KANSAS CITY, MO.- Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art announced that Kreshaun McKinney has been named Director of Learning and Engagement.
McKinney joins Kemper Museum after 16 years in the education division of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, where she started as the Ford Learning Center’s full-time studio programs teacher before becoming the manager of audience engagement. During her tenure, McKinney was instrumental in the development of multiple public programs, including award-winning partnerships that have greatly increased the cultural diversity of the institution’s visitorship and program participation.
“Programming with you and not to you has been my professional philosophy spanning the more than 20 years I have been championing the power that art brings to our lives in education, community outreach, exhibitions, arts administration, and programming,” said McKinney. “I am excited by the opportunity to further and foster partnerships and relationships with our Kansas City communities and contribute to a thriving and collaborative arts district at Kemper Museum.”
McKinney will join the museum’s senior management team in September 2021, and will lead the learning and engagement department which aims to inspire creative thinking, interconnection and expression through transformative, participatory experiences with art. Prioritizing relevancy, inclusion, and accessibility, McKinney will work collaboratively with multiple departments across the museum as well as external partners to create, develop, and implement dynamic public programs.
“Kreshaun is a recognized leader in art education in Kansas City. With extensive experience building meaningful and sustained relationships with partner organizations and with the public, Kreshaun has extensive knowledge and a deep respect for local communities and artists, as well as a keen understanding of the potential for a museum’s education and programming to provide powerful engagement with art and ideas,” said Sean O’Harrow, executive director of Kemper Museum. “We are excited to be working with Kreshaun to expand our service to the public and to increase the visibility and impact of Kemper Museum in Kansas City, and beyond.”
McKinney has consulted numerous organizations on ways to successfully implement diversity initiatives. She has been a member of Kansas City’s Art in the Loop Downtown Arts Council, reStart Inc.’s Development Committee, and Cristo Rey High School’s mentoring program. She also serves on selection panels for arts organizations such as Artist INC., Mid-America Arts Alliance, and Charlotte Street Foundation. In addition, she serves as a member of Jewish Vocational Services Workforce Development Advisory Council, African American Artists Collective, Kansas City’s Municipal Arts Commission, Kansas Creative Arts & Industries Commission, and a board member for the Kansas City Artists Coalition. Prior to the Nelson-Atkins, McKinney held positions with Friends of Community Public Art in Joliet, Illinois, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Ms. McKinney earned her B.F.A. in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois and her M.F.A. in Painting and Drawing from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
