Poor Jerome. A talented young artist, he escapes high school with earnest dreams and Picasso posters only to founder on the rocks of a small East Coast art school.

So begins Art School Confidential, the withering comedy by writer Dan Clowes and director Terry Zwigoff. On Friday, June 8, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum will present a free outdoor screening of Art School Confidential as part of its summer Friday Nights at the Kemper series.

Based on a short story from Eightball, Clowes’ acclaimed comic book series, Art School Confidential offers an acerbic take on contemporary art education. Though Jerome’s dedication to craft and beauty place him at odds with classmates and faculty, his sincerity and boyish ambition attract the attentions of Audrey, a sophisticated artist’s model. But when Audrey’s attentions shift to Jonah, a hunky “art star,” Jerome concocts a risky scheme to win her back.

The screening begins at 10 p.m. in the museum’s eastern parking lot. Viewers are encouraged to bring their own seating. Rain location will be Steinberg Auditorium.

Preceding the screening, at 7 p.m., will be a gallery talk by Patricia Olynyk, the Florence and Frank Bush Professor in Art and director of the Graduate School of Art in the Sam Fox School of Visual Arts & Design. Olynyk will discuss the Sam Fox School’s 2012 MFA Thesis Exhibition, which remains on view through Aug. 6.

In addition, at 8:30 p.m., St. Louis band Scarlet Tanager will perform in the museum’s Florence Steinberg Weil Sculpture Plaza.

Friday Nights at the Kemper will continue Friday, July 6, with a screening of The Rape of Europa (2006); a performance by The Local Gents; and a gallery talk by assistant curator Karen K. Butler, in conjuction with Frederick Hartt and American Abstraction in the 1950s.

The series will conclude Friday, Aug. 10, with a screening of Pollock (2000); a performance by The Skekses; and a gallery talk by Allison Taylor, manager of education programs.

All events are free and open to the public. The Kemper Art Museum is located near the intersection of Skinker and Forsyth boulevards. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The museum is closed Tuesdays.

For more information, call (314) 935-4523 or visit kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu.