KCAI Underground

KCAI Underground Visit the Art Store, Mail and Print Center in the KCAI Underground, the one stop shop for all things Submit online at kcai.edu/printcenter-orderform.

Visit the Art Store, Mail and Print Center in the KCAI Underground, the one stop shop for all things an art student might need. The Store carries a full line of art and design supplies as well as materials specifically requested by faculty for classes. In addition to its comprehensive selection of art materials, the Store sells an array of convenience items and other KCAI-specific merchandise. If

you need to send a letter or package, the store is also a full-service mail center with both USPS, UPS and FedEx services. The Print Center provides a variety of printing services and/or digital output.

Choose General’s to Make Your Point ✏️Our Summer Sale is on! 30% OFF General’s pencils and drawing tools — including cha...
05/29/2026

Choose General’s to Make Your Point ✏️

Our Summer Sale is on! 30% OFF General’s pencils and drawing tools — including charcoal, graphite, pastel pencils, sketch & wash, woodless graphite, carbon sketch, peel & sketch, and more.

These are the kinds of tools that quietly end up in every studio:
• charcoal that actually feels good on paper
• graphite that blends smoothly
• pastel pencils for controlled color work
• all-surface pencils that write on almost anything
• weird little specialty pencils you suddenly can’t live without

General’s has been making pencils for over six generations using sustained yield incense cedar and their signature carbo-weld bonding process, which helps keep cores strong and breakage low. In other words: fewer shattered pencils in your bag and less muttering under your breath while sharpening.

Summer Hours:
Monday–Friday
8:30 AM–5:00 PM

The Summer Sale is ON at The Underground ☀️🎨The art students are away, the parking is easy, and the store is stocked and...
05/28/2026

The Summer Sale is ON at The Underground ☀️🎨

The art students are away, the parking is easy, and the store is stocked and ready for your next project. Whether you need sketchbooks, paint, brushes, drafting tools, printmaking supplies, markers, gifts, or just an excuse to wander around an art supply store for a while, summer is honestly one of the best times to visit.

Our Summer Hours:
Monday–Friday
8:30 AM–5:00 PM

Come enjoy a quieter campus, easier access, and some great summer deals while they last.

The Underground at KCAI
4415 Warwick Blvd.
Kansas City, MO

The Underground is CLOSED for Memorial Day so our staff can recover from consuming irresponsible quantities of hot dogs....
05/25/2026

The Underground is CLOSED for Memorial Day so our staff can recover from consuming irresponsible quantities of hot dogs. 🌭🇺🇸

Please enjoy this chili dog embroidery by Jennifer Boe (2001, Painting).

We will reopen on Tuesday after sufficient hydration, naps, and antacid consumption.

Have a safe holiday weekend, everybody.

After much deliberation, we've come to the conclusion that TWO colors should share the spotlight as our next additions t...
05/15/2026

After much deliberation, we've come to the conclusion that TWO colors should share the spotlight as our next additions to our RISO palette options:

GREEN🟢 and Fluorescent ORANGE🟠!

These two colors were head-to-head the entire voting window, both incredibly valuable additions that would change the riso printing game. Many thanks to everyone who participated in the vote!

If you are graduating this Spring, do not worry about losing access to riso printing in the future-- the Print Center is open to everyone year round!

Whether you are an alum, friend of a student, friend of staff, passerby artist looking to make prints, you are welcome to send in orders anytime.

Summer hours will begin next week: Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm, reach out if you'd like to send some orders in!

📬 CALL FOR ENTRY 📬The Underground is excited to announce our 6th Annual Mail Art Exhibition!We are inviting all members ...
05/14/2026

📬 CALL FOR ENTRY 📬

The Underground is excited to announce our 6th Annual Mail Art Exhibition!

We are inviting all members of the KCAI community — students, staff, faculty, and alumni — to send us your weird, beautiful, funny, thoughtful, chaotic, experimental, heartfelt mail art creations.

Mail art is one of the most democratic and accessible art movements out there:
No jury.
No entry fee.
No censorship.
All work exhibited.

Originally connected to the Fluxus movement and Ray Johnson’s New York Correspondence School, mail art turns the postal system itself into part of the artwork. In many ways, it anticipated internet culture, memes, artist networks, and social media long before any of those things existed.

✨ EXHIBITION GUIDELINES ✨
• Maximum size: 6 inches high × 11.5 inches long
• Maximum thickness: 1/4 inch
• NO ENVELOPES — mail it naked as-is
• Any medium is welcome
• Please avoid hazardous or perishable materials

If you stay within those dimensions, your artwork should mail for about the cost of two Forever stamps.

📮 DEADLINE TO SUBMIT:
August 9th

📍 MAIL TO:
Kansas City Art Institute
The Underground
4415 Warwick Blvd.
Kansas City, MO 64111

All submitted mail art will be exhibited exactly as received, scanned and preserved digitally, and later added to the Jannes Library Artist Files archive.

The exhibition will run August 17th–September 27th, with a closing reception on September 27th from 1:00–4:00 PM in the Underground.

Honestly, this is one of our favorite projects every year. There is something wonderful about sorting KCAI's mail and finding tiny artworks from all over the place.

Now go make something strange and send it through the mail.

The Underground's setup is always evolving.We recently moved the POSCA display and the cooler together to create one ver...
05/11/2026

The Underground's setup is always evolving.

We recently moved the POSCA display and the cooler together to create one very important destination in the Underground:

✨ markers + hydration ✨

Honestly, it makes sense. POSCA markers have become a go-to tool across campus for illustration, design, painting, signage, customization, and just generally making cool stuff. And right beside them? Cold drinks for when your brain is overheating halfway through a project.

A small change, but one that makes the space flow a little better—and makes it a little easier to grab what you need and get back to work.

Also yes, the giant security mirrors above this area make it feel slightly like a futuristic convenience store from 1997, and we’re okay with that.

The end of the semester is here. Like… actually here.A few key dates to keep you on track:📸 Senior Headshots — Tuesday, ...
05/04/2026

The end of the semester is here. Like… actually here.

A few key dates to keep you on track:

📸 Senior Headshots — Tuesday, May 5
🎨 Art Pop — Thursday, May 7
🖼️ End-of-Semester Exhibitions — Friday–Sunday, May 8–10
📖 Sprung Formal Reading — Monday, May 11
📝 Final Grades Begin — Wednesday, May 13
📚 Last Day of Class — Friday, May 15
🎓 Commencement — Saturday, May 16

We're in the final stretch! This is the moment to finish strong, show the work, and follow through.

And when it’s all said and done…

our Final_Final_V2_Submitted SALE is running May 4–15 with 40% off nearly everything in the store.

Restock. Reset. Reward yourself.

You’ve almost got it.

Going old school might be the smartest move you make this finals season.For many of you, that means Art History.Flash ca...
04/30/2026

Going old school might be the smartest move you make this finals season.

For many of you, that means Art History.

Flash cards still work for a reason: the act of making them is part of the studying. Writing titles, artists, dates, movements, materials, and key ideas helps lock information into memory before you even start flipping through the deck.

And for Art History, try this: instead of pasting tiny photos, make quick sketches of the artworks yourself. You’ll notice composition, shapes, symbols, posture, color relationships, and details you might otherwise miss. Drawing helps you remember what you’re actually looking at.

We’ve got Oxford index cards ready when your brain needs a better system than scrolling notes.

Sometimes the low-tech solution is the high-performance solution.

If you only own one hand tool, make it this one.The Red Devil 6-in-1 Tool is the kind of classic, brutally useful object...
04/28/2026

If you only own one hand tool, make it this one.

The Red Devil 6-in-1 Tool is the kind of classic, brutally useful object that earns permanent drawer status. It scrapes, pries, opens, spreads, cleans, and solves problems with zero fuss.

Why everyone should have one:

✔️ Scrape paint, tape residue, glue, stickers, and mystery buildup
✔️ Open paint cans without mangling the lid
✔️ Spread spackle, patch holes, fill cracks
✔️ Remove nails, tacks, and staples
✔️ Clean rollers, trays, and messy surfaces
✔️ Pry, lift, wedge, and persuade stubborn objects

For artists, renters, DIY people, movers, set builders, and general problem-solvers, it’s one of those tools you don’t think about until the exact moment you need it.

And then you’re very glad you have one.

Available now in the Underground.

This retractable fabric tape measure from Clover is one of those small tools that makes a big difference. Soft, flexible...
04/25/2026

This retractable fabric tape measure from Clover is one of those small tools that makes a big difference. Soft, flexible, and easy to handle, it’s perfect for measuring fabric, bodies, patterns—whatever your project demands.

✔️ 60 in / 150 cm range
✔️ Smooth retractable pull (no tangles, no wrestling)
✔️ Compact + portable for studio or on-the-go fixes
✔️ Gentle on materials where rigid rulers just don’t cut it

Whether you’re in Fiber or not, this is a must-have in your toolkit.

Because “close enough” isn't always good enough.

Address

4415 Warwick Boulevard
Kansas City, MO
64111

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 7pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 7pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 7pm
Thursday 8:30am - 7pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+18168023349

Website

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