About
Lou Jane Temple christened this gallery Union Terminal in 2018. Michael McDonald accepted its’ curatorship in 2021. Their gift to Kansas City drops this Spring of 2021. They thank Tom and Bryan Smith for resurrecting such an iconic piece of Kansas City scape.
Folks
Dr. Michael McDonald – Curator & Executive Director
Dr. Michael McDonald is one of Kansas City’s most cherished sons. Younger generations know him as Professor McDonald. Older generations remember him as “Frank’s oldest” - the kid riding up and down the “glass elevator” while his dad entertained The Who’s who of Kansas City at the top of the alameda.
He recounts stories of his parents’ parties. “Everyone who was anyone in KC came to their parties - didn’t matter whether you were black/white gay/straight. My parents were a glamorous couple and everyone truly got along back then”.
Dr. McDonald started out his career as a teacher. He spent twenty-one years as a professor at Rockhurst University. “Another twelve at UMKC and I was happy to pass on the torch”.
Having retired from academic life at the top of his career (he was Chair of the Communications Department and interim director of Black Studies at UMKC), Dr. McDonald is having the time of his life outside the “rigidity of academia”.
What colors his aesthetic is as much a culmination of homegrown Kansas City roots - his father, the well known Jazz Musician, his mother the dialed-in social worker–as it is a well-healed son’s world travels and forty years as a university professor. Talking to Dr. McDonald is like talking to a generation of Kansas City past who smiles down warmly greeting anyone he meets “Hey kid”.
In terms of art? He doesn’t discriminate. Art, to him, is “visceral and cerebral”. He loves and appreciates all genres of art from contemporary to mid-century. He counsels seasoned collectors and those new alike, “it could be the mapplethorpe exhibit, if you love it, enjoy it, if you don’t, just walk away”.
Matthew Rice - Assistant Director, Food & Beverage
Francis eshiemomoh - Assistant/Special Projects
Born in Edo, Nigeria, he became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. in 2016. He’s been with the company since 2017.
Jerome Williams - Hospitality Evangelist
A Chicago Native, Jerome has been with the company since 2021
Jacob Ward – Social Media
Jacob is a junior in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, pursuing a BMA in Performance with a Minor in Performing Arts Management and Entrepreneurship. Additionally, he is the current Digital Fashion Editor of SHEI Magazine, the official arts, fashion and culture publication at U-M. He is the founder of SCARBO.DIGITAL, an all-encompassing digital arts platform based in Ann Arbor.