Marc Wilson, director of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, unrolls an artwork that will be included in the Senses

A new exhibit at Kansas City’s premier art museum has strong ties to Kansas University.

Ten art history graduate students at KU helped to curate the new “Senses and Sensibilities” exhibit at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo. The artwork goes on display Thursday and runs through Aug. 24.

“Senses and Sensibilities” will be a rotating exhibit of 24 works by 23 Chinese artists. The pieces focus on how the artists portray sensory images in their works, which were created between the Tang Dynasty of the eighth century and the Qing Dynasty of the 18th century.

The pieces include ink or color works on paper or silk.

The student-curators were in a seminar taught by Marsha Haufler, an art professor at KU.

They met once a week during the fall at the Nelson-Atkins with Marc Wilson, the museum’s director, who also helped curate the show. The students were involved in the entire process, including identifying themes, selecting works, creating object labels and overseeing the installation.

“Having firsthand access to so many major masterpieces is a rare opportunity for the students,” Haufler says.