Music
Offers exhibits about Kansas City Jazz, including a performance area. This museum is also next to the Negro Leagues National Museum, so it’s common for people to visit both. The museum offers virtual tours and activities, as well as classes and camps for students!
Kemper in Kansas City, MO has programs for youth and families, teens, and adults! Free camps in the summer for ages 6-12, Tots on Tuesdays, virtual playdates. For teens, there are movie nights and art career explorations, as well as a Teen Arts Council, teen exhibitions, and more. The museum gives tours to school groups and welcomes homeschoolers.
Thomas Hart Benton's life is present in both his home and his paintings, and both are preserved at Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site. A trip to the home and studio of the renowned painter, sculptor, lecturer and writer offers a glimpse into how the talented Benton lived and worked. Benton converted half of the carriage house into his art studio, which remains as he left it. Visitors can still see coffee cans full of paintbrushes, numerous paints, and a stretched canvas waiting to be transformed into another of his masterpieces. Thomas Hart Benton died in his studio in 1975.
Leila’s Hair Museum is a unique museum that displays antique hair art collections. It has a gallery that displays all kinds of hair wreaths collected across decades, centuries and eras to preserve the art. Leila Cohoon founded the Hair Museum in 1986 when she opened its first location. However, the idea of antique hair art collection dates back to 1956 when she discovered a gold frame (6” x 6”) with a small wreath of human hair at an antique dealer she visited.
Theater
The Puppetry Arts Institute in Independence, MO is a creative and educational center dedicated to the art of puppetry, offering classes, shows, puppetry opportunities and more.
Paul Mesner Puppets is a fantastic KC puppetry group that not only presents shows, but also teaches puppetry classes, collaborates with professionals and schools, and has an 8-episode socio-emotional video series with activities!
StoneLion Puppet Theatre in Kansas City is a professional not-for-profit theater company dedicated to expanding the horizons of the young and young-at-heart through the art of puppetry in an interdisciplinary community of ethnic and cultural diversity. SLP offers volunteer opportunities and apprenticeships, produces beautiful shows, gives workshops, and more.
"TYA holds these values as central to our mission: beginning a child’s lifelong relationship with theatre; accessibility; inclusiveness to all populations; development of curriculum based productions, outreach programs; workshops; enrichment of the spirit, body, and mind in every individual" TYA offers fantastic classes, camps, and productions that homeschool-friendly!
"The Coterie is a non-profit organization, established in 1979, with the mission of providing professional classic and contemporary theatre which challenges audience and artist and provides educational, dramatic outreach programs in the community. We seek to open lines of communication between races, genders, and generations by redefining children’s theatre to include families and diverse audiences." The theater offer amazing classes, camps, writing opportunities, comedy workshops, and of course, theater productions!
Dance
Kansas City Ballet
The Puppetry Arts Institute in Independence, MO is a creative and educational center dedicated to the art of puppetry, offering classes, shows, puppetry opportunities and more.
City in Motion
Paul Mesner Puppets is a fantastic KC puppetry group that not only presents shows, but also teaches puppetry classes, collaborates with professionals and schools, and has an 8-episode socio-emotional video series with activities!
Stone Lion Puppets
StoneLion Puppet Theatre in Kansas City is a professional not-for-profit theater company dedicated to expanding the horizons of the young and young-at-heart through the art of puppetry in an interdisciplinary community of ethnic and cultural diversity. SLP offers volunteer opportunities and apprenticeships, produces beautiful shows, gives workshops, and more.
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Nelson has teen programs, including a free Summer Dance, parties, and an art council, a guide program for teens, photography scholar program. The museum has an educator program with tours for school groups, and many art classes for kids, teens and adults.