Exhibitions

An illustration of many exhibition picture frames

Johnson County Library is proud to share the work of Kansas City metro area visual artists in our Library art galleries. We have ten Library branches with dedicated art gallery spaces to inspire people of all ages and beautify our libraries. We seek a diverse selection of artwork that inspires, educates and promotes community connection.

Interurban Arthouse curates collections at all Library locations but the Central Resource Library. Learn about InterUrban ArtHouse‘s programs.

Past Showing
Friday, January 10 to Friday, February 28, 2025

At the center of Smith’s work is Black representation. Smith depicts the black experience, identity, language, and culture in a range of mediums, including collage mixed media, performance, video, sound, and assemblage. In his most recent work, Smith reimagines Black identity in classical art through abstract figurative painting

Past Showing
Friday, January 10 to Friday, April 11, 2025

Johnson’s work is an active and boundless journey of self-discovery, growth and introspection. Johnson is inspired by the flow and crudeness of nature, discovering this ignites their own rawness and desire to share their experiences in mental health, gender and love.

Past Showing
Friday, January 10 to Friday, April 11, 2025

Elrod’s work is founded on symbolism through plants and animals and their relationship with humanity. For the past year Elrod’s work has revolved around reflection on what it means to be a woman, mother and human on this planet.

Past Showing
Friday, January 10 to Friday, April 11, 2025

Dunn is drawn to the ambiguous nature of abstraction. There is a freedom to painting organically and letting the subject matter present itself to the artist through mark-making. Dunn views art as a conversation and the works on view as a physical manifestation of seeking a connection — a connection to the natural world, the technological world and to each other.

Past Showing
Friday, January 10 to Friday, April 11, 2025

Patterns, colors and shapes are deeply connected to Pinto’s personal history, environment and inner thoughts. The artist’s process for creating mixed media paintings involves mixing colors, cutting shapes and overlapping patterns. Through the layering and mixing of these elements, Pinto finds an inner calm and a sense of connection to the world. The patterns and repetition represent a historical structure and offer insight into the interlocking balance of life. 

Past Showing
Friday, January 10 to Friday, April 11, 2025

Sanders is a passionate, self-taught visual artist based in Kansas City, MO. Sanders began to paint in 2016 as an outlet to express suppressed emotions, and primarily creates with acrylic and oil paint on canvas and wood, digital art and murals. The artist is dedicated to creating work that evokes emotion within the viewer, translates the emotion of the subject and leaves a lasting impact.

Past Showing
Friday, January 10 to Friday, April 11, 2025

My mother taught me how to observe objects and draw them – particularly pictures from books she read to my brothers and I. My first art memory was in first grade, a mouse and clock from the poem “Hickory Dickory Dock”. From other efforts in grade school, I drew a Navajo Indian boy watching his flock of sheep. It was submitted to a statewide art show – I never saw it again – I never forgot that memory or the artwork. From both memories I still feel creating art is a ‘personal investment/investigation’. The time, learning, use of media and creativity are the babies I’ve given birth too.

Past Showing
Sunday, September 1 to Saturday, December 21, 2024

The Fabric of Space is a series of multimedia starscapes inspired by images from NASA's deep space telescopes and the curious human fascination with astrological meaning. The various sized artworks are constructed of layers of beads, stitching, fabric, and paint on canvas...

Past Showing
Sunday, September 1 to Saturday, December 21, 2024

Jason Piggie is a distinguished African American artist renowned for his multifaceted talents as a photographer, filmmaker, writer, curator, and director. Piggie's artistic journey commenced in his formative years during a high school photography class, where he discovered...

Past Showing
Sunday, September 1 to Saturday, December 21, 2024

Kathryn Barker’s subjects are often landscapes, especially the rolling prairie and grasslands of the Kansas Flint Hills, finding the vastness of this singular landscape an ongoing inspiration. These paintings are a reflection of Barker’s deep appreciation for the natural...