, creating an immersive experience for all who encounter his work.