60-Second Scoop with the Associate Curator of Photography at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

April Watson is associate curator of photography at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, recognized as one of the nation’s finest art museums with 34,500+ works from antiquity to the present.

When it comes to art, what’s Kansas City’s best-kept secret?

ArtSounds is a highly inventive, extremely entertaining collaborative endeavor that engages the talents of visual artists, musicians, composers and poets of all sorts from the faculty and students at the Kansas City Art Institute and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, among others. I've also really enjoyed events sponsored by the Charlotte Street Foundation at La Esquina—it’s a terrific space and a fantastic organization.

What’s your insider tip for art-lovers visiting Kansas City?

I'd send them to the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, the H & R Block Artspace and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, as each of them offer differing perspectives and have some very smart, energetic directors and curators running the show. I'd also suggest they check out the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, which is not far away if they’re up for a drive. There’s always a host of interesting speakers as part of these museums' programs, and both UMKC and the Kansas City Art Institute host a regular series of artist and critics lectures, so I would encourage people to seek them out.

What do you love best about Kansas City?

As a curator married to an artist, with two small children, I love the fact that Kansas City is an affordable, livable city with an incredible wealth of opportunities for creative minds. You don't have to suffer for your art, which to me is extremely liberating and serves to enrich the entire community.

If you had visitors for one day and could only show them three places, where would you go?

Well, I would have them take their pick of the art museums, so that's easy. For a quiet, meditative moment, I would schedule a stop in the the Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden in Legacy Park, a beautiful little oasis across the street from the Kauffman Foundation. At night, if it's a First Friday, there's no question I'd head downtown, being sure to stop into the new Dolphin gallery in the West Bottoms. It's an incredible space that rivals anything you'd find in New York City’s Chelsea district, directed by the incomparable John O'Brien and run by a great group of smart, sensitive folks.