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Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art

Author: Jui Mhatre

Now Open!

Where the Magic Happens: Artists in the Studio
Open through October 19, 2024

An artist’s studio should be a small space because small rooms discipline the mind and large ones distract it.
— Leonardo da Vinci

What is it that an artist does when he is left alone in his studio? My conclusion was that if I was an artist and I was in the studio, then everything I was doing in the studio should be art … From that point on, art became more of an activity and less of a product.
— Bruce Nauman

The studio is a laboratory, not a factory. An exhibition is the result of your experiments, but the process is never-ending. So an exhibition is not a conclusion.
— Chris Ofili

Explore the studios of artists through their own eyes in this exhibition of artworks from the museum’s collection. Tools and other materials used by artists such as Jim Hagan, Herschel C. Logan, and Bernard Steffen complement prints, drawings, and works in other media depicting artists in their studios. Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the deeply personal activity of creation.

Light-sensitive works on paper in this exhibition will be changed during the summer, so be sure to look out for a new set of studio views!

Major Sponsor: Greater Manhattan Community Foundation’s Lincoln & Dorothy I. Deihl Community Grants Program

Caroline Thorington, "Magician 3rd State," 2013, lithograph, gift of Caroline Thorington, 2017.285

Caroline Thorington, Magician 3rd State, 2013, lithograph, gift of Caroline Thorington, 2017.285

Douglas L. Osa, "The Próvacateur," 1997 – 1999, oil on linen, 32 x 30 in. Friends of the Beach Museum of Art purchase, 2000.2

Douglas L. Osa, The Próvacateur, 1997 – 1999, oil on linen, 32 x 30 in. Friends of the Beach Museum of Art purchase, 2000.2

Livestream Conversation

Logo of "Let's Talk Art," Beach museum's series of monthly discussions with artists and creative thinkers about work in the museum's collection.

The Moran Brothers and America’s Lands
Guest: Laura Fry
Thursday, March 7, 2024, 5:30-6 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Free and open to the public

Join the free program via Zoom. Click here to register.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about how to join the program.

Livestream conversation with guest Laura Fry, senior curator, Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa about artist-brothers Thomas and Edward Moran and their landscape paintings on view at the museum. The Thomas Moran painting is on loan from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Edward Moran, Western Landscape, 1866, oil on canvas, 29 ½ x 50 in., gift of Charles V. Kincaid, 1963.6

Laura FryLaura Fry began as senior curator and curator of American art at Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2015. Fry is leading the development of an interpretive plan for the Gilcrease permanent collections in the museum’s new building (estimated to open in 2026). Fry earned her bachelor of fine arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She received a master’s degree in art history from the University of Denver. Before Gilcrease, Fry worked at the Tacoma Art Museum in Washington and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming.

This virtual program is part of the Beach Museum of Art’s ‘Art in Motion’ annual program series.

Art Bytes on the Museum’s Social Media

Enjoy short videos about art in the Beach Museum of Art’s collection. Each video features information about an artwork in the collection, the artist who made it, and the techniques used. Art Bytes are released first Wednesdays on the museum’s social media channels:

Facebook: BeachMuseumofArt
Instagram: @beachmuseum

The March 2024 Art Byte will feature a lithograph Everglades Fan I by Ellen Lanyon.

Watch past Art Bytes videos on the museum’s YouTube channel at beach.k-state.edu/videos. While you’re at it, please don’t forget to subscribe, comment, like or share. Thanks!

Screen capture of ART Bytes video

Screen capture of Art Byte video featuring Spring Green and Sand Swept by Janet Kummerlein, presented by Education intern Madeline Mullinnix.

“wood+paper+box in your hands” Exhibition Review

We are pleased to share that an Exhibition Review of wood+paper+box in your hands is published in the Openings: Studies in Book Art journal by College Book Art Association. The review is written by Kimi Kitada, curator based in Kansas City and currently the Gallery & Programs Manager at Charlotte Street Foundation.
"Openings" journal cover image
If you haven’t already, check out the wood+paper+box in your hands exhibition, open through April 6, 2024. Admission and parking are always free at the Beach Museum of Art.

About the exhibition: Katie Baldwin, Mariko Jesse, and Yoonmi Nam make up the artist collective wood+paper+box. They are also the creators of the 2023-2024 Gift Print and the focus of the exhibition. They met in Japan in 2004 at an artist residency and studied mokuhanga, the traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking technique. Artworks by wood+paper+box carry the spark born of shared experience and are created through collaboration, interaction, and friendship. They offer the idea of appreciating art not just by looking but also by touching and participating. In the exhibition, visitors can handle and interact with a sample gift print, Mise-en-Scène.


wood+paper+box, Mise-en-Scène, 2023-2024 Beach Museum of Art Gift Print, 2020–2022, clamshell box, mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock), oil-based woodblock, letterpress, lithograph and inkjet, dimensions variable, 2023.13, photo: Alec Smith

The 2023-2024 Gift Print is available for purchase to the public. Friends of the Beach Museum of Art at any level receive a 25% discount on the price. For more information about becoming a Friend or purchasing a gift print, please call 785-532-7718 or email beachart@ksu.edu.

2023-2024 Beach Museum of Art Gift Print

The Beach Museum of Art’s limited edition 2023-2024 Gift Print invites interaction and is unique for your collection or a gift for family and friends. 

The gift print is available for purchase to the public. Friends of the Beach Museum of Art at any level receive a 25% discount on the price. For more information about becoming a Friend or purchasing the gift print, please call 785-532-7718 or email beachart@ksu.edu.

The 2023-2024 Gift Print is a box containing several different prints created by artists Katie Baldwin, Mariko Jesse and Yoonmi Nam of the artist collective wood+paper+box. It is also the focus of the Beach Museum of Art’s current exhibition wood+paper+box in your hands, open through April 6, 2024.

"Mise-en-Scène," 2023 Beach Museum of Art Gift Print. Composed of various prints assembled in a box. Featured in the "wood+paper+box in your hands" exhibition at the museum.

The gift print box leans into the concept of interaction with an invitation to participate in the creative process. Its title, Mise-en-Scène, is a phrase used to refer to stage design and the arrangement of actors in a theatre or film production. A person interacting with the box can compose a “scene” using several prints, take a picture, and upload it to Instagram with the hashtag #woodpaperbox. This exhibition offers the public that experience of interacting with the Gift Print and engaging in a dialogue on social media with the collective and other viewers.

"Mise-en-Scène," 2023 Beach Museum of Art Gift Print at the interactive station of the exhibition "wood+paper+box in your hands."  visitors engaged in the "wood+paper+box in your hands" exhibition

About Gift Prints:
The Friends of the Beach Museum of Art commissions a limited-edition print by a recognized Kansas artist for sale to Friends and the public each year. Kansas State University’s Friends of Art started the gift print program in 1934. Click here for more information about the museum’s Gift Prints.

Top image: wood+paper+box, Mise-en-Scène (2023 Beach Museum of Art Gift Print), 2020–2022, clamshell box, mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock), oil-based woodblock, letterpress, lithograph, and inkjet, dimensions variable, 2023.13, photo: Alec Smith

Please tell us about your visit at the Beach Museum of Art

COVES Data Collection at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art
The Beach Museum of Art utilizes the Collaboration for Ongoing Visitor Experience Studies, also known as COVES, a system designed to facilitate collection of meaningful data about museum visitors.

COVES system helps museums become more data-driven and responsive to audiences. Data is collected using an electronic onsite exit survey. This onsite survey is given through a systematic, random sampling of general museum audiences. This sample group does not include school or tour groups. The COVES method has also offers valuable insight into our visitors’ demographics, backgrounds, and needs.

At your next visit to the museum, please see our Gallery Teacher and Visitor Studies Specialist Emma Kellogg who leads the COVES data collecting at the museum. Emma would love to receive your feedback.

Information gathered will be used to inform museum decisions, shape future programming and will help us improve the quality of the experience.

Emma Kellogg

 

 

Are you a member of the Friends of the Beach Museum of Art?

If you haven’t joined us already, please consider becoming a Friend of the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art.

Visitors in a gallery at the Beach Museum of Art.

Your membership helps further the mission of the museum through exhibitions, programs, educational offerings, art acquisitions, and more.

Your gift enables the museum to continue offering thought-provoking art experiences and free admission to all.

Become a Friend or renew your membership today and receive exclusive benefits! Click here.

 

Thank you for your support of the museum!

Current Exhibitions

Gallery Exhibitions:

Where the Magic Happens: Artists in the Studio
February 13 – October 19, 2024

"Where the Magic Happens: Artists in the Studio" exhibition at the Beach Museum of Art.


wood+paper+box in your hands
2023 Friends of the Beach Museum of Art Gift Print
October 3, 2023 – April 6, 2024

wood+paper+box in your hands


To the Stars Through Art: A History of Art Collecting in Kansas Public Schools, 1900-1950
August 22, 2023 – May 11, 2024

"To the Stars Through Art: A History of Art Collecting in Kansas Public Schools, 1900-1950" exhibition at the Beach Museum of Art, open August 22, 2023 – May 11, 2024


Neil Welliver: Maine Seasons
September 19, 2023 – August 17, 2024


Prairie Views
Ongoing with new selections

"Prairie Views" exhibition at the Beach Museum of Art.


2023-2024 K-State Common Works of Art
Works by Roger Y. Shimomura in the Beach Museum of Art collection

Image from "Memories of Childhood," lithograph (handmade book) by artist Roger Shimomura in the collection of the Beach Museum of Art.

Memories of Childhood, 1999, color lithograph (handmade book), 7 x 10 in., G. E. Johnson Art Acquisition Fund, 2002.340

Color lithograph "American Guardian" by artist Roger Shimomura in the collection of the Beach Museum of Art.

American Guardian, 2007, color lithograph, 27 1/8 x 39 in., Kansas Printmakers Fund, 2007.10

"Enemy Alien #2," acrylic on canvas by artist Roger Shimomura in the collection of the Beach Museum of Art.

Enemy Alien #2, 2006, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 24 in., 2016.41

 


Click here to view current Virtual Exhibitions

Classes and Workshops

The Museum hosts a variety of classes and workshops throughout the year for all ages!

Workshop at the Beach Museum of ArtARTSmart classes: Explore the current exhibitions. Each class includes looking activities in the galleries and an art project. Classes are held on the first Wednesday and Thursday of the month at 10:30 (ages 2-5) and 4:30 (all ages). Upcoming classes: March 6 & 7: wood+paper+box Part 2

Homeschool Tuesdays meet on the first Tuesday of the month allows Homeschool families to investigate the exhibitions and collection with curriculum integration. Tours are appropriate for those in Kindergarten on up and include an art project. Upcoming class: March 5, 1-2:30: wood+paper+box Part 2 (3-d math, box making)

Cost for each class above is $5 per child. Reservations are required. Payment can be made with cash or check. Please call (785)532-7718 or email klwalk@k-state.edu for reservations. Children must be accompanied by an adult. If you need to cancel your reservation please let us know so we can call those on the waiting list.

Special price for Military Families: In conjunction with the Blue Star Museum program, the Beach Museum of Art offers Military Families half price on all workshops and classes!

Friends of the Beach Museum of Art members receive half price discount with membership card. Please click here to join the Friends of the Beach.

Let’s Connect!

Visit us online at beach.k-state.edu

Send email to beachart@k-state.edu

Join the museum’s e-news list to stay up to date on everything at the museum.

Check out The Beach Blog for behind-the-scenes information, event info, and guest posts.

Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on Facebook

Subscribe to the museum’s YouTube channel to watch videos of art, artists and special programs.

Join the Beach Buddies Facebook Group to enjoy cool art, fun activities and resources for children, families and educators.

Elizabeth Layton, Untitled (business business business, you gotta have art)1991, Kansas State University, Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, 1998.222

Opening Soon!

Where the Magic Happens: Artists in the Studio
February 13 – October 19, 2024
Explore the creative process through views of artists working in their studios, many of them self-portraits. The exhibition will showcase works from the museum’s collection and will also feature tools owned by Charles Marshall, Herschel Logan and Bernard Steffen.

Major Sponsor: Greater Manhattan Community Foundation’s Lincoln & Dorothy I. Deihl Community Grants Program

Caroline Thorington, "Magician 3rd State," 2013, lithograph, gift of Caroline Thorington, 2017.285

Caroline Thorington, Magician 3rd State, 2013, lithograph, gift of Caroline Thorington, 2017.285

Douglas L. Osa, "The Próvacateur," 1997 – 1999, oil on linen, 32 x 30 in. Friends of the Beach Museum of Art purchase, 2000.2

Douglas L. Osa, The Próvacateur, 1997 – 1999, oil on linen, 32 x 30 in. Friends of the Beach Museum of Art purchase, 2000.2

Family Valentine’s Workshop

The workshop will be offered Feb. 3, 2024, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-3 p.m.

We’ll have all the supplies you need to create the perfect Valentines for friends and loved ones. Project fee $7.50, $3.75 for military families and Friends of the Beach Museum of Art (cash or check accepted). Registration is required; children must be accompanied by an adult. For registration, please call 785-532-7718 or email klwalk@ksu.edu.

BMA SweetART Contest

Join our SweetART contest!
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. We invite you to join our SweetART contest! Visit the Beach Museum of Art between February 6 to 14, 2024 to choose your favorite work of art on display. Simply pick up a heart at our gallery attendant desk and place by the piece you love! Don’t forget to snap a photo and share it with #SweetArtBeach.

First through third place winners will be announced on February 15, 2024. We can’t wait to see your favorite works in #YourArtMuseum.
Laura Barr, "Heartsong," CM9b.2023
Laura Barr, Heartsong, from Kansas Artists’ Postcard Series X, 1987, photomechanical reproduction, 4 x 5 13/16 in., CM9b.2023

Adult Valentine’s Workshop

Thursday, February 8, 2024, 6-7:30 p.m.
Beach Museum of Art
701 Beach Lane, Manhattan. Kansas 66506
Kansas State University

The grownup version of our popular Valentine’s Workshop. Come as a couple, with a group of friends, or in secret to create handmade Valentine’s. Wander the galleries to find inspiration from the works of art on display. Light refreshments will be served.

Valentines day

Supply fee $10 per person, $5 for Military and Friends of the Beach Museum of Art members (cash or check accepted). Registration is required; please call 785-532-7718 or email klwalk@ksu.edu.

Livestream Presentation

Decorating Schools & Shaping the City: Women’s Clubs and School Art Collecting, 1900-1940
Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, 5:30 PM Central Time
(US and Canada)
Livestream presentation by Sylvia Rhor Samaniego, director and curator, University Art Gallery (UAG), University of Pittsburgh. Free and open to the public.

Join the free program via Zoom. Click here to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about how to join the program.

Offered in conjunction with the exhibition To the Stars Through Art: A History of Art Collecting in Kansas Public Schools, 1900-1950, currently on view at the Beach Museum of Art.

Sylvia Rhor SamaniegoSylvia Rhor Samaniego additionally serves as a senior lecturer in the department of history of art and architecture. Before joining the UAG, Rhor Samaniego was a professor of art history at Carlow University. At Carlow, she served as founding director of the university’s first academic art gallery. Rhor Samaniego earned a master’s degree and doctorate in art history from the University of Pittsburgh and bachelor’s degree in studio art and art history from New York University, where she was a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Minority Scholar. Her research interests include 20th-century US mural painting, political cartoons and comics, and the intersection of modern art and politics.

"To the Stars Through Art" exhibition at the Beach Museum of Art

This virtual event is part of the Beach Museum of Art’s “Art in Motion” annual program series.