Wayne White

In Spring 2026, the KMA will present a solo exhibition by the Chattanooga-born provocateur Wayne White – a multi-faceted artist, designer, and musician who has charted a kaleidoscopic path through multiple frontiers of art and culture. From Emmy award-winning work as Art Director for Pee Wee’s Playhouse and orchestrating pioneering music videos by acts like Peter Gabriel and The Smashing Pumpkins, to crafting illustrations for The New York Times and singing lead in the art band Username Password, White defies convention to revel in the fray of pop culture. He has also been the subject of the epic 2009 monograph Maybe Now I’ll Get the Respect I so Richly Deserve and an eclectic 2012 documentary titled Beauty is Embarrassing, but the breadth of his work still feels under-appreciated. At the KMA, in concert with a wall painting and a wide-ranging survey of his canvases, drawings and sculpture, White will create a newly commissioned, room-sized kinetic puppet inspired by his memories of the South. This show will be a magnet for collaborators, and will open in conjunction with the Big Ears Festival in 2026 – furnishing a marquee platform for White to unleash an especially unique rendition of his idiosyncratic enterprise.