Newcomer: MacKenzie Fulmer’s Kansas City of Awe and Observation

MacKenzie Fulmer standing proudly beside her stunning piece, Newcomer.

Riding the KC Streetcar past the Metro Center Northbound streetcar stop, commuters are greeted by Newcomer, the latest work from Kansas City artist MacKenzie Fulmer. Installed as part of the 2025 Art in the Loop program, the piece captures a moment many can relate to — the experience of arriving in a new place and the delicate balance between unfamiliarity and belonging.

When asked about the inspiration behind Newcomer, MacKenzie reflects on her own arrival in Kansas City. “I didn’t expect to stay here when I first arrived,” she admits. “It was a big city, but beautiful, clean, and friendly. It didn’t feel like a huge culture shift from South Carolina. I could still get a sweet tea at gas stations — those little comforts made all the difference.” After just one weekend, she knew Kansas City and the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) would be her new home for the next several years.

Fulmer’s artistic practice combines the detailed observation of a painter with the narrative sensibility of an illustrator. A recipient of the prestigious Norman Rockwell Scholarship from the Society of Illustrators, she brings storytelling to her still lifes, where objects take center stage. “Even when I’m painting from life, I’m thinking like an illustrator,” she explains. “There’s always a story. The objects are doing the talking.”

Newcomer embodies this approach by portraying the awe and quiet wonder of stepping into a new city — a moment both intimate and universal. “Objects absolutely have narrative,” she says. “They speak differently than people. The way you view a skull in a painting might trigger a memory, while someone else sees it through a completely different emotional lens. When you combine objects through color, texture, or contrast, a new story forms. It’s personal.”

Despite the stillness in her work, MacKenzie balances her creative life with active pursuits like boxing, which she credits with helping her channel energy and return to painting with clarity. This rhythm of movement and pause is echoed in Newcomer, a piece situated in the heart of a city constantly in motion.

When thinking about her journey, Fulmer admits it wasn’t easy imagining life away from Charleston, South Carolina. “As a kid, I never thought I’d live far from my family,” she says. “But once I got here, I realized I could build something — a new community, a new way of staying connected even at a distance. That surprised me.”

Persistence is key for Fulmer, who encourages fellow artists to keep putting themselves out there. “Rejection is a big part of being an artist. I’m proud I keep submitting. Newcomer is here because I didn’t stop.”

Looking ahead, Fulmer hopes to deepen her exploration of abstraction and surreal storytelling, but at the core, she remains focused on the emotional weight of objects and what they reveal about us. If her work ever became part of an immersive museum experience, she imagines a playful space full of wetlands scents, dinosaurs, and interactive elements — a place built on curiosity.

Asked how her childhood self would react to seeing Newcomer on a streetcar stop, MacKenzie smiles, “She’d be thrilled. This is what she always wanted — to make art, to live as an artist. And now I do.”

Here’s MacKenzie Fulmer, the brilliant artist behind Newcomer, caught in a joyful moment at the Art In The Loop kickoff party. Her passion for storytelling and everyday magic shines just as brightly as her art!

Bio:
MacKenzie Fulmer is a painter whose still lifes transform everyday objects into symbols of memory, attachment, and transformation. Blending detailed observation with intuitive storytelling, her work moves between realism and fantasy, inviting viewers to reconsider their relationships with familiar objects.

With a background in illustration, she has illustrated several children’s books and was awarded the Norman Rockwell Scholarship from the Society of Illustrators in 2018. Originally from South Carolina, she is now based in Kansas City, where she continues to explore the intersection of observation and imagination in her practice.

Instagram: @mackenzieillustration
Website: https://mackenzieillustration.com

Visit Newcomer

KC Streetcar Metro Center Northbound Stop, 12th & Main Street, Kansas City
On view through Art in the Loop 2025
Follow MacKenzie Fulmer and explore more of her work!