Exhibitions: Present, Future, Past

Here you’ll find what’s happening right now, what’s just around the corner, and ten years’ worth of shows that have made KCAC what it is today. Whether you’re here to see what’s fresh or to deep-dive into our archives, you’re in good company — we’re nerds for this stuff too.

This is what’s up right now — the art you can actually stand in front of, breathe in (respectfully), and get lost in. If you’re local, consider this your cue to grab a friend and swing by. If you’re browsing from afar, we’ve got plenty of eye candy to tide you over until you can make the trip.
Here’s your sneak peek into what’s coming next at KCAC. Think of it like looking over our shoulder while we hang the show — you’re in on the secret before the paint’s even dry. Mark your calendar now so you can be the person who says, “Oh, I saw that before it was cool.”
This is where we stash the receipts — the last ten of 50 years’ worth of artists, shows, and ideas that have rolled through our galleries. It’s proof of just how much creative energy has pulsed through KCAC. Feel free to dig deep… you never know which artist you’ll spot before they hit the big leagues.

The Annual Undergraduate Student Juried Exhibition is one of the most the most popular exhibitions at KCAC as it showcases young talent from across the region. The Exhibition is juried by a prominent local curator and offers cash awards to three students.

Current Exhibitions

Featured

Paul Acevedo Gomez

Melissa Wolf

Opening Reception: First Friday
September 5th, 2025, 5:00 – 8:00 PM

Paul Acevedo Gomez presents a mythological world of anthropic cacti and paper-skinned Pinatas in "No Pierdas El Tino”, and Melissa Wolf explores Identity and humanity in Hecho en Mexico/ Made in Mexico

Gomez’s work in "No Pierdas El Tino” embodies personal mythologies derived from heritage, challenging societal norms imposed by family values, cultural expectations, and religious influences, while incorporating elements of both Mexican and American pop culture. Language plays a dual role in his work, acting as both a barrier and an additive element. Often, it reflects his unique identity, aiming to translate his ideas and experiences for the viewer to engage with and contemplate. His pieces are always in a stage of transformation, offering multiple perspectives on encountering past, present and future situations. Always seeking to respond to the existential questions of who he is, where he is, and where he is going.

His work is expressed through various mediums, Gomez's compositions blend traditional techniques with contemporary elements including printmaking, paper works, sculpture, and drawing. Each of Gomez’s compositions feature a mix of vivid colors and black-and-white compositions, evoking somber and joyful moments with a sense of energy and movement. By working with a range of sizes and mediums, Gomez can recreate vivid memories and experiences that feel both intimate and ambitious.

Paul Acevedo Gomez is a Mexican American artist born and raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Gomez received his BFA in Mixed Media from California State University Stanislaus in 2018 and graduated from Louisiana State University with his Master of Fine Arts in 2022.

His work reflects his personal reflection of heritage, challenging the societal norms imposed by family values, the expectations of culture and religion, with influences of both Mexican and American pop culture. Gomez's drawings are highly detailed and realistic, often featuring a mix of traditional drawing techniques and contemporary elements. He is known for his use of vibrant colors and dynamic compositions, which give his work a sense of energy and movement.

“Hecho en México / Made in Mexico”

As political rhetoric grows increasingly militant toward immigrants, we are witnessing the dehumanization of people from a country that has always shared deep cultural, economic, and historical ties with the U.S. Although Mexico is a neighboring nation, and one whose people have built and sustained much of this country’s identity and labor, they are often treated with suspicion, contempt, and violence.

Hecho en México / Made in Mexico speaks to the beauty and vigor that come from a place so often misrepresented and misunderstood. From the skilled vaqueros who shaped cowboy culture and American agriculture, to the everyday builders and citizens of today, this exhibition invites viewers to reconsider what it means to be “made” in a place—how identity is formed, how it endures, and how it continues to evolve in the face of adversity.

Melissa Wolf is a Mexican-American woman whose creative process is influenced by her heritage and identity. Her sculptures challenge functionality, exploring what it means to transform objects beyond their original purpose. By creating nonfunctional relics or objects, she evokes a sense of longing and contemplation, prompting viewers to reflect on their own experiences of childhood and adulthood. She specializes in mixed media sculpture, often working with concrete as both a primary material and a surface treatment to prompt viewers to question what that looks like in their day to day life. She encases objects like stuffed animals in concrete, allowing them to solidify into new, redefined forms. Beyond cement, she incorporates clay, textiles, wood, and found materials, embracing an experimental approach to materiality. As a direct response to her Latino upbringing, through playfulness and self-reflection, she explores themes of memory and transformation, with childhood objects and toys serving as central motifs. Her work captures fleeting moments, preserving them as tangible, lasting artifacts.