Ben Mercer- A Retrospective Exhibition

June 1 – September 1, 2018

Grand Opening:  Friday June 8, 2018

6pm – 8pm

Now on display at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center & Museum is a collection of mixed media paintings and historic Kansas City photographs by local artist and photographer, Ben E. Mercer.

Ben Mercer graduated from Lincoln University with a BS in Education and a Minor in Biology.  He received his Master’s in Adult Education from the University of Missouri- Kansas City.  Not before developing and improving his skills in photography.

Mr. Mercer went to work for the Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreations Department from where he retired.  The photography skills he achieved while in college still supply the foundation for his works today.

By taking photographs, Mr. Mercer is able to freeze time and capture the full essence of the minute for drawing at a later time.  Being a true perfectionist, his works are complete in his head before he presses the shutter on his camera or puts the pen to paper.  His style is distinctive because of his obsession with detail and exactness.

In the December 1993 issue of the Artist Magazine, Ben Mercer received the honor as one of the top 200 portrait artists out of 11, 500 artists.

Also on display at the Center in the lower level gallery spaces are works by Endia Lasker and Eboni Feaster.