Our 2025 Young Artists Retreat was a resounding success! Videos from this year’s speakers will be available soon, but in the meantime, we’d like to share past videos! You can also watch these on YouTube on our Young Artists Retreat YouTube playlist.
Category Archives: Young Artists Retreat
2025 Young Artists Retreat Speakers Confirmed
Speakers have been confirmed for the 2025 Young Artists Retreat, occurring on Friday, October 25!
For those unable to attend in person, we will have a livestream available as well. Register for the livestream by Tuesday, Oct. 22!
LIVESTREAM AGENDA (times listed in CST):
- 9:10 AM-10: Session Speakers
- SunYoung Park or Joy Rhodes
- 10:10-11 AM: Professional Development Session with Harold Smith
- 11:10 AM-noon: Session Speakers
- Christopher Erazo or Matthew Willie Garcia
- 1 PM: Keynote Speaker, Amy Kligman
All sessions will be recorded and available after the livestream airs.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Amy Kligman
Amy Kligman, artist and organizer of The Salon for Possible Futures, which is on view in the Nerman Museum, will be the Keynote Speaker for the Young Artists Retreat program. The Salon for Possible Futures is an interactive space for community gathering and collective imagining. Themes of fostering humanity and relationships, learning from the past, and building sustainability, hope, and magic are the underpinnings of The Salon’s assembled objects and imagery. Amy Kligman was the Executive Artistic Director at Charlotte Street 2015-2025. Kligman’s career and experience as an exhibiting artist and grassroots curator/arts administrator spans 20 years of studio & exhibition work, independent curating and organizing, and artist-run projects.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SPEAKER
Harold Smith
Harold Smith is a Kansas City-based visual artist whose internationally exhibited and collected work includes painting, collage, mixed media, performance, video, sound, and assemblage. His work focuses on the complexity of black masculinity in America. He also writes for KC Studio magazine. Smith was an educator in Kansas City for 30 years, teaching computer science and other computer classes, and later coding and game design, at Kansas City’s Manual Career & Technical Center. Before retiring from teaching in 2021, Smith taught art at Lincoln College Preparatory Middle School for two and a half years. He received a Charlotte Street Visual Arts Award and a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in 2022. He was selected for the Art Omi International Artists Residency Program in 2023. Locally, he’s exhibited at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art and the Lawrence Arts Center.
SESSION SPEAKERS
Christopher Erazo
Christopher Erazo is a Chicano/Mexican American photographer and videographer based in Lawrence, Kansas. His creative yet simple style and distinctive use of VHS videography have earned his work exhibitions in Mexico City, multiple regional galleries, and the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Through his art, Christopher celebrates Chicano culture while highlighting the beauty of all cultures, reimagining traditional works with a modern perspective, and inspiring young creators to embrace their heritage and unique voices.
Matthew Willie Garcia
Matthew Willie Garcia is a California native now based in Kansas City, MO. Garcia’s work transcends traditional print media working in screen printing, mokuhanga, projection-mapping, animation, and large-scale installations. Inspired by a blend of science, science fiction, and their queer identity, Garcia explores these themes through color abstraction and nonrepresentational forms. Holding a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA from the University of Kansas, Garcia has earned acclaim regionally, notably exhibiting at the Nerman Contemporary Museum of Art, Des Moines Art Center and internationally in Japan and Spain. Garcia recently served as the 2024/2025 Grant Wood Fellow at the University of Iowa.
SunYoung Park
SunYoung Park is a South Korean interdisciplinary artist exploring hybridity, memory, and cultural identity through ceramics and mixed media. Her sculptures merge clay with fabric, wood, and botanical elements, blurring boundaries between body and object. She is a 2026 Studio Mass MoCA Fellowship recipient, a Wassaic Project Fellowship recipient, and has also held residencies at the Interdisciplinary Ceramic Research Center, University of Kansas; Charlotte Street Foundation; and Clayarch Gimhae Museum. Her work has been exhibited internationally at the Jingdezhen International Ceramic Biennale, the International Contemporary Ceramic Art Triennial in Andenne, Belgium, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.
Joy Rhodes
Joy Rhodes is Professor and Department Chair of Fashion Merchandising and Design at JCCC. Prior to her career in higher education, she worked many years in the industry, as a merchandising manager for an apparel licensing company overseeing all aspects of product development from concept through to production and working for technology solution providers that developed software specifically for the fashion industry both on the retail and product development sides of the business. She earned her BA in Apparel Design and Production from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO and her MBA from Baker University in Baldwin City, KS. She also completed an extended semester program at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.
Save the dates! Oct. 25 and 26 is a full weekend + Other October Events!
Save the date!
October is going to be another month full of activities here at the Nerman Museum, including an extra special weekend with big events on Oct. 25 and 26.
You can learn more about all events, and RSVP for the events that require registration, on our calendar page.
Diedrick Brackens, shadows spell my name, 2024, cotton and acrylic yarn, 102 x 134 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, Gift of Sue and Lewis Nerman, Leawood, KS.
Our major events this month include the Jerome Nerman Lecture Series, featuring Diedrick Brackens, on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 4-5 PM, at the Museum’s Hudson Auditorium, with a reception to follow.
Brackens will discuss his large-scale weavings that incorporate myth and storytelling to highlight Black and Queer histories and bodies. Brackens is best known for his tapestries that explore allegory and narrative through autobiography, along with broader themes in American history.
Brackens employs techniques from West African weaving, European tapestry-making, and quilting from the American South to create both abstract and figurative artworks. Often depicting moments of male tenderness, Brackens draws inspiration from African and African American literature, poetry and folklore.
Jeremy Scott and Katherine Bernhardt. Photo: Wil Driscoll
On Sunday, Oct. 26, 2-5 PM, we’ll celebrate the end of A Match Made in Heaven: Katherine Bernhardt x Jeremy Scott with a Closing Countdown alongside the artists.
Young Artists Retreat 2024. Photo: Susan McSpadden, JCCC Photographer
Earlier that same week, on Friday, Oct. 24, 8 AM-2 PM, we’ll also be hosting the 2025 Young Artists Retreat. While nominations for the in-person portion of the event is already closed, teachers and students can still register for the livestream option through October 22.
The Salon for Possible Futures
Our Salon events continue, with:
- Thursday, Oct. 2, 5:30-7 PM – Make Your Own (MYO) Pocket Charms with Amy Kligman
- Friday, Oct. 17, 7-10 PM – Utopia/Dystopia Movie Night with Caitlin Horsmon
- Saturday, Oct. 25, 2-3 PM – Book Swap & Share: Scare Stories
Students creating art projects in a Nerman Museum Youth Art Class
Lastly, our Youth Art Classes are back for the fall semester, with an all-new line up of topics and art projects. We’ll be kicking off the season with the following classes:
- Thursday, Oct. 9, 4-7 PM – Street Fashion – Gr. 6-9
- Saturday, Oct. 11, 2-4 PM – Accessories 3 Ways! – Gr. 3-5
- Saturday, Oct. 18, 2-4 PM – Artful Fashion Design – Gr. K-2
Art-Related Careers
On Nov. 1, 2023, the Nerman Museum hosted a Young Artists Retreat, aimed at high school seniors, to allow them to learn more about careers in the arts. Below is the Art-Related Careers overview information shared in their programs. Download this list in PDF format.
Art-related Careers
Independent Artists:
- Artist: uses diverse mediums to create works such as sculptures, paintings, murals, installations and photographs. Artists who are working full-time professionally often have a studio team.
- Studio assistant or manager: works with artists to successfully plan and create works, logistical aspects of sending artworks to clients, administrative responsibilities.
Museum and Non-profit Arts Organization Roles:
- Director: provides the leadership and vision for the institution, strategic planning, fundraising and overseeing both internal and external affairs. Some directors also work as/with curators.
- Curator: responsible for putting together exhibitions, through researching and selecting works that speak to each other through some sort of common thread. In the institutional setting, this may involve working with exhibition designers, collection managers and the interpretation team among others. Many exhibitions take years to pull together.
- Exhibition Designer: helps curators and artists bring their vision to life in the complex setting of museum and gallery installations.
- Preparator: works with exhibition designers to build and install exhibitions and collections.
- Learning & Engagement: focuses on using art as a medium for learning—not only about topics related to a classroom curriculum, but also to better understand the world.
- Marketing & Communications: collaborates with artists, designers, educators and administrators to share information about art exhibitions, programs and events.
- Interpretation: creates resources that help audiences understand and connect with the art, often in collaboration with curators, educators and independent writers.
- Programs: works with artists, administrators and others to develop and implement programming that relates to art exhibitions.
- Registration & Collections Management: ensures the safety and care of the art collection, managing loans of artworks, conservation efforts, storage and information about the collection.
- Development: spearheads donor relations and fundraising for the institution which can include managing programs and travel associated with donor events and financial management.
- Archives/Library: many institutions have a research library or archive that may be digitally available that serves as a resource for artists, curators, educators and students.
- Visitor or Guest Services: works with front-of-house staff to ensure visitors feel welcome.
Gallerists and Independent Curators:
- Gallerist or Curator: responsible for putting together exhibitions, through researching and selecting works that speak to each other through some sort of common thread.
- Art Dealer: acts as an intermediary between buyers and sellers but may not have a gallery or curatorial role.
- Auction Houses: major art auction houses are an important part of the art market, and there are various roles involved in valuation, appraisal and selling of artworks.
Higher Education:
- Professor: teaches fine arts or studio arts at the college level. Most professors have a Ph.D. or terminal degree (MFA) in their subject area.
Independent Contractors:
- Writer: bring the world to life through words—be it in poetry, essays, journals or other outlets and writing styles.
- Installation and art handling: many art handlers work with museums, galleries or private collectors to move and install works safely, which may involve assisting with shipping artworks.
- Photography: artists and institutions often work with professional photographers to get good images of their artwork.
- Web design: artists and institutions often work with professional web designers to create engaging platforms for their content.
- Conservator: highly specialized, conservators typically have in-depth knowledge about a particular type of media (textiles, painting, etc.) and have some scientific background also.
Commercial Arts: There are many opportunities to use art skills and experience in the commercial sector, whether it be for a particular company or as an independent contractor or businessperson. Below is a list of just a few of the many fields available. Most require specialized training and education.
- Fashion design
- Graphic design
- Industrial design
- Illustration
- Animation
- Architecture
- Interior design
- Printmaking
- Set and costume design
- Filmmaking