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Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art

Tag: Gordon Parks

Beach Museum’s 2021-2022 Gordon Parks exhibition will soon travel to six venues around the country

The exhibition ‘Homeward to the Prairie I Come’: Gordon Parks Photographs from the Beach Museum of Art will soon travel to six venues around the country beginning in the fall of 2024. The museum’s 2021–2022 Gordon Parks exhibition was co-curated by Beach Museum staff Aileen June Wang and Sarah Price. The tour is organized by the Beach Museum with major support from Art Bridges, a foundation led by philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton, which aims to expand access to American art across the country.

The Beach Museum of Art's 2021-2022 exhibition "Gordon Parks: 'Homeward to the Prairie I Come.'"

The first stop is Syracuse University Art Museum in August 2024. Co-curator Aileen June Wang will deliver the keynote presentation there in September 2024.

Tour schedule:
Syracuse, Syracuse NY: August 22 – December 10, 2024
Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT: January 19 – March 30, 2025
Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, KS: April 19 – July 20, 2025

Additional venues planned during August 2025 – January 2026:
Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK: February 12 – May 24, 2026
Brigham Young University Provo, UT: July – November 21, 2026
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL: December 18, 2026 – March 14, 2027

Learn more about the museum’s exhibition and its open-access digital catalog, part of a collaboration with K-State English here. Major support for the catalog comes from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

K-State English maintains the open-access website The Learning Tree: A Gordon Parks Digital Archive, also supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

In addition to the traveling exhibition, Curator Aileen June Wang and Gordon Parks Museum Director Kirk Sharp organized a convening in March 2024 for the six host museums in Fort Scott, Kansas, generously supported by Art Bridges, with additional support from Fort Scott Community College and the Gordon Parks Museum. Convening presenters were Andrew F. Scott, associate professor of arts and technology at the University of Texas Dallas, and Beach Museum of Art staff. Beach Museum Specialist Nate McClendon and his band presented an interpretation of the Gordon Parks exhibition through music and narration.

Art Bridges Foundation logo

“Self Portrait: Gordon Parks”

Join us for a live performance by Nate McClendon, saxophonist and Teaching Artist in Residence at the Beach Museum of Art.

"Self Portrait: Gordon Parks" performance by saxophonist and Beach Museum of Art Teaching Artist Nate McClendon

“Self Portrait: Gordon Parks”Sunday, May 1, 2022, 5 p.m.Blue Sage Barn at Prairiewood, 1484 Wildcat Creek Road, Manhattan, KS 66503Free and open to the public.

Most known for his photography, Gordon Parks was also a musician, author, and filmmaker. Born in Fort Scott, he is one of the most prominent and influential artists Kansas has produced. The works and philosophies of Parks will be presented in a live music format by Nate McClendon. “Self Portrait: Gordon Parks” is a traveling presentation of the current exhibition Gordon Parks: “Homeward to the Prairie I Come” at Kansas State University’s Beach Museum of Art.

Considering Techniques: Jim Richardson on Gordon Parks

Jim RichardsonThursday, February 24, 2022, 5:30 p.m. Central Time (US and Canada)
Livestream gallery conversation with National Geographic photojournalist Jim Richardson.

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 Gordon Parks: Homeward to the Prairie I come,” open through May 28, 2022 at the Beach Museum of Art. View the virtual exhibition here.

Gordon Parks, Mrs. Jefferson, 1950, printed in 2017, gelatin silver print, gift of Gordon Parks and Gordon Parks Foundation, 2017.373

New virtual exhibition!

The Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art is pleased to announce its new virtual exhibition, featuring a 3-D touring option. The virtual exhibition aims to complement the installation in the museum’s gallery: Gordon Parks: Homeward to the Prairie I Come.

Don’t miss the special features as created by museum technology lead Luke Dempsey. These include an interactive opening screen with significant images from the exhibition. Viewers may hover over an image to bring up related images from each thematic section. Small icons alongside the images allow access to the object’s label with additional details about the artwork. One may also access the special sections of text and poetry included throughout the exhibition.

The virtual version also allows online visitors to “roam” the galleries at will, stopping, turning, or “stepping” near for a closer look. The 3-D tour is made possible by The Alms Group, a Manhattan-based realty firm with a philanthropic mission to support education. An Alms Group cameraman used Matterport technology to video capture the actual gallery spaces.

Click here to view the virtual exhibition Gordon Parks: “Homeward to the Prairie I Come.”

Gordon Parks: “Homeward to the Prairie I Come” exhibition features photographs donated by Parks to Kansas State University (K-State) in Manhattan, Kansas, in 1973. It was the first time that the artist personally curated a set of photographs to donate to a public institution, a kind of self-portrait directed towards the home crowd. The exhibition title includes the first line of a poem written by Parks in 1984, commissioned by and published in the Manhattan Mercury. K-State’s New Prairie Press will publish an accompanying open-access digital catalogue with new research on Parks and Kansas. The gallery exhibition is open through May 28, 2022.

Click here for more information and related events.

Platinum Major Sponsors: Art Bridges, The Alms Group, Beach-Edwards Family Foundation, Friends of the Beach Museum of Art, Greater Manhattan Community Foundation’s Lincoln & Dorothy I. Deihl Community Grants Program, Weary Family Foundation
Gold Sponsors: Dan and Beth Bird and Steve and Debbie Saroff
Silver Sponsors: Annette and Steve Huff
Bronze Sponsors: Mary Cottom and Ann and Mark Knackendoffel

Image: Gordon Parks, Mrs. Jefferson, 1950, printed in 2017, gelatin silver print, gift of Gordon Parks and Gordon Parks Foundation, 2017.373

Gordon Parks images courtesy of and copyright The Gordon Parks Foundation.

“Home: What Does It Look  Like? Gordon Parks Responds”

Thursday, November 4, 2021, 5:30 p.m. Central Time (US and Canada)
“Home: What Does It Look  Like? Gordon Parks Responds”
Livestream  talk and conversation with Deborah Willis, chair of the department of photography and imaging at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts.

Deborah Willis photo
Deb Willis

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.

What does home look like? Is it a physical space or the people, the family, that make a place home? In the 21st century, as we cross states and borders, seeking comfort, safety, and identity, we seek new ways of picturing home. Willis creates a framework for reflecting on the photographs of Gordon Parks and the various experiences he documented of families and individuals in the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Europe. What foodways and styles of dress sustained them over time? Willis reconsiders Gordon Parks’ impact on the families he met, interviewed, and photographed; explores concepts of memory and hope; and challenges narratives on identity and empowerment through the lens of family.

Deborah Willis photo by Alice Proujansky.

Offered in conjunction with the exhibition Gordon Parks: “Homeward to the Prairie I come,” September 7, 2021 – May 28, 2022 at the Beach Museum of Art. This event is part of the museum’s “Art in Motion” annual program series. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Now Open!

Don’t miss the new Fall 2021 exhibitions! Enjoy the exhibitions in person at the Beach Museum of Art or virtually at beach.k-state.edu.

Gordon Parks: “Homeward to the Prairie I Come”
Gallery exhibition: September 7, 2021 – May 28, 2022
Virtual exhibition launch: September 30, 2021

This exhibition features photographs donated by Parks to Kansas State University (K-State) in Manhattan, Kansas, in 1973. It was the first time that the artist personally curated a set of photographs to donate to a public institution, a kind of self-portrait directed towards the home crowd. The exhibition title includes the first line of a poem written by Parks in 1984, commissioned by and published in the Manhattan Mercury. K-State’s New Prairie Press will publish an accompanying open-access digital catalogue with new research on Parks and Kansas.

Related events:

Let’s Talk Art: Fort Scott’s Gordon Parks Museum and Gordon Parks Festival.
Livestream conversation with Kirk Sharp, director, Gordon Parks Museum, Fort Scott Community College
Thursday, September 30, 5:30 p.m.

“Home, What Does It Look Like?: Gordon Parks Responds”
Livestream talk and conversation with Deborah Willis, chair, Tisch Department of Photography and Imaging, New York University
Thursday, November 4, 5:30 p.m.

Let’s Talk Art: Considering the Dance Film Martin by Gordon Parks.
Livestream Conversation: Curator Aileen June Wang discusses Parks’ 1990 ballet film honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., with Theresa Ruth
Howard, ballet dancer and founder-curator of MoBBallet.org (Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet).
Thursday, January 27, 2022, 5:30 p.m.

Beach Film Club: Virtual Discussion on African American Short Films.
February 2022, date TBD, 7:30 p.m.

Art for Social Good: A Conversation with Terence Blanchard, Andrew Scott, and Kevin Willmott.
Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 7 p.m., McCain Auditorium

Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective in Concert, with staging by K-State students under direction of Andrew Scott and Mathew Gaynor.
Thursday, April 7, 2022, 7 p.m., McCain Auditorium

Beach Film Club: Virtual Discussion of Shaft by Gordon Parks.
April 2022, date TBD, 7:30 p.m.

Platinum Major Sponsors: Art Bridges, The Alms Group, Beach-Edwards Family Foundation, Friends of the Beach Museum of Art, Greater Manhattan Community Foundation’s Lincoln & Dorothy I. Deihl Community Grants Program, Weary Family Foundation
Gold Sponsors: Dan and Beth Bird and Steve and Debbie Saroff
Silver Sponsors: Annette and Steve Huff
Bronze Sponsors: Mary Cottom and Ann and Mark Knackendoffel

Image: Gordon Parks, Mrs. Jefferson, 1950, printed in 2017, gelatin silver print, gift of Gordon Parks and Gordon Parks Foundation, 2017.373

Gordon Parks images courtesy of and copyright The Gordon Parks Foundation.


Doug Barrett: Find Your Voice
Gallery exhibition: September 7, 2021 – May 28, 2022
Virtual exhibition launch: September 30, 2021

Doug Barrett is a photographer and videographer based in Manhattan, Kansas. His work demonstrates how Gordon Parks continues to inspire contemporary artists. Barrett’s projects include interviewing, photographing, and telling the stories of homeless veterans, creating a collective portrait of the Yuma Street community of Manhattan, Kansas, and documenting the Black Lives Matter movement in Kansas.

Platinum Major Sponsors: Art Bridges, Beach-Edwards Family Foundation, Greater Manhattan Community Foundation’s Lincoln & Dorothy I. Deihl Community Grants Program
Silver Sponsors: Terry and Tara Cupps
Bronze Sponsor: Dow Center for Multicultural and Community Studies at K-State Libraries
Image: Doug Barrett, A Beautiful Marriage, from the series Yuma Street, digital print, 2020.16


45 Paleolithic Handaxes
from 
Transfigurations: Reanimating the Past | David Lebrun
Gallery exhibition: September 21, 2021 – July 16, 2022

Publicity image for the exhibition "Paleolithic Points from The Forms: Four Worlds | David Lebrun" showing a young boy standing in front of a larger-than-life projected image of an ancient artifact made of stone.Organized by the museum in collaboration with K-State’s Information Technology Services and Cytek Media System Inc., this experimental multimedia installation is guaranteed to surprise and delight! It features the mysterious beauty of an ancient artifact through specially composed music and unique video animation. See the past differently!

Platinum Major Sponsors: Cytek Media Systems, Inc. and Weary Family
Foundation
Gold Sponsors: David and Mindy Weaver
Silver Sponsors: Jerry and Barbara Boettcher
Bronze Sponsors: Terry and Tara Cupps, Judy and David Regehr, Bill and
Sharon Snyder
Image: “45 Paleolithic Handaxes,” simulation. © 2019 Night Fire Films


Beach Museum of Art's Art in Motion annual program series logo

Click here for details and links to register for virtual events.

All events, which are free and open to the public, will be held in the museum’s UMB Theater and/or virtually. Limited occupancy in the galleries to allow social distancing. Limited seating will be provided in the UMB theatre to view livestreamed events. The Beach Museum of Art follows Kansas State University guidelines for COVID-19 health and safety procedures. For more information visit k-state.edu/covid-19.

Current Exhibitions


45 Paleolithic Handaxes from
Transfigurations: Reanimating the Past | David Lebrun

Gallery exhibition: September 21, 2021 – July 16, 2022

Gordon Parks: “Homeward to the Prairie I Come”
Gallery exhibition: September 7, 2021 – May 28, 2022
Virtual exhibition launch: September 30, 2021

Doug Barrett: Find Your Voice
Gallery exhibition: September 7, 2021 – May 28, 2022
Virtual exhibition launch: September 30, 2021

Sunrise over Kansas: John Steuart Curry
Virtual exhibition launch: June 29, 2021
Gallery exhibition: August 24, 2021 – February 28, 2022
Click here to view the virtual exhibition.

Two by Two Animal Pairs
Virtual exhibition launch: March 30, 2021
Gallery exhibition: August 24 – December 18, 2021
Click here to view the virtual exhibition.

2021 K-State Common Work of Art



 

New exhibitions in September 2021

The Beach Museum of Art is kicking off its 25th anniversary in style with two partner exhibitions by Kansas photographers: one featuring works of the iconic Gordon Parks and a companion exhibition with works by Manhattan-based rising star Doug Barrett. 

Gordon Parks: “Homeward to the Prairie I Come”
Virtual exhibition launch: September 7, 2021
Marion Pelton Gallery: September 7, 2021 – May 28, 2022

Black and white photograph entitled "Pool Hall (Fort Scott, Kansas)," by Gordon Parks from the collection of the Beach Museum of Art. Showing a group of African American men standing at the door and by the window of a building. Two older men with a dog chatting by the window and three men standing in the doorway.This exhibition features photographs donated by Parks to Kansas State University (K-State) in Manhattan, Kansas, in 1973. It was the first time that the artist personally curated a set of photographs to donate to a public institution, a kind of self-portrait directed towards the home crowd. The exhibition title includes the first line of a poem written by Parks in 1984, commissioned by and published in the Manhattan Mercury. K-State’s New Prairie Press will publish an accompanying open-access digital catalogue with new research on Parks and Kansas.

Related events:

KSU Family Day/Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day
Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America Book Giveaway
Saturday, September 18, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Let’s Talk Art: Fort Scott’s Gordon Parks Museum and Gordon Parks Festival.
Livestream conversation with Kirk Sharp, director, Gordon Parks Museum, Fort Scott Community College
Thursday, September 30, 5:30 p.m.

“Home, What Does It Look Like?: Gordon Parks Responds”
Livestream talk and conversation with Deborah Willis, chair, Tisch Department of Photography and Imaging, New York University
Thursday, November 4, 5:30 p.m.

Let’s Talk Art: Considering the Dance Film Martin by Gordon Parks.
Livestream Conversation: Curator Aileen June Wang discusses Parks’ 1990 ballet film honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., with Theresa Ruth
Howard, ballet dancer and founder-curator of MoBBallet.org (Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet).
Thursday, January 27, 2022, 5:30 p.m.

Beach Film Club: Virtual Discussion on African American Short Films.
February 2022, date TBD, 7:30 p.m.

Art for Social Good: A Conversation with Terence Blanchard, Andrew Scott, and Kevin Willmott.
Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 7 p.m., McCain Auditorium

Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective in Concert, with staging by K-State students under direction of Andrew Scott and Mathew Gaynor.
Thursday, April 7, 2022, 7 p.m., McCain Auditorium

Beach Film Club: Virtual Discussion of Shaft by Gordon Parks.
April 2022, date TBD, 7:30 p.m.

Platinum Major Sponsors: Art Bridges, The Alms Group, Beach-Edwards Family Foundation, Friends of the Beach Museum of Art, Greater Manhattan Community Foundation’s Lincoln & Dorothy I. Deihl Community Grants Program, Weary Family Foundation
Gold Sponsors: Dan and Beth Bird and Steve and Debbie Saroff
Silver Sponsors: Annette and Steve Huff
Bronze Sponsors: Mary Cottom and Ann and Mark Knackendoffel

Image: Gordon Parks, Pool Hall (Fort Scott, Kansas), 1950, printed in 2017, gelatin silver print, gift of Gordon Parks and the Gordon Parks Foundation, 2017.445.

Gordon Parks images courtesy of and copyright The Gordon Parks Foundation.


Doug Barrett: Find Your Voice
Virtual exhibition launch: September 7, 2021
Archie & Dorothy Hyle Family Gallery: September 7, 2021 – May 28, 2022

Black and white photograph entitled “Will the hate end?” by Doug Barrett from the collection of the Beach Museum of Art.Doug Barrett is a photographer and videographer based in Manhattan, Kansas. His work demonstrates how Gordon Parks continues to inspire contemporary artists. Barrett’s projects include interviewing, photographing, and telling the stories of homeless veterans, creating a collective portrait of the Yuma Street community of Manhattan, Kansas, and documenting the Black Lives Matter movement in Kansas.

Related event:

Gallery conversation with Doug Barrett
In-person and livestream
Thursday, September 16, 5:30 p.m.

Platinum Major Sponsors: Art Bridges, Beach-Edwards Family Foundation, Greater Manhattan Community Foundation’s Lincoln & Dorothy I. Deihl Community Grants Program
Silver Sponsors: Terry and Tara Cupps
Bronze Sponsor: Dow Center for Multicultural and Community Studies at K-State Libraries

Image: Will the hate end? from the series George Floyd Protest, 2020, digital print, 32 x 22 in., 2020.20


More in September: 

45 Paleolithic Handaxes
from 
Transfigurations: Reanimating the Past
Ruth Ann Wefald Gallery: September 21, 2021 – July 16, 2022

Publicity image for the exhibition "Paleolithic Points from The Forms: Four Worlds | David Lebrun" showing a young boy standing in front of a larger-than-life projected image of an ancient artifact made of stone.Organized by the museum in collaboration with K-State’s Information Technology Services, this experimental multimedia installation is guaranteed to surprise and delight! It features the mysterious beauty of an ancient artifact through specially composed music and unique video animation. See the past differently!

Platinum Major Sponsors: Cytek Media Systems, Inc. and Weary Family
Foundation
Gold Sponsors: David and Mindy Weaver
Silver Sponsors: Jerry and Barbara Boettcher
Bronze Sponsors: Terry and Tara Cupps, Judy and David Regehr, Bill and
Sharon Snyder
Image: The Forms: Four Worlds. Simulation. © 2019 Night Fire Films


Beach Museum of Art's Art in Motion annual program series logo

Click here for details and links to register for virtual events.

All events, which are free and open to the public, will be held in the museum’s UMB Theater and/or virtually. Limited occupancy in the galleries to allow social distancing. Limited seating will be provided in the UMB theatre to view livestreamed events. The Beach Museum of Art follows Kansas State University guidelines for COVID-19 health and safety procedures. For more information visit k-state.edu/covid-19.