Kansas State University

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

In 1911 the school superintendent in McPherson, Kansas, organized an exhibition to acquire artwork for a new high school. This became an annual ticketed event, allowing the McPherson schools to establish a rich collection of works by regionally and nationally recognized artists, among them James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Birger Sandzén and Fern Coppedge.

Before the mid-century, schools in dozens of Kansas communities, including boarding schools for Indigenous students and segregated schools, joined McPherson in acquiring original art. To the Stars Through Art will feature more than sixty artworks by Blackbear Bosin, Norma Bassett Hall, Walter Ufer and other artists, from more than a dozen schools and history museums across the state.

A goal of the exhibition is to guide Kansas schools in caring for their collections and using art for educational enrichment. The exhibition is being organized by Curator Elizabeth Seaton in collaboration with regional scholars and museum curators.

Major Sponsors: Friends of the Beach Museum of Art, The Alms Group
Sustaining Sponsor: Humanities Kansas, a nonprofit cultural organization that connects communities with history, traditions, and ideas to strengthen civic life.
Media Sponsor: KANSAS! Magazine

Related events

The Sue Jean Covacevich Educators Conference
Inspiring Students Through Art Collecting
Saturday, November 4, 2023, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Beach Museum of Art
An event for educators (K-12, college, museums). Some seats reserved for general public. Registration is required. Link to register is coming soon. Please stay tuned.

Best Practices for the Care of Art in Schools
Thursday, November 16, 2023, 5:30 p.m.
Livestream conversation with Nicole Grabow, director of preventive conservation at the Midwest Art Conservation Center, and Sarah Price, Beach Museum of Art Collections Manager. 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.

Image: Ethel Spears, WPA Cutting Down a Tree, ca. 1938, Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project, Illinois, allocated to Topeka High School, opaque watercolor and graphite on paper, 2016.30

Step up, step out and cut loose at the first annual Beach Ball!

Come “incognito” to the event of the season. Mingle with mimes. Dance with a bear. Eat, drink and be Mary… or John, or whomever you’d like. Come for the art, stay for the music, or the food, the auction or the performers… Any way you cut it, the Beach Ball has it all. Don a mask and cut a rug, Friday, October 13th only at the Beach Museum of Art.

Wanna wear a lampshade, that’s okay. There is no wrong ‘cause it’s all right. Celebrate at the Beach tonight.
~ Costumes encouraged! ~

BEACH BALL: incognito
Friday, October 13, 2023, 6:30 – 10:30 PM
Beach Museum of Art
701 Beach Lane, Manhattan, Kansas 66506,
Kansas State University

General Admission Ticket: $125 per guest
Increased Impact Ticket: $250 per guest
Increase the price of your ticket to further your support of this important community institution. Every extra dollar helps to broaden the Museum’s outreach and impact on all ages, through art, in our region.

Help us put the FUN back in fundraising!

Click here to purchase your tickets now.

**Please note this celebration is for adults only, ages 21 and older.**
Call 785.532.7718 or email beachart@ksu.edu with questions

We hope you can join us at the inaugural Beach Ball. If you are unable to attend, you can still donate to support the Beach Museum of Art. Please click here. Thank you.

Ticket purchase does not constitute Friends of the Beach Museum of Art membership and benefits.

Image: Patricia DuBose Duncan, Self Portrait with Devil Mask, 1984, gelatin silver print, 8 3/4 x 6 7/8 in., 1998.144

Saturday, September 9, 2023, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Beach Museum of Art
701 Beach Lane, Manhattan KS 66506, Kansas State University
Free and open to the public

Come explore our new exhibition, To the Stars Through Art, featuring works from public school art collections from across the state. The museum’s Education staff will provide gallery activities and art projects.

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

Enjoy short videos about art in the Beach Museum of Art’s collection. Each video will feature 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

Enjoy past Art Bytes videos on the museum’s YouTube channel at beach.k-state.edu/videos. Please don’t forget to subscribe, like or share. Thanks!

Screen capture of Art Byte video on Haying by Bernard Joseph Steffen, presented in Spanish by Andrea Fernanda Ramírez Tello.

The museum staff is pleased to share that Humanities Kansas recently awarded grant support for the exhibition “To the Stars Through Art: A History of Art Collecting in Kansas Public Schools, 1900-1950.” The exhibition has been organized by Curator Elizabeth Seaton in collaboration with regional scholars and museum curators. It is the first survey of art collecting by schools in Kansas and the first study of art acquired by the nation’s schools to give attention to boarding schools for Indigenous students. The exhibition features more than sixty artworks acquired by over a dozen school districts across Kansas.

“The humanities generate ideas,” shared Julie Mulvihill, Humanities Kansas Executive Director. “This unique exhibition project will spark plenty of ideas and invite conversations on the role of art in education.”

The museum staff is grateful for the funding provided by Humanities Kansas, which will support the “To the Stars Through Art” exhibition and related public programs.

About Humanities Kansas:
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit leading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. Since 1972, HK’s pioneering programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and generate insights. Together with statewide partners and supporters, HK inspires all Kansans to draw on diverse histories, literatures, and cultures to enrich their lives and to serve the communities and state we all proudly call home. Visit humanitieskansas.org.

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

ARTSmart classes: Explore the current exhibitions. Each class includes looking activities in the galleries and an art project. Classes meet on select Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 (ages 2-5) and 4:30 (all ages).
Upcoming class:
Sept. 6 & 7
Theme: Create Your Own Exhibition

Homeschool Tuesdays meet on the first Tuesday of the month and include additional academic content. Tours are appropriate for those in Kindergarten on up and include an art project.
Upcoming class:
Sept. 5, 1-2:30
Theme: Curatorial Challenge

Supply fee for each class is $5 per child, Friends of the Beach Museum of Art and Military Family/Blue Star discount $2.50. Reservations are required. Payment can be made with cash or check. 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 Family half price on all workshops and classes!

New! 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.

Click here to view all Fall 2023 Family Programs and Workshops.

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.

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