Night/Shift
Night/Shift
Register in advance or on site when you arrive
Thursday, May 15
5-9pm
Free
Night/Shift: Second Nature sets us on a scenic route through the Nelson-Atkins. Guided by local artists, choose your own adventure to explore ideas about place – natural, constructed, and simulated.
What will your night look like? Follow your compass (or ours!) to craft a pocket journal, send locally made postcards, meet award-winning Kansas City artists, and watch in real time as a new sculpture takes wing. Live performances soundtrack the journey, with multisensory experiences inspired by the American landscape, a global diaspora, and even the dimensions of the gallery walls around us. At the Mixing Labs, you’ll explore sustainable food practices and team up on a collaborative sculpture.
There’s no one way to navigate Second Nature’s busy intersection of ideas. Make an itinerary. Embrace the detours. Abandon the map. Next stop: Night/Shift.
About Night/Shift
Night/Shift is a free and free form evening of creative encounters featuring live art and live acts by local artists among the museum’s 5,000 years of creative culture.
Featured Lineup
Live Acts
The Room Plays | Alberto Racanati
5-9 pm | Galleries 107, 205, 220, 230
How does architecture sound? This generative sound installation with intermittent live trumpet from 6–8 pm is composed to the dimensions and resonant frequencies of four galleries.
Songbird Session | Kirstie Lynn
5:30-6:30 pm
Catch the singer-songwriter on her flight path through the museum from 5:30-6:10 pm, and in the Library for an EP (extended perch) from 6:10-6:30.
In the Wake of Survival | Tristian Griffin Dance Company
7–7:30 pm, repeated 8–8:30 pm
Music, movement, and spoken word merge to explore identity, memory, and the triumphs and struggles of the Black Diaspora.
Live Art
Demos, pop-up installations, interactive art-making
Postcards from the Middle
5-9 pm | Pop-up Installation | Bloch Lobby
Explore photo postcards of strange and familiar places by local photographers. Select a postcard to write and send your own story about place.
Migrating Home | Kirsten Taylor
5-9 pm | Demo & Pop up | Kirkwood Hall
Get to know the artist and the migratory birds she sculpts in clay.
Studio Sprint | Nature Journaling | Cydney Ross
5-9 pm | Classrooms 4
Create a pocket journal and flex your observational skills through drawing and writing prompts.
Artists Unplugged | Charlotte Street Fellows
6–7 pm | Gallery L8
Chat with artists Kevin Demery, Juan Diego Gaucin, and Aleah Washington about their work on view.
Mixing Labs
Meet up with friends, make new connections, and discover your personal art match
Local Table: Growing Where You Are | Cultivate KC
5–9 pm | Bloch Lobby
How does growing, cooking, and sharing food impact your life? Hear stories from local urban growers and record your own for Cultivate KC’s new podcast.
Mycelium Networking | Magpie Creative Reuse Collective
5–9 pm | Kirkwood Hall
Make connections and work together on a collaborative sculpture inspired by mycelium, the complex web of underground fungal filaments that transmit messages and nutrients among trees.
Destinations & Detours | Friends of Art Council
5-9 pm | Sculpture Hall
Enter a raffle for a free museum membership and use our creative compass to point you to your next stop.
Gallery Side Quests
Travel the globe via the galleries, collecting stamps from Museum Guides along the way. Collect three stamps to earn a badge from the Friends of Art Council.
- Building Belonging | 113
- The Secret Language of Flowers | 130
- Holding Place | 208
- A Temple for Art/Art as Temple | 228
- Strange & Familiar Places | L11
- Survival of the Fittest | L13-15
- Now/Here | Gallery Walk
Food and drinks available for purchase
Night/Shift is made possible with support from the Marion and Henry Bloch Family Foundation.
Night/Shift know-how
Who can attend?
Night/Shift is designed for guests who are 18 and older, however, the museum is open to the public during Night/Shift and all ages are welcome.
What should I wear?
- Check out our Second Nature Mood Board for outfit inspo.
- Appreciate – don’t appropriate – other cultures.
- Glitter is prohibited in the museum.
- Large bags and some accessories may not be permitted in the galleries. Free coat check is available near the Museum Store.
What does it cost?
- General admission to museum galleries is free. Admission to the special exhibition Survival of the Fittest is free for Nelson-Atkins members, $22 for the general public, and $12 for students with ID.
- Registration is required. Register online in advance or when you arrive.
- Become a member during Night/Shift to receive free daily admission to special exhibitions and free garage parking — that night and year-round.
- Art and specialty merch will be available for purchase. Support the featured local artists and small businesses and swing by the Museum Store for other goodies.
Will there be food and drinks?
- Yes! Food and drinks will be available for purchase. A valid ID is required to purchase alcoholic beverages.
- Outside food and drink are prohibited.
How do I get there?
- The museum’s parking garage is located at 45th and Oak Streets. Garage parking is $14 per vehicle or free for members.
- Rideshare areas are located in the circle drive on the museum’s North Plaza.
- There are four entrance options: via the parking garage, at street level on 45th Street (one through the Nelson-Atkins Building, one through the Bloch Building), and via the Nelson-Atkins Building from the Sculpture Park.
- See the museum map for wayfinding information.
Can I request an accommodation?
Yes! If you require an accommodation or have accessibility concerns, contact our helpdesk at 1Art@nelson-atkins.org. You may also explore the museum’s accessibility resources.