KANSAS CITY, MO.- Two Kansas City artists who serve as curators for Electromediascope, a survey of contemporary film and new media, have been recognized by KC FilmFest for their pioneering efforts to promote appreciation for experimental work in film. Electromediascope began in 1993 and continues at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Patrick Clancy and Gwen Widmer were honored with the “Outstanding Service to the KC Film Community Award” at the KC FilmFest closing night awards celebration on April 26.

Electromediascope is an international survey of contemporary work in experimental film, video, new media and performance art. The Museum’s Atkins Auditorium is the venue for the series, now offered in fall and winter. It has been credited with helping to develop an audience in the Kansas City area for contemporary works in film. Electromediascope created fertile ground that helped nurture the former KC Jubilee, a film festival for local and regional filmmakers that became an international event and recently merged with FilmFest KC to form the new KC FilmFest.

Clancy, an artist working with photography and new media, is chair of the Department of Photography and Digital Filmmaking at the Kansas City Art Institute. Widmer is a visual artist based in Kansas City and a part-time adjunct faculty member at KCAI where she has taught in various departments including The Foundation Year, Design, Painting and Drawing, Photography and New Media.

At the Nelson-Atkins they work with Jan Schall, the Sanders Sosland Curator, Modern & Contemporary Art, and Leesa Fanning, Associate Curator, Modern & Contemporary Art. The Museum provides design, technical, organizational and marketing assistance for programs and offers free admission to the series.

“We are appreciative that the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art recognizes the significance of film, video and new media and the increasingly important role these media play in contemporary art,” said Clancy and Widmer. “Electromediascope is one of the oldest, continuously running venues for screening film and video in the United States.”