Message from the Director

Welcome to 2023 and 99 years of art at the Mulvane Art Museum. There is much going on behind the scenes as we prepare for 2024 and our centennial celebration and I hope you will stay tuned to this space as we roll out plans for next year.

We were sad to say goodbye to Jonathan Matteson, Education Curator, who left to pursue other opportunities. His departure means that public hours for the Art Lab are canceled until a replacement for him has been found. That being said, the galleries and Art Lab will be closing for renovations on March 18, 2023 when work is scheduled to begin on the replacement of outdated HVAC and mechanical systems. These changes will ensure the safety and preservation of the our collections for the next 100 years. The work is anticipated to take 10 to 12 months, but when we reopen in 2024, we will be stronger than ever and ready to begin a new journey that anticipates the 21st century and the next 100 years.

Although the main galleries and the Art Lab will be closed to the public during this time, the Rita Blitt Gallery will remain open and we will be presenting exhibitions and programs there. Also, be on the lookout for popup exhibitions and programs across campus and in unexpected locations. Stay tuned to our newsletter and website for updates on the renovation and the work are doing behind the scenes!

The Mulvane Art Museum would like to take a moment to recognize the recent passing of Donna Crawford (Schultz), former President of the Mulvane Women's Board. Donna died peacefully on the 2nd day of January, 2023, in Topeka, Kansas. A celebration of her life will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 14, 2023 at Mount Hope Cemetery & Funeral Chapel, 4700 SW 17th St, Topeka, KS 66604.

Art Journaling

Meet-Up

Tuesdays

4:00 - 6:00 pm

Room 16, Garvey Fine Arts

Join Monique Robins, MLS, Outreach CEP/ Coordinator, Washburn University College of Arts and Sciences, for weekly art journaling workshops.

Looking Forward

2023 Mulvane Art Fair

Artists can now apply for the 2023 Mulvane Art Fair scheduled for June 3-4. 2023. The 29th annual Mulvane Art Fair features artists from across the country. Be part of this exciting two-day event and apply today.

Apply 2023 Mulvane Art Fair

2023 Art Student Competition

Art students at Washburn University are invited to submit their work to the student competition. See details at the link below.

Apply 2023 Art Student Competition

If education is the heart of the Mulvane Art Museum, exhibitions are its life-blood. They challenge, inspire, open minds, ignite ideas, and speak to us about the human endeavor. Select exhibitions and museum programs are supported by a National Endowment For The Humanities (NEH) #SHARP Grant.

Rita Blitt Gallery

Drawings from the Legacy Collection

Blitt’s creative practice pivots on gesture. Whether her medium is painting, sculpture, or, as in this exhibition, drawing, she manipulates the material to suspend her body’s movements in time. Drawings from the Legacy Collection features a small sampling of Blitt's love for and fascination with line.

Exhibitions

Opening in January

Invitations To Listen

Rachel Epp Buller

Rachel Epp Buller created the new works in this exhibition in response to her daily walks during a residency in Alberta, Canada. During her walks, Buller explored how listening can be carried out not just with the ears but with the whole body. The prints, sound works, and installations in Invitations to Listen represent her experience of connecting with her surroundings during her listening walks. Her art encourages viewers to slow down, use their senses to ground themselves in the present, and simply listen.

Clear Water: Encountering Mokuhanga

Guest curator and artist, Matthew Willie Garcia selected works from the Mulvane's rich collection of Japanese woodblock prints, which the museum received in 1968 as a gift from Robert Whitcomb. Garcia takes inspiration from traditional Japanese woodblock printing (mokuhanga) in his innovative practice as a multimedia printmaker. His selections highlight the history, techniques, forms, and effects of mokuhanga, offering a fresh view of this engaging medium from the perspective of a contemporary artist.