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Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art

Category: December 2025

Opening soon!

Posted on by Jui Mhatre

STE[A]M: Exploring Science and Math through Art
Opening December 2, 2025

This colorful exhibition supports STE[A]M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math plus Art) learning experiences for school-age students and ARTSmart program participants at the Beach Museum of Art. Through works in the collection, students explore concepts in their science curriculum like light waves, refraction and the science behind rainbows. The exhibition is also used for the museum’s Intersection of Math and Art tour for older elementary and middle school students exploring geometric concepts like 2-D and 3-D tessellations.

"Kansas Meatball" sculpture by Alan Shields, acrylic on canvas over aluminum tubing, bolts and nuts, and cotton thread, 2007.111Alan Shields, Kansas Meatball (detail), 1985 – 1998, acrylic on canvas over aluminum tubing, bolts and nuts, and cotton thread, 115 x 130 in., Alan Shields Memorial Fund, Ross and Marianna Kistler Beach Endowment, and gift from the Estate of William Salero, 2007.111

2025 Holiday Hours

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❄️ Plan your visits at the Beach Museum of Art this holiday season! ❄️
Admission and parking are always free at the museum.

Visitors exploring art in an exhibition at the Beach Museum of Art.

Beach Museum of Art 2025 Holiday Hours:
Thanksgiving break: closed Nov. 27–29, 2025, re-opening Dec. 2, 2025
Winter break: closed Dec. 24, 2025 – Jan. 3, 2026, re-opening Jan. 6, 2026
Closed Sundays and Mondays per regular hours

Untitled greeting card by Neal Ambrose-Smith in the Beach Museum of Art collection. Showing a drawing of a honey bee and text "Happy Holidays" and stars.

Neal Ambrose-Smith, Untitled (greeting card), 2010, lithograph on paper, 7 3/8 x 5 1/2 in., gift of Joe and Barb Zanatta, Zanatta Editions, 2011.123

Celebrate the season with us — in two ways!

Posted on by Jui Mhatre

🎨Holiday MakerSpace ✂️ | 🎉Winter Party 🍪 

Holiday MakerSpace | Sat., Dec. 6, 2025 | 12-3 PM | $7.50 per person (card, cash or check accepted) | Registration required: register now, email us at bmaeducation@ksu.edu or call 785-532-7718.
A studio-style event for all ages where you can make festive crafts to take home! All materials and instructions included. Craft your own ornaments, cards, decorations and more. Cookies and cocoa or tea will be provided. Come in anytime between 12-3 pm, allow at least 45 minutes for the makerspace activity. Military family or Friends of the Beach 50% discount on the cost available. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Winter Party | Thurs., Dec. 11, 2025 | 5-7 PM | Free and open to all!
Bring your family, friends, and festive spirit—we can’t wait to celebrate with you. Enjoy hands-on art activities, snap memories at our “selfie station” photo booth, warm up with complimentary hot beverages and cookies! Holiday or party attire is admired but not required.

Holiday MakerSpace and Winter Party flyer with images of snowflakes, snowman and text about the two events.

Beach Museum of Art Gift Prints

Posted on by Jui Mhatre

Give the gift of art this holiday season!
Each year, the Friends of the Beach Museum of Art group commissions a limited-edition print by a recognized Kansas artist for sale to museum Friends and the public. Kansas State University’s Friends of Art started the gift print program in 1934.

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

The year’s Gift Print is a striking work Tallgrass Orientation by Dana Fritz. A limited edition of the print is available for purchase. Get your own gift print now! 

Dana Fritz, "Tallgrass Orientation," 2024, inkjet print, 16 x 20 in., courtesy of the artistDana Fritz, Tallgrass Orientation, 2024, inkjet print, 16 x 20 in., courtesy of the artist

Raised in Prairie Village, Kansas, Dana Fritz is the Hixson-Lied Professor of Art at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her photographic edition, Tallgrass Orientation (image above), relates to work she created during a 2023 Tallgrass artist residency in Chase County. Giant leaves of a compass plant lie over a topographic map of the area where she collected them. The leaves’ fingers point to the poles and orient their flat faces to the east and west sun. Indigenous and settler travelers valued compass plants for orientation in a vast prairie with few landmarks.

Click here to view available the BMA gift prints and more information on each print.

Current Exhibitions

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Click here to view current Virtual Exhibitions

 

Gallery Exhibitions:

Rural America
September 2, 2025 – September 26, 2026

"Rural America" exhibition promotional image.

Kansas Triennial 25/26
August 5, 2025 – May 31, 2026

"Kansas Triennial 25/26" exhibition image

2025 K-State Common Work of Art

Carol Pylant, "No Masters," 1988.6
Carol Pylant, No Masters, 1986, oil on panel, 30 1/2 x 26 7/8 in., 1988.6


Collection Galleries
Orval Hempler Gallery | John F. Helm Gallery | Mary Holton Seaton Gallery East | Mary Holton Seaton Gallery West | Stolzer Family Foundation Outdoor Gallery
Featured works are curated from the 12,000+ objects in the museum’s collection. Come visit the galleries and make discoveries that matter to you! Admission and parking are always free.

Art Classes

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The Museum hosts a variety of classes and workshops throughout the year for all ages! For more information on any of these programs, please contact our Education team at bmaeducation@ksu.edu or call 785-532-7718.

ARTSmart Thursdays
Time/ages: 10-11 a.m. (ages 2-5) and 4:30-5:30 p.m. (PreK-5th grade)
All classes include a looking activity in the galleries and an art-making project inspired by the gallery tour. Preschool morning classes include a story or movement activity and emphasize introductory art concepts. After school classes are designed for elementary students.
Upcoming class:
December 4: Weaving: Colorful fiber baskets

"Woven" by Poppy DeltaDawn, a variety of woven cedar and textile baskets hung from a tall wooden structure

Homeschool Tuesdays
Time/ages: 1-2:30 p.m. (all ages)
Homeschool Tuesdays take place on the first Tuesday of each month, offering families a chance to explore the exhibitions and the collection with integrated curriculum. These tours, designed for students from kindergarten and up, include a hands-on art project to enhance the experience.
Upcoming class:
December 2: Weaving: Colorful fiber baskets

Cost for each class above is $5 per child. Friends of the Beach Museum of Art and Military/BlueStar discount $2.50. Reservations required: call 785-532-7718 or email bmaeducation@ksu.edu. Pay with cash or check. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Workshop at the Beach Museum of Art

Blue Star Museums logo 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.

Watch for announcements about the Spring 2026 Art Classes! 

Top image: Woven by Poppy DeltaDawn, on view in the Kansas Triennial 25/26 exhibition, open until May 31, 2026.

Let’s Connect!

Posted on by Jui Mhatre

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.

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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