Wendell Castle, Dante’s Heaven, 2015, bronze, 89 x 75 1/2 x 52 3/4 in. and 87 3/4 x 58 1/4 x 41 3/4 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, Acquired with funds provided by the Barton P. and Mary D. Cohen Charitable Trust. Photo: EG Schempf

Jarrett Mellenbruch, Haven, 2015, Corian, stainless steel, wood, aluminum, honeybees, 192 in. Overland Park, KS. Photo: EG Schempf

Bobby Silverman, Metric Figure #2, 2007, porcelain and glaze, 35 3/4 x 28 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, Gift of Marti and Tony Oppenheimer and the Oppenheimer Brothers Foundation. Photo: EG Schempf

Do Ho Suh, Some/One, 2004, stainless steel military dog tags, steel structure, fiberglass resin, fabric, 75 x 114 x 132 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, Gift of Marti and Tony Oppenheimer and the Oppenheimer Brothers Foundation in honor of their children. Photo: EG Schempf

Jonathan Lyndon Chase, 2 trade bois, 2019, spray paint, glitter, acrylic and marker on canvas, 72 x 60 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, Gift of the Jedel Family Foundation

Elizabeth Murray, 1999, oil on canvas, 115 x 138 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, Gift of JCCC Gallery Associates

Roger Shimomura, American Infamy, 2006, acrylic on canvas panels, 61 5/8 x 100 1/2 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, Acquired with funds provided by JCCC and Marti and Tony Oppenheimer and the Oppenheimer Brothers Foundation

Kerry James Marshall, Untitled (Altgeld Gardens), 1995, acrylic and collage on canvas, 79 x 103 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS. Photo: EG Schempf

Kehinde Wiley, Alexander the Great (Variation), 2005, Oil and enamel on canvas, gold leaf on wood

Dana Schutz, oil on canvas, 75 x 91 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, Gift of Marti and Tony Oppenheimer and the Oppenheimer Brothers Foundation

Brad Kahlhamer, Eagle Fest USA, 2005, oil on canvas, 108 x 144 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, Gift of Marti and Tony Oppenheimer and the Oppenheimer Brothers Foundation. Photo: EG Schempf

Patrick Martinez, Sold (Old Merchant God), 2020, Stucco, neon, mean streak, ceramic, acrylic paint, spray paint, latex house paint, banner tarp, ceramic tile, tile adhesive, plexiglass, family archive photo collage, and LED sign on panel

Amy Sillman, Elephant, 2005, Oil on canvas

Karin Davie, Lover, 1998, Oil on canvas

Jordan Ann Craig, We Don’t Have to Talk About It, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 70 x 65 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, Purchased with funds from Beyond Bounds · 2020. Photo: EG Schempf

Angel Otero, Let Water Run, 2009, oil on canvas, 84 x 84 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, Gift of Marti and Tony Oppenheimer and the Oppenheimer Brothers Foundation

Raven Halfmoon, She’s Something Else, 2020, stoneware, glaze, 55 x 38 x 38 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Gift of Richard and Gloria Anderson, Lake Quivira, Kansas. Photo: EG Schempf

Caroline Monnet, Lungs, Polyethylene, fiberglass insulation, and thread

vanessa german, Et Al, or The Child Plaintiffs as Power-figures: Courage and Play, Love and Hope, Grace and Compassion, Will and Might, Serenity and Music, Light and Joy, Warrior and Intellect, Creativity and Vision, 2024, Love and research, plaster, wood, wood glue, plaster gauze, rage, wire, multiple conversations with historians Sherrita Camp and Donna Rae Pearson, tears, shock and the understanding that these children made a new world, auto body paint, pedestals so tall that the figures MUST be looked up to, love, prayer for a crack in the world to bleed new light, ceramic and porcelain birds and figures as finials, cloth, twine, strands of beads, buttons, keys put together by the community of Topeka: the beads are an acknowledgement of our African Ancestry and the wealth, power and creative force of Africa in relationship to the crime of stealing African bodies to build a new world in which the descendants of enslaved Africans have continued to be systemically, strategically, tragically dehumanized, stomped on and denied full access to true liberty. The buttons speak to the power of MENDING — for how many of our mothers, aunties, and homemakers had a button box, knowing that it is always possible to find a button that fits the missing space into a mending. The keys are forgiveness — internal and external forgiveness.

Kori Newkirk, Firefly, 2003, Plastic pony beads, synthetic hair and aluminum

Zachari Logan, Pride Blooms Ditch Flowers, from Eunuch Tapestries, 2020, pastel on black paper, 59 x 65 in. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS. Photo: EG Schempf

Yuan Fang, Jaded Heart, 2023, Acrylic on canvas. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.

Il Lee, BL-076, 2006, ballpoint pen on canvas. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.

Kahlil Robert Irving, Kaleidoscopic Lucas, Gilded Fossil, 2017, porcelain, glaze, stoneware. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art,. Acquired with funds provided by the Barton P. and Mary D. Cohen Art Acquisition Endowment at the JCCC Foundation

Tanya Batura, Soft Pink, 2006, ceramic and acrylic, collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, 2007.20

Ken Price, Half Mast, 1999, acrylic on ceramic. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.

Laura DeAngelis, Future: Dreaming (Astrolabe), 2004, ceramic, ceramic and layered engobes with wood-ash glaze. Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. Gift of Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art and Pat Nelson, mother of the artist, in honor of Laura DeAngelis

Tomory Dodge, Wasteland, 2007, Oil on canvas, 72 x 84″ Collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.

Jaime Muñoz, When Do Robots Rebel?, 2020, Acrylic, glitter, texture paste, and paper on panel

Dylan Mortimer, Airway Clearance, 2015, Foam, corrugated plastic, paint, glitter

Eric Beltz, Tree of Radiance, 2018 Graphite on Bristol

Miki Baird, you can trust pg 1, 2013, Cut paper archival pigment print

Jason Fox, Untitled, 2001, Graphite, watercolor, ink on paper

Archie Scott Gobber, Age of Enlightenment, 2008, Ink on paper

David Dupuis, At the Beach, 2006, Color pencil, graphite and collage on paper

Sandeep Mukherjee, Untitled, 2006, Acrylic, acrylic ink, and etching on Duralene

Erik Hanson, All I Want … (for Christmas is You), 2019, Oil on canvas

Scott Francis, Field Song, 2019, Chine colle and mixed media

Tate Pray, Falling Trees, 2008, Graphite on paper

Marcus Cain, Friendly Fire, 2006, Mixed media

Dylan Mortimer, I Want More Air, 2015, Foam, corrugated plastic, glitter, Christmas lights

Erik Hanson, 220 Punk Songs, 2004, Graphite on Mylar