Recent news feeds streamed live footage of a mob occupying the United States Capitol. This frightening chaos came after months of threats to our nation’s democracy, and during a pandemic that has caused great suffering and loss. We need art – and art museums – now more than ever.
If that last sentence seems like a non sequitur, please think again about the kinds of exhibitions and programs offered at K-State’s Beach Museum of Art. At this museum art isn’t just pretty; it is a model for confronting what is complicated, like so many aspects of our society. Art can be prickly. It can make us sad or mad or confused. This is art’s power—a power feared by figures of authority or institutions that want you to accept rigid answers to complex questions. Instead of providing answers, art invites us to wonder. Wondering about meaning in art opens our minds to possibilities and helps us notice the subtle. That process gives access to understanding; it’s a process widely applicable in our lives beyond the museum. This may not be what you learned about art in school, but it describes the kind of access the Beach Museum of Art strives to offer. We work to make your museum a welcoming and wonder-full place, whether you visit in-person or virtually.
We hope you will join us often in 2021. May the year bring you abundant health and happiness!
– Staff of the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art