Thursday, February 19, 2026
4:30–8:00 PM

The evening begins with a rare, behind-the-scenes look at Dr. and Mrs. Doug Cusick’s extraordinary collection of antique automatic musical instruments. Spanning 1825 to 1947, these self-playing wonders were created to entertain audiences in homes, hotels, restaurants, and carnivals.

 The collection includes delicate music boxes, Edison phonographs, player pianos, monumental pipe organs, and even self-playing violins. A standout highlight is a self-playing grand piano once owned by legendary Kansas City political figure Tom Pendergast. Meticulously restored, these instruments don’t simply perform—they astonish.

 From the Cusicks’ home, guests will move to the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art for a reception followed by an artist talk and self-guided viewing of Linda Lighton: Love & War, the first major retrospective of this pioneering artist.

 For more than five decades, Kansas City native Linda Lighton has created a bold and subversive body of ceramic sculpture exploring desire, power, and politics with wit, seduction, and defiance. Love & War traces the full arc of her influential career and is accompanied by a richly illustrated 208-page monograph published by Hirmer. The exhibition highlights Lighton’s boundary-pushing approach to ceramics and her unflinching engagement with gender inequality, gun violence, and environmental degradation—offering a vital Midwestern perspective on contemporary art and culture.

Evening Schedule

4:30 PM Exclusive visit to Dr. and Mrs. Doug Cusick’s private collection of antique automatic musical instruments

 5:45 PM Reception with drinks and heavy appetizers at Café Tempo, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art

 6:15 PM Artist talk by Linda Lighton

 6:45 PM Self-guided exploration of Linda Lighton: Love & War

 Tickets: $40 per person and limited to 70 guests. As always, tickets are nonrefundable; however, you may give or sell your ticket to a friend if your plans change

Locations

Dr. and Mrs. Doug Cusick
2701 W. 112th St.
Leawood, KS 66211

 The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art
12345 College Blvd
Overland Park, KS 66210