Jessica May, the new executive director of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, has been officially on the job for less than two weeks. But she says the museum already feels like home.
May is new to Kansas City; she has previously held roles at art museums in Massachusetts, Maine, Texas and New York. She touts her passion and energy for her work — but also her vision for how the museum can be a part of civic life for everyday Kansas Citians — as reasons why she is the right fit for the job.
"I think contemporary art is for everyone. And, I think that one of the things that museums can do most effectively, and really one of the primary missions for art museums, is to make sure that first, we create a very broad and open welcome to all of our guests," May told KCUR's Up To Date.
"The museum is free," she added. "That's an incredibly special and unusual fact about our city museum. But, it's also a place where you can come in and have a sort of single experience. I love a free museum because it means you can come in and you don't have to take on everything, you don't have to understand everything, you don't even have to appreciate everything. But you can come in and have a moment."
- Jessica May, executive director of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
