H&R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute

The H&R Block Artspace is a mid size gallery at 43rd and Walnut and located just 2 blocks from campus and its sister The KCAI Gallery; and is much larger.I attended the 2021 KCAI Biennial this weekend and absolutely loved this mixed media exhibition. Featuring 49 current students and faculty; a hodgepodge of the profound to the whimsical. Film to fiber; ceramics to found objects, written word to sculpture. A perfect cacophony to stimulate and delight at as you wander from piece to piece. This exhibit ends 3/5/22, but I have already set up a calendar reminder so I don't miss the annual BFA Exhibit opening in April.With free admission, the Artspace should be on everyone's list of simple Saturday pleasures in Kansas City. Long live the Kansas City Art Institute and thank you to the cultural impact they have cultivated in this great city over the decades.

The Flat Files exhibition they have every other year is incredible. They invite 150 current artists to show their work in portfolio format. The curator will pull a sample or two from the artists' selection of works and include the drawer number on the label. You can then don white cotton gloves to gently handle the original works stored in the files in the center of the gallery.One of the most intimate experiences I've had with paintings, drawings, and digital works. If you see something you can't live without, the artists' contact information and sale prices are tastefully presented in each portfolio. Admission itself is free, I think.