The Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art will reveal two new exhibitions from 4 to 7 p.m. today: One from a large group of Midwestern artists and another from a rural Kansas painter.

The Midwest Paint Group's "Works From Perception" features pieces from 10 different artists mainly from Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Six of the members studied at the Kansas City Art Institute, including Bob Brock, William Foust and Jeremy Long.

Each painting in the exhibition is a different interpretation of an everyday real-life scene, such as a view of a modern-day street, a portrait of a woman listening to headphones or an abstract painting of a huddled group of people.

"There are several really neat things to look at," says Terry Oldham, director of the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art. "It's fascinating how different 10 artists create art."

Emotive and expressive abstractions are at the core of the group's images, but some are more "realistic" than others. The works are largely oil-based, but there are some acrylics and pastels, too. Oldham says there's something for everyone.

"There's no common theme, no common format, no common color format. It's really just a giant soup bowl of work," he says.

Judith Mackey's "Prairie Soul" also will open today. Mackey is a self-taught artist who resides in Cottonwood Falls, Kan. (about halfway between Topeka and Wichita) and her work is inspired by the prairies that surround her home.

"A lot of the work that's in the show was done from my front door or the back door," Mackey laughs. "That's what I see in the morning and that's what I come home to."

Oldham says Mackey's work stands out because she captures the vastness of the Kansas prairies. Others have been impressed by the stark color contrast of some of her oil paintings. Either way, Mackey says she feels she has an advantage over other artists who have painted landscapes of the prairie because she knows the land intimately.

"Sometimes, I go to the same spot four or five times a day - you'll see that many different scenes," Mackey says. "I like the openness and the walk. I like the smells and the flowers. It's wonderful out on the prairie."

Both exhibitions will run through Nov. 7. For more information, visit www.albrecht-kemper.org or call the museum at 233-7003.