Your Ultimate Guide to the Kemper Gala

The air is getting crisp, the leaves are starting to turn, and excitement is in the air because the best party of the season is just around the corner.

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art is known for many things: incredible art exhibits from talent all over the world, sculpture that has become a symbol for the city, cutting edge dining at Café Sebastienne, and much more– but it may be fair to venture that above all, their most highly anticipated programming each year is the Kemper Gala.

The gala is a true party: no speeches, no auctions, no raffles just a long and luxurious night of excellent eats and expertly crafted drinks strong enough to get anyone on the dance floor. Oh, and of course: the outfits. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet…

This year is Kemper Museum’s silver anniversary. In celebration of 25 years of bringing art lovers together in Kansas City, the gala has an out-of-this-world theme: Intergalatic Voyage, a blast through futures past. This year’s theme is inspired by space, the future as it was imagined in the 1990s, and the spirit of the voyage There will be no shortage of delights lighting up the night: a rocket ship DJ booth, an outer space speakeasy, dining options from Chef Rick Mullins that have been blasted to space (think Kung Pao chicken, which was famously sent to astronauts in 2003), Tom’s Town craft cocktails inspired by the light and color journey of this year’s theme, and as always, André’s chocolates, which have been a staple at the event for nearly a decade.

But if you know one thing about this party, it’s that we’re all here for the looks: this year, think shimmering silver meets outer space meets 90’s throwback, with a splash of Y2K. Local stylist Amy Dreyer teamed up with models Mara Olney, Jennifer Lapka Pfeifer and McClain Bryant and put together some fabulous looks shot by photographer Kenny Johnson for your inspiration.

This creative team even put together makeup tutorials in partnership with WELWYTHN to help you complete your look. If you need even more ideas, just head to the Kemper Gala Pinterest board for a plethora of holographic haute couture.

Keep an eye out for the Explore editorial team at the party- we hope to see you there, dressed up in your blinged-out intergalactic best!

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