Johnson County Library is proud to share the work of Kansas City metro area visual artists in our library art galleries. We have ten library branches with dedicated art gallery spaces to inspire people of all ages and beautify our libraries. We seek a diverse selection of artwork that inspires, educates and promotes community connection.
Originally from El Paso Texas, visual artist Chico Sierra now resides in the Midwest. Primarily a self-taught artist, Chico attempts to connect the dots of his cultural history and create new stories based on humanism, class structures and social justice. Influenced by his...
Sculptural Jewelry Artist Clarissa Knighten is best known for transforming mundane materials into one-of-a-kind adornment. Her handmade creations will inspire you to explore objects you see every day. Her work has also been featured at the Kansas City Museum and the Nelson...
Fred Trease was educated as a biologist and a sociologist, with the majority of his career spent in the practice of environmental public health. Starting in 2006 as a photographer, his style evolved to encompass digital drawings based on his science background. His work is...
Joe Bussell has maintained his professional contemporary art practice for over 40 years. The development of Joe's visual language took on new heights while living in London, Boston, Los Angeles and various cities in the Midwest. Most vividly he worked in an AIDS hospice for...
Justin Canja is a self-taught artist whose practice is based in expressionism and storytelling. Using experimental mediums, discarded items and found materials, he boldly champions the complexities of his identity and invites others to do the same. Unbound by traditional...
Artist Laurie Colahan has been working with the creative process all her life. After retiring from teaching in 2018 she started spending more time painting, working mostly with watercolor and mixed media and moving between floral, nature, and abstracts. Laurie's artwork will...
Kansas City native Melanie Nolker retired from a three decade Early Childhood Special Education career to follow in her family’s art tradition. After twenty years of painting with oils and a palette knife, the Covid years unleashed additional exploration with brush, acrylics...
SILENTLY UNEVEN is a collection of works on paper that explore the subtleties of uneven perspectives, punctured surface textures and a playful use of shadows. Hand cut and sculpted with the aid of an airbrush, each piece asks the viewer to take a closer look at the multi...
Derrick Schmidt is a self-taught artist based in Kansas City. His work focuses on a search for freedom from previous hardships of abuse in past relationships and his own personal struggles. These areas of his life play a pivotal role in his work and the figures and abstract...
Painter Hamama Bushra has studied the arts in Pakistan and the United States. Influenced by both her graphic design background and her South Asian roots, Hamama paints colorful and multi patterned portraits of women displaying confidence and femininity. Hamama’s artwork will...
