Jill Downen Included in "Outside : Inside" at The Museum of Kansas City

Jill Downen working in their studio.

We are thrilled to share that Jill Downen is included in Outside: Inside at The Museum of Kansas City. Curated by art collector and patron Dwight Smith and organized in collaboration with the Smith Family Foundation, the exhibition brings together contemporary sculpture by seven Kansas City–based artists.

Working across site-responsive installation, sculpture, and drawing, Downen investigates the relationship between the human body and architecture. A lightning strike to their family home during their formative years heightened their awareness of the body, built space, and temporality—concerns that continue to shape their practice. Through materials including concrete, plaster, wood, metal, gold leaf, and lapis lazuli, Downen creates spatial encounters that engage perception and the physical experience of place.