Kansas State University

Two by Two: Animal Pairs
Click here or on the image below to view the virtual exhibition.

Virtual exhibition launch: March 30, 2021
Gallery exhibition: June 15 – December 18, 2021

The American Library Association Summer Reading theme for 2021 is “Tales and Tails,” with a focus on animal stories. This exhibition will offer the viewers some surprising pairings of artworks by regional and international artists.

Animals have long been the subject of myths, legends and histories. Noah loads his ark with creatures, “two by two,” before the great Biblical flood. Aurochs and Wooly Mammoths in the caves of Lascaux hint
at the beliefs of early peoples. Animalistic deities populate an ancient world from the Egyptian god Horus with the head of a falcon to the Greek god Zeus who visits earth as a swan. In Native American legends animals personify spirits such as the turtle who represents mother earth. Artworks in the exhibition picture such storied animals as well as farm animals,
pets and circus performers. All of the works provide a chance to learn more about world cultures, literature, and science.

Two by Two: Animal Pairs will be the inspiration for summer ARTSmart classes and spring and fall 2021 school programming.

Gold Sponsors: Dan and Beth Bird | Bronze Sponsors: Mary Cottom and Jo Lyle

Waylande Gregory: Art Deco Ceramics and the Atomic Impulse.
Click here or on the image below to view the virtual exhibition.

Waylande Gregory (1905-1971), a native of Baxter Springs, Kansas, was one of the most innovative and prolific Art Deco ceramic sculptors of the early 20th century. His groundbreaking techniques enabled him to create monumental ceramic sculptures that had not previously been possible, including his Fountain of the Atom for the 1939 New York World’s Fair—a tribute to atomic energy that earned the attention of Albert Einstein. Gregory also developed revolutionary glazing and processing methods and was an important figure in the studio glass movement.