MEET OUR LEGACY ARTISTS

Jim Leedy is an international artist in terms of his interests and achievements. He is an artist who crosses boundaries between materials and genres, representation and abstraction, art and music, creativity, and scholarship. His diverse and unique talents have led him to a lifetime of accomplishment in clay, painting, public art, works-on-paper, prints, assemblages, installations, and performance.

Jason Pollen is an internationally acclaimed artist, designer and educator. He has been on the faculty at the Royal College of Art in London, Parsons and Pratt in New York City and Professor and Fiber Chair at the Kansas City Art Institute. He is Professor emeritus at KCAI,  President emeritus of the Surface Design Association and is an American Craft Council Fellow. His work is in numerous prominent private national and international collections.

Lester Goldman was a vital force in Kansas City’s art world, renowned for his ability to push the boundaries of artistic expression. His work, ranging from realist paintings to abstract installations and performances, reflected his ever-evolving artistic vision. As a professor at the Kansas City Art Institute, Goldman’s passion for teaching and nurturing creativity left an indelible mark on countless students, further solidifying his place as one of the region’s most influential artists.

Sonié Joi Thompson-Ruffin (born 1951 in Joplin, Missouri) is a renowned contemporary fabric artist, designer, author, lecturer, and curator whose work explores themes of human rights, race, and gender through African textile motifs and symbolism. Her quilts have been exhibited worldwide, including at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery, the White House Rotunda, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. A founding member of the African American Artists Collective, Sonié has received numerous accolades, including the Kansas Governor’s Choice Artist award and recognition as a two-time finalist for Women to Watch at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

Richard Mattsson, born in 1935 in Minneapolis, is an artist known for his intuitive, meditative approach to painting. After studying at the Minneapolis School of Art and serving in the U.S. Army in Japan, he transitioned in the 1980s from abstract work to painting from direct observation, focusing on the ever-changing landscape. His process celebrates spontaneity, color, and composition, drawing inspiration from both external and internal experiences. Over his career, Mattsson has exhibited widely, with his paintings held in several public and private collections, and has influenced generations of artists as a professor at the Kansas City Art Institute.