Best Student Show

Last June, when hundreds of fiber artists descended upon the Kansas City Art Institute campus for the Surface Design Association Conference, fiber students seized the opportunity to show their handiwork to such a dignified audience. For Student Curator Zac Johnson, selecting and hanging the works, collecting artists' statements and publicizing the show made for a real learning experience. "I learned that I won't do this again unless I get paid," he says. "It took a lot of time." But Johnson's effort -- and the skill evident in the work on display -- gave Tensions a fresh, well-put-together look that transformed the ramshackle KCAI student gallery into a destination more rewarding than some of the professional fiber shows held in conjunction with the conference.