Author: Theresa Mott

As part of the Ulrich 50th anniversary celebration, the museum commissioned a new sculpture by Maine-based artist Bianca Beck, created specifically for the WSU campus as the 89th piece in the Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection.

In connection with the installation, Beck will give a talk at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 17 in 210 McKnight Art Center discussing their work, the cornerstone of which is the body, from the imagined internal spaces of veins and organs to the dynamics of identity and expression. Their brightly colored large-scale sculptures explore the expansion of the individual in relation to collectivity, creativity and partnership.

Join the Roxy’s Choir and the Ulrich Museum of Art at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 25 at Roxy’s Downton, 412 E. Douglas Ave., in a soul stirring experience of sight and sound featuring the music of Joby Talbot and the artwork of Devan Shimoyama.

The Roxy’s Choir will present Joby Talbot’s “Path of Miracles,” a contemporary choral pilgrimage along the medieval Camino de Santiago. First premiered in 2005, The Roxy’s Choir celebrates the 20th anniversary of this 21st century choral masterwork. Shimoyama’s “Rituals,” curated by Jo Reinert, offers further contemplation of transcendence and transformation. Drawing on visual expressions of sacred art in Western Europe during the middle ages, Shimoyama upholds the sacredness and significance of Black and queer experiences. Together, Talbot and Shimoyama encourage a deep dive into the soul and inspire a pursuit toward the divine.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $20 and available at Roxy’s Downtown.

Come celebrate the community and local artists at the Ulrich Community Art Market this from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 13 at Open Streets Shocker Neighborhood. More that 35 artists will set up booths to display, demo and/or sell their work in the circle drive just south of the Ulrich Museum and north of 17th Street.

Open Streets is a one-of-a-kind community event that transforms the streets into a vibrant space for connection, activity, and wellness. Open Streets Shocker Neighborhood brings nearly two miles of 17th Street (from Oliver to Volutsia) to life with fun, fitness and excitement.

With the streets closed to traffic, this event creates the perfect environment to walk, bike, run, skate or dance your way through the day. It’s more than just a celebration — it’s a chance to promote a healthy lifestyle while connecting with neighbors, local businesses and the community around you.

The Ulrich Community Art Market provides an opportunity for the people of Wichita to come together and interact with artists, create free take-and-make art and explore local organizations. Grab your sunscreen and join in the fun. The event is free and everyone is welcome.

The Makers and Masterpieces art engagement series offers hands-on learning and community connection from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3 in the Ulrich Museum of Art.

In conjunction with the exhibition “Devan Shimoyama: Rituals” currently on view in the Polk/Wilson Gallery, colorful cultural connections will include themed art projects for all ages, face-painting, DJ Ashley, Funky Monkey Munchies and guided exhibition tours as the Ulrich partners with Student Engagement & Belonging.

The event is free and everyone is welcome.

Join the Ulrich Museum of Arts for a mimosa, brunch and performers from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 6 at Roxy’s Downtown, 412, E. Douglas Ave. The event is in conjunction with “Devan Shimoyama: Rituals,” on view now in the Polk/Wilson Gallery at the Ulrich.

From RuPaul’s Drag Race season 12, the Widow Von’Du is in the house. Riirii, from Kansas City, and Jaharia, from The Boulet Brother’s Dragula, will perform, along with Wichita’s Brown Sugar and Lorelei.

Come early, then kick back and enjoy the entertainment. The Ulrich will also host a panel discussion with the performers, so bring questions with you. Tickets are $42 reserved seating, with a discounted price of $30 for WSU students 18 years old or older with an ID. Limited tickets are still available.

Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for brunch and drinks, and the program begins at 1 p.m.

The Ulrich Museum of Art welcomes NEH Fellowship Award-winning writer and scholar Dr. Derrais Carter to speak on his research, which examines Black masculinity, Black queer culture and Black popular music at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 27 in 210 McKnight Art Center.

Carter’s presentation will closely connect to themes represented in the exhibition “Devan Shimoyama: Rituals” (currently on display in the museum’s Polk/Wilson Gallery), and will give fresh context and new perspectives to the works. Having formerly taught in the Department of Gender & Women’s Studies at the University of Arizona, Carter is now associate professor in the Department of Africana Studies at University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Celebrate the culmination of the youth photo competition, “Telling Your Stories,” with a special reception followed by a screening of “I Needed Paris.” The reception and exhibition runs from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 15 at the Ulrich Museum of Art with the film starting at 4:15 p.m. in 210 McKnight Art Center.

Suggested donations will be accepted at the door and will benefit student projects at Gordon Parks Academy.

The documentary, produced and directed by Michael Cheers, follows students from the Gordon Parks Academy as they journey to Paris. The film explores their artistic growth as they walk in Gordon Parks’ footsteps — photographing fashion, portraits and the Parisian streets using twin-lens reflex cameras like Parks’ own.

Celebrate the participants of the youth photo competition, “Telling Your Stories,” with a special reception from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 15 at the Ulrich Museum and a screening of “I Needed Paris” at 4:15 p.m. in 210 McKnight Art Center.

The documentary, produced and directed by Michael Cheers, follows students from the Gordon Parks Academy as they journey to Paris. The film explores their artistic growth as they walk in Gordon Parks’ footsteps — photographing fashion, portraits and the vibrant Parisian streets using twin-lens reflex cameras like Parks’ own.

Suggested donations will be accepted at the door and will benefit student projects at Gordon Parks Academy. The event is limited to 80 participants.

Ladee Hubbard, Wichita State’s 2024-25 visiting distinguished writer, is in residence at WSU from Feb. 17 to March 14, teaching advanced undergraduates and graduate students in the fiction tutorial. Join a reading of her fiction at the latest Writing Now, Reading Now program at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 11 at the Ulrich Museum of Art. Everyone is welcome at this free event.

Hubbard is the author of two novels, “The Talented Ribkins,” which received the 2017 Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction and the 2018 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, and “The Rib King.”

She received a bachelor’s in English from Princeton University, a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a doctorate in folklore and mythology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Writing Now, Reading Now is sponsored by the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of English, Ulrich Museum of Art and Watermark Books & Cafe.

In connection with the spring 2025 exhibition, “Devan Shimoyama: Rituals,” the Ulrich Museum of Art is proud to host the award-winning contemporary multidisciplinary artist, who will share his creative process, experiences and inspirations. The free program will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 and takes place in 210 McKnight Art Center.

Shimoyama’s mixed media works explore gender, sexuality and cultural identities, interpreting at great depths ideas of vulnerability and transformation. He has exhibited worldwide, most recently a solo show at Serlachius Museum Gösta (Mänttä, Finland), and his work is collected by museums and private collections internationally.