Classical For Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and Classical KC have joined forces to create a multi-sensory experience when viewing artwork in the museum's permanent collection. Take a listen!

Gilda Snowden’s 'Imaginary Landscape' // 'Starburst' by Jessie Montgomery

Gilda Snowden's Imaginary Landscape
E. G. Schempf, 2017.
/
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
Gilda Snowden (American, 1954-2014), Imaginary Landscape, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 60 inches, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri, Gift of the Gilda Snowden Estate, 2018.03.01. © Gilda Snowden Estate, Detroit, MI.

Have you ever come up with made up worlds? Immersed yourself in the creations of your imagination? What have you found there? Gilda Snowden’s “Imaginary Landscape” beckons us to revisit a sense of optimisim and wonder that often gets lost in our day- to-day lives. When looking at the brightly colored shapes and lines in this painting, what world can you create in your mind?

Jessie Montgomery created a new musical world with her piece “Starburst.” Inspired by the astronomical phenomenon of the same name, she creates a “multidimensional soundscape” through rapidly changing ideas. Plucked strings are contrasted with lush moments of unison before bright harmonics join in. Can you imagine a new galaxy being formed with the ingredients presented in this piece? How do each of these musical elements correspond to the different colors and shapes of Snowden’s painting?

Want to explore more music inspired by art from 'Beyond Ninth Street: Legacies of Women in Abstraction?' Listen to our Spotify playlist for full pieces.

Find more information about 'Beyond Ninth Street: Legacies of Women in Abstraction' on the Kemper's website.

You can find out more about Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art at kemperart.org.

View the full Kemper Museum Permanent Collection here.