Best Underappreciated Art Venue

For Kansas City residents, the Spencer Museum is a bit of a trek. Aside from that, we can't figure out why this venue's exhibition schedules aren't magnetically attached to area refrigerators, like all those Kemper and Nelson calendars. With exhibits ranging from a Polaroid show compiled from the official Kodak collection to a display of ornate, handmade books from an amazing printing press in Cuba, the Spencer has brought in some of the country's most compelling traveling shows in the past year. Curators there also have put on original exhibitions -- Print Collection Curator Steve Goddard deserves special credit for the World War II exhibit that coincided with the dedication of the Bob Dole building. Goddard not only dusted off many of the beloved Varga Girls in the museum's vault for the occasion but also showed a variety of World War II-era popular art, both pro- and anti-war. In addition to great art displays, the museum offers film screenings and the occasional musical performance. And the bookstore is one of the best places around for picking up such Varga paraphernalia as pinup-girl coffee mugs.