d

Decorative Arts at The World's Fairs - Inventing the modern world, 1851-1939.

Meet me in Kansas City!

Special Events/Programs

Charles Thurston Thompson, English (1816–1868). World's Fair French Department (detail), 1855. Albumen print. Gift of the Hall Family Foundation, 5.2012.6.

Art and the World’s Fairs

All Talks begin at 6 p.m.
Atkins Auditorium
Tickets required

Nelson-Atkins curators investigate the display and reception of painting, sculpture and photography at these important global events. Each talk gives special emphasis to works in the Nelson-Atkins collection.

Thursday, July 12

Art of Pure Form, International Exhibitions and a New Fascination with Islamic Art
Kim Masteller, Jeanne McCray Beals Associate Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art

Local Food trucks will be here!

Enjoy food like you’re at the fair from KC Food Trucks at the Nelson-Atkins.

Saturday, July 14

From 2–6 p.m.
  3 Girls Cupcakes
  Crave of KC
  Gary’s on the Go BBQ

Saturday August, 11

From 2–6 p.m.
  CoffeeCakeKC
  Gary’s on the Go BBQ

Saturday, August 18

From 2–6 p.m.
  3 Girls Cupcakes
  Gary’s on the Go BBQ
  Wilma’s Real Good Food
  Cajun Cabin

ARTDynamic: Steampunk

Experience a new art dynamic at the Nelson-Atkins. Mingle during Happy Hour @ Bloch Lobby and then enjoy unique pairings of art, music, hands-on activities and more!

Thursday, July 26 | 6–8:30 p.m. Bloch Lobby, Lens 2,
Galleries L13–L15
Tickets Required | $16/$20

Includes ticket to featured exhibition. Happy hour drinks and food sold separately.

Check out the explosive, folk-rock stylings of External Combustion Orchestra, then tour Inventing the Modern World and find your inspiration to create artist trading cards, led by local artist Tara Tonsor. Look for another fun ARTDynamic event in October.

Special Extended Sundays

Extended Exhibition Hours for Inventing the Modern World
July 29 | August 5 | August 12
August 19
11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Galleries L13–L15

Bloch Lobby and the World’s Fairs exhibition space will be open one hour early and remain open one hour later than the museum’s regular hours. The rest of the museum will be open from Noon–5 p.m.

Summer Classes

The Nelson-Atkins is your passport to the world this summer! Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851–1939 will be the focus of many of our classes.

Please view schedule.

Exhibition Sponsors

Major support for this exhibition was provided by Wells Fargo, the Windgate Charitable Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The exhibition has been co-organized by
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh. In Kansas City the exhibition is supported by Helzberg Diamonds, Herbert Adler, Betty and Paul Henson and family, Belger Cartage Service, Inc., Richard and Jane Bruening, Alison Bartlett Jager and Eric Thor Jager, Sandy and Randy Rolf, Keith and Margie Weber Foundation and the Campbell-Calvin Fund and Elizabeth C. Bonner Charitable Trust for exhibitions.

Community Partners

  • Hallmark Cards, Inc.
  • Kansas City Art Institute
  • MINDDRIVE
  • MRIGlobal
  • Museo
  • National World War I Museum
    at Liberty Memorial
    Visit theworldwar.org for information on a related exhibition and programs
  • Natural History Museum at the
    University of Kansas
  • Sun Pavilion design team: Generator Studio, Tm Gratkowski, Prosser Wilbert Construction, Brightergy LLC, Thornton Tomasetti, BC Engineers and Barkley
  • The 1904 World’s Fair Society
  • The Kansas City Public Library
    Visit kclibrary.org for information on related programs
  • VML

RELATED EXHIBITION


Ives Maes, Belgian (b. 1976). Parade (Shanghai Expo 2010), 2011. C-print on acrylic. Courtesy of the artist.

The Future of Yesterday: Photographs of Architectural Remains at World's Fairs

June 28–September 9 | Bloch Lobby

In his first American exhibition, Belgian artist Ives Maes explores the architecture of world’s fair sites as they look today. In 15 dramatic photographic sculptures, Maes investigates the effect of time, place and context on the remains of these global events.

This exhibition is supported by the Donald J. Hall Initiative.

ARTIST’S PRESENTATION

Ives Maes and the Future of Yesterday
Thursday, June 28 | 6 p.m.
Atkins Auditorium
Tickets required

Museum Site |

APRIL 14–AUGUST 19, 2012 ∗ KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI