Kansas State University

To the Stars Through Art: A History of Art Collecting in Kansas Public Schools, 1900–1950

Click here to view the virtual exhibition

In 1911, the district superintendent in McPherson organized a fundraising exhibition to acquire artwork for a new high school. This ticketed event became an annual one, allowing the McPherson schools to establish a significant collection of works by American and international artists, among them James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Walter Ufer, Birger Sandzén and Fern Coppedge.

Before the mid-20th century, schools in dozens of Kansas communities, including a boarding school for Indigenous students, joined McPherson in becoming veritable museums of original art. The works were acquired through community exhibitions like McPherson’s, bequests from the Carnegie Foundation, New Deal arts programs, and other means. To the Stars Through Art introduces 60 paintings, prints, and 3-D works acquired by 15 school districts across the state to explore the grassroots nature of this remarkable period of support for the arts as well as the influence of nationwide social reforms, education trends, and government initiatives.

A goal of the exhibition is to help today’s school districts learn more about how to care for their art, use it in teaching, and employ it to engage the community. In addition to the recently launched To the Stars Through Art virtual exhibition designed by Exhibition Designer and Technology Lead Luke Dempsey, a resource website for schools will be designed by K-State students enrolled in a fall 2024 seminar in English 695 “To the Stars Through Art: Using Digital Humanities to Expand the Reach of an Art Exhibition.” The course will be taught by Curator Elizabeth Seaton and Associate Professor of English Mark Crosby, director of the K-State Digital Humanities Center. The resource site will launch in early 2025.

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

Upon a Time: Create Your Own Adventure
May 28 – December 21, 2024

Find inspiration for creating your own adventure stories from works of art in the collection. Organized in conjunction with the American Library Association’s 2024 summer reading theme, “Adventure Begins at your Library,” this exhibition will set the theme for the museum’s summer art programs and tours.

Works have been chosen to inspire creative thinking and represent a variety of cultures. Examples include Uruguayan-American illustrator Antonio Frasconi’s The Dog and the Crocodile and Dorothy Questions the Universe by Neal Ambrose-Smith (Salish-Kootenai/Métis-Cree/Sho-Ban). Summer activities will integrate storytelling, bookmaking, drama, puppetry and music.

The exhibition is co-curated by Sarah Morgan, a second-year master’s student in English (cultural studies and literature track) at Kansas State University. Morgan is also pursuing a graduate certificate in gender, women, and sexuality studies and aspires to be a museum professional in the future.

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

We are thrilled to be one of the participating venues in Manhattan for the Sunflower Summer program by Kansas Tourism. This program offers a chance for families with school-aged children to explore 200+ attractions in Kansas – for FREE! Our Exploration Station and the ARTotes are specially designed for children and families to enjoy and are great for a rainy day or when it’s too hot to go outside! Free parking is available just south of the museum.

Download the Sunflower Summer App and plan your summer family adventures now. More information at SunflowerSummer.org.