The Kemper Museum opened in 1994 in the Crossroads Arts District and has been a central institution in Kansas City's contemporary art scene ever since. Admission is free, which makes it unusually accessible for a museum of this quality. The permanent collection — strong on American art from the 1960s onwards, with significant works by Georgia O'Keeffe, David Smith, and Louise Bourgeois — is displayed in a light-filled building designed by Gunnar Birkerts.
The temporary exhibition program is ambitious and ranges widely. The Café Sebastienne on site, decorated with whimsical murals, is a genuinely good lunch spot and has won local recognition for its cooking in its own right. The museum is small enough to do thoroughly in two hours and plays well alongside a First Friday visit to the surrounding district.