KAF’s Visual Arts program saw incredible growth and landmark exhibitions in 2025 across its six galleries and 34 public murals, with an emphasis on artist care, radical welcoming, professional development, community engagement, and regional impact.  The Walls Off Washington added new commissions including a mural by Dominic Chambers in partnership with Saint Louis University and St. Louis Literary Award exploring the underground railroad in St. Louis; a mural expansion by internationally renowned artist Kenny Scharf at The Sovereign and adjacent facades; and a new mural by Brock Seals in the courtyard at The Key.  In conjunction with the 2025 MATI Festival & Conference in September, KAF opened the new Legends’ Gallery with the landmark exhibition “Roll Call: Most of My Heroes Don’t Appear on No Stamps” ...

St. Louis Public Radio’s St. Louis on the Air recently featured the landmark exhibition, ‘To STL With Love’ - Celebrating Hip Hop Culture in St. Louis,” on the show with an interview with curator and St. Louis native Kris Blackmon. Produced by Blackmon in collaboration with KAF, this thorough, multidisciplinary exhibition documents, celebrates, and uplifts the artists, venues, media, and cultural moments that have shaped the St. Louis hip-hop scene over the past several decades. It runs through January 2026 at Sophie’s Artist Lounge.  “Hip-hop is more than music—it is a cultural force that has shaped generations through dance, fashion, art, and community activism. St. Louis has a rich and underrepresented history in hip-hop that extends beyond the mainstream success of national artists,” says Blackmon. From ...

This is the final week to catch Cave of Bones, the exciting exhibition by Kranzberg Arts Foundation Resident Artist José Garza presented at The Kranzberg Gallery. Cave of Bones is a powerful commentary on the current state of failed societal promises. The work observes warlords and emperors exploiting a “once promised dream,’ where every victory is ultimately a deception. Drawing inspiration from the exhibition’s title, the pieces suggest a path forward through collective action: the refusal to comply will ultimately ignite a spark, leading the way out of darkness and toward a new future. This challenging, socially engaged work—featuring photography, video, sculpture, and drawing—is the culmination of Garza's residency with the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. Garza is a St. Louis-based multimedia artist and educator whose socially engaged ...

As The Wiz makes its return to the Fabulous Fox, Legends’ Gallery presents a joint pop-up exhibition with a co-producer of the national tour honoring this timeless classic story. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published as a children’s story in 1900, L. Frank Baum gave us Oz and Dorothy's journey to, through, and from Oz as a reflection of America at the turn of the century. The idea for The Wiz came in the early 1970s from Ken Harper, an Army veteran who was a DJ and the public affairs director at an NYC radio station. In an America coming out of the Civil Rights Movement and amidst the Vietnam War, Harper chose Oz and Dorothy's journey as a vehicle to amplify and ...

With the days growing ever shorter, The Walls Off Washington and The Market at The Walls Off Washington are changing to winter hours, open Wednesday through Saturday from noon until 5 p.m. at 3333 Washington Avenue in the Grand Center Arts District. The holiday season is a magical time to experience the incredible murals of The Walls with family and friends—especially those visiting from out of town.  Experience over 33 thought-provoking murals by renowned local, national, and international artists painted on (and off) walls between Josephine Baker Blvd. to N. Leonard Ave. and Locust St. to Sam Shepard Blvd. The Walls recently added two new murals by renowned artists Kenny Scharf and Brock Seals. Stop by The Market and pick up a self-guided tour map ...

Stepping into The Key Burger Bar & Boogie, patrons are greeted by a dynamic illustrated universe created by St. Louis based Cuban artists splashed across the walls, but the story doesn’t end there. Displayed on the side of the building at Olive and Compton, and the interior walls of The Boogie, revived and reframed tifos from St. Louis City SC’s inaugural season act as Polaroid portraits of players in action, expanding the definition of what constitutes civic art.  Inside the elevated Gallery Lounge, historic photographs honor seminal St. Louis performers, including Josephine Baker, Katherine Dunham, Tina Turner, and Dan Coleman, whose choreography and teaching shaped generations. These works serve as the opening chapter of the visual narrative, situating the venue within a continuum of movement-based ...

Join St. Louis filmmaker and Kranzberg Artist in Residence David Kirkman for a special artist reception and screening of episodes 1 and 2 of his series, “GONZO,”  a coming-of-age story set in 2005 following a college student who invents a groundbreaking algorithm that could reshape the world. As his creation threatens powerful industries in this high-stakes drama, the price of innovation is steep, and the fight to protect it even steeper. The first two episodes, starring Jordan Walker and Shawn Roundtree, Jr., will be playing on a loop in the gallery.   “I wanted to make GONZO because when I learned that Black people only make up four percent of the entire tech industry, I couldn’t stop thinking about what it means to create something world-changing ...

This is the final week to experience the landmark art exhibition featuring original fine art by Chuck D inspired by his heroes, legends and peers that serves as a visual deep dive into society and culture. Known worldwide as the founder of Public Enemy, Chuck D ignited a movement with his politically charged lyrics and remains one of the most influential figures in contemporary music.  Presented by KAF and XYION with Soul Kitchen and curated by Lorrie Boula and St. Louis native Adrian Miller, ‘Roll Call: Most of My Heroes Don’t Appear on No Stamps’ includes standout pieces such as a pair of diptychs: “Black Legends,” which features portraits of Harry Belafonte and Nina Simone presented in mixed media, and “Public Enemy Number One,” featuring ...

Get ready to have an artful day this Saturday, November 1, starting with an inspiring Artist Talk with  Kranzberg Arts Foundation Resident Artist José Garza from 11 a.m. to noon at The Kranzberg Gallery. Garza will discuss the inspiration for his exhibition Cave of Bones, a powerful commentary on the current state of failed societal promises. The work observes warlords and emperors exploiting a “once promised dream,’ where every victory is ultimately a deception.   Drawing inspiration from the exhibition’s title, the pieces suggest a path forward through collective action: the refusal to comply will ultimately ignite a spark, leading the way out of darkness and toward a new future. This challenging, socially engaged work—featuring photography, video, sculpture, and drawing—is the culmination of Garza's residency with the ...

Stepping into the latest KAF venue, The Key Burger Bar & Boogie, patrons are greeted by larger-than-life characters seemingly jumping off the walls, alongside illustrations of some familiar neighborhood spaces. The art welcomes you in, inviting you to sit with it and look closer.  This illustrated universe, which also appears on the venue’s new website, is the work of a group of St. Louis-based Cuban designers and Illustrators, Raul Valdés (a.k.a. Raupa), Nelson Ponce, Juan Carlos Polo (from Havana)  and Carlos Zamora from Cartel Design. Valdés and Ponce were working at Cartel as artists in residence from Havana when the project began. “We went to see the place and then they felt that the space had the same feeling as a venue in Cuba called the ...