PLUG
PLUG is a curatorial collaboration by Kansas City artists who share the mission of bringing fresh perspectives and conversation to the local cultural community. As a volunteer-artist-run space, PLUG provides access to exhibition space, collaborative possibilities, and innovative programming for creatives. Our goal is to exhibit challenging new work, initiate critical dialogue, and connect Kansas City artists with an expanding national network of artist-run initiatives.
PLUG is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which allows for more financial freedom and flexibility. PLUG maintains its curatorial and collaborative spirit, now with each collaborator occupying a position on PLUG’s Board of Directors, and looks forward to a future that will build on PLUG’s illustrious past.
From 2011-2020, PLUG occupied a storefront gallery space in Kansas City’s historic West Bottoms district. There, PLUG exhibited works from national and local artists, facilitated programming such as Crit Nights, Spark Plugs, and unPLUGGED.
Due to the Covid-19 crisis and its impact on both art spaces and individual PLUG board members, PLUG left behind its West Bottoms gallery space and operated unattached from a physical location for a year. In 2021, PLUG became a tenant at the Agnes Arts Building, east of Kansas City’s downtown area.
PLUG remains committed to bringing new art and artists to the attention of Kansas City audiences, and sparking important conversations about contemporary art and its role as an agent for change in the world. With the number of artist-run spaces shrinking, we feel compelled to provide necessary outlets for the cultivation of creative work, independent of commercial consideration and free to the viewing public.
