Museum Leadership

Message from the Executive Director

Please allow me to begin by describing a commonly held thought: when asked to look back at 2021, many of us may be tempted to respond, “Do I have to?” I know there were challenges, however I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, and celebrate all of the groundbreaking artwork, thought provoking programs, inspiring experiences, and delicious meals shared with you at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in 2021.

With your generous support, 2021 saw the largest media art exhibition in the museum’s history and the most ambitious collaborative curatorial project to date. You created art, danced, meditated, learned, laughed, and exchanged ideas through creative public programming.

We continued to prioritize and build on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging (DEAIB) efforts, engaging external experts to evaluate and conduct training with our staff, board and volunteers, as well as establishing an ongoing DEAIB coordinator staff position and advisory group to continue to set priorities and ensure these efforts are advanced at all levels of the institution. This work bolsters the museum’s abilities to serve the widest public audience and reach more people in Kansas City.

I am bolstered and energized by the forward momentum propelling us into a better future. As I write this in Spring 2022, I am encouraged to see attendance numbers bouncing back, some of your favorite programs returning to the galleries, and foodies eating in Café Sebastienne. I remain inspired by the creativity and flexibility in the face of setbacks and curveballs, the continued commitment of my colleagues and community to tackling injustice in our institutions, and the power of contemporary art and ideas to connect and sustain us.

Now, with your input we are charting an optimistic path forward. In 2021, we completed the 2017 five-year plan and initiated a new strategic planning process that will position the museum to seize exciting opportunities and respond to urgent needs in the coming years, and beyond. I look forward to sharing progress with you in the coming months.

In the meantime, I want to reiterate a sincere THANK YOU to every member, artist, donor, volunteer, and visitor who supported inspiring experiences with contemporary art in 2021. Your generosity and dedication make all this possible.

Thank you and Mahalo,

Sean Hoàng O'Harrow, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

Message from the Board Chair

I am filled with gratitude as I reflect on the past year at Kemper Museum. Thanks to your support in 2021, visitors enjoyed nine groundbreaking exhibitions and more than 70 public programs that connected them with artists, community leaders, scholars, dancers, musicians, and more from our local area and all over the world. Through your patronage, you played an important role in ensuring people have access to world-class exhibitions of contemporary art and programs for all ages and abilities—all free of charge—online and in person.

I hope you will take some time to explore this Year in Review annual report and learn more about the incredible breadth of activities that you made possible this year.

In 2021, Kemper Museum initiated a feasibility study for the museum’s first ever capital campaign (Thank you to those of you who have participated!), and received a great deal of encouraging feedback from more than 600 community members. I am energized and inspired by the possibilities that the initiative will create for the Kansas City community, and we look forward to sharing our plans with you in the coming months.

Until then, I remain grateful for the artists whose work filled our galleries; the programming partners whose ideas and talents enlivened the museum; the staff and volunteers whose hard work and creativity got us through another pandemic year; and for every one of you who supported the museum, made art, became a member, played trivia, toured exhibitions, read the ARTinerary, danced at the gala, ate at Café Sebastienne, and visited the galleries in 2021.

Thank you for being a part of our community.

Mary Kemper Wolf
Chair, Board of Trustees
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

New Leadership Staff

Lily Carpio

Director of Finance and Operations

In 2021, Lily Carpio joined the Kemper Museum senior leadership team as director of finance and operations with more than 20 years of experience in financial management across a variety of industries in the Kansas City area. She has served organizations including Xact Data Discovery, Inc., Grantham University, Specialty Fertilizer Products, and Kansas City Young Audiences.

“I look forward to bringing my experience to a non-profit organization that provides a free cultural resource and working with a team that is passionate about the work they do,” said Carpio in the announcement of her appointment. “As someone who grew up in New York, I have a great appreciation for the role of museums in a city. I value that Kemper Museum attracts exhibitions and programming by artists who are engaging and diverse and who speak to today's most relevant issues."

In her role, Carpio develops the museum’s financial management strategy and oversees, coordinates, and manages the administrative, operational, and revenue generating mechanisms of the museum. Working collaboratively with senior managers, Carpio carries out the executive director’s vision and institutes the governance policies and objectives of the Board of Trustees.

Carpio serves as a volunteer for the El Centro IRS tax assistance program as well as a volunteer Spanish translator for the Public Law Center in Orange County, CA. She maintains an active license as a Certified Public Accountant, and earned a B.S. in industrial engineering from Columbia University in New York, as well as an M.B.A. in finance from Columbia Business School in New York.

“Lily brings a tremendous breadth and depth of experience to the Kemper Museum,” said Sean O’Harrow, Kemper Museum’s executive director. “From her long history of strategic financial management, to her education in engineering and her volunteer service as a translator, we are fortunate to add her talent and expertise to our team.”

We express our sincere gratitude to Kathy Surber Smith who retired after serving for eight years as director of finance and operations.

Kreshaun McKinney

Director of Learning and Engagement

In 2021, Kreshaun McKinney joined Kemper Museum’s senior leadership team as director of learning and engagement 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 joined the museum’s senior management team in September 2021, and leads 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 works 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 in the announcement of McKinney’s appointment. “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.

See a full list of Kemper Museum 2021 Staff