Karen E. Griffin (KE)

Kansas City native Karen E. Griffin (KE) is a self-taught historical and educational, visual, teaching, and performing artist who creates vibrant abstract works exploring themes of identity and urban landscapes. She is the Missouri Arts Honoree 2025 Individual Artist of the Year representing the state of Missouri and City of Kansas City. Her summary of work is influenced by her mother's entrepreneurial spirit and formative experiences with her seventh-grade art teacher, art classes the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kansas City and Hallmark Cards Inc.

Griffin's art reflects a unique perspective shaped by her Kansas City roots. She is an accredited Certified National and International Storyteller due to life encounters regarding her grandmother picking cotton and her mother measuring cotton in the garment district in Kansas City. She creates striking two-dimensional portraits that aim to empower viewers to embrace their unique identities as well as African based abstractions depicting cultural
and community narratives. She fuses high fashion with vibrant storytelling of African American heritage. Inspired by her connection to the diaspora, she uses African prints to meticulously render each image.