
Devan Shimoyama, Tempérance, 2022 | Oil, color pencil, glitter, jewelry, silk flowers, sequins, collage, Flashe, acrylic, and embellishments. | Green Family Art Foundation
Courtesy of Adam Green Art Advisory
Devan Shimoyama, Tempérance, 2022 | Oil, color pencil, glitter, jewelry, silk flowers, sequins, collage, Flashe, acrylic, and embellishments. | Green Family Art Foundation
Courtesy of Adam Green Art Advisory
U50 imagines the future of Ulrich exhibitions, with immersive art experiences that interpret our contemporary world and reflect new stories.
Cara Romero, Arla Lucia, 2020.
Photogravure.
Museum Purchase.
Barbara Kruger, Untitled, 2020.
Screen print on cloth.
Museum Purchase.
Our 2025 Spring exhibitions and associated programs are made possible by the generosity of Ulrich50 donors, for which the Ulrich is very grateful. The Ulrich extends sincere thanks to members of Ulrich Friends with Benefits, whose ongoing support makes programming possible. The City of Wichita and Wichita State University provide funding support for the Ulrich’s general operations.
Devan Shimoyama, Midnight Rumination, 2019. | Oil, collage, colored pencil, sequins, acrylic, jewelry, Flashe, fabric, and glitter on canvas stretched over panel
Bill and Christy Gautreaux Collection.
Polk/Wilson Gallery
Organized by the Ulrich Museum of Art
Curated by Jo Reinert, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
Contemporary American artist Devan Shimoyama’s work playfully and poignantly dismantles social conventions by representing the complexities of race, gender, and sexuality with compelling, intimate images. Shimoyama pictures the Black American experience and the queer experience as fantastical and ornate, using rich textures, pop-culture references, and decorative materials (an homage to both drag performance and churchgoers of his childhood), while interpreting at great depths ideas of vulnerability and transformation.
Rituals contextualizes Shimoyama’s works as devotional objects, drawing multilayered parallels to historical religious imagery, such as Byzantine icons, Baroque altarpieces, and Renaissance chapel commissions, and situating these works within the contemporary landscape as today’s sacred objects and devotional icons. With neon colors, rhinestones, sequins, feathers, glitter, and fabrics, Shimoyama builds alternative dream worlds that serve simultaneously as counterpoint, echo, and interrogation of the realities around us, which, despite his use of such joyful materials and colors, are not always good experiences. There is an inherent spirituality within these environments and their motifs, that calls viewers to reflection and new understandings.
Rituals brings together pieces from private and institutional collections, from multiple bodies of Shimoyama’s work, including the Tarot series, the Barbershop series, drag self-portraits, mythologies, transformation sequences, portraiture, and self-portraiture.
A fully illustrated exhibition catalog will be published, including essays by Vivian Zavataro and Dr. Elizabeth Lisot-Nelson, a discussion between Devan Shimoyama and Jo Reinert, and original works of creative writing contributed by writers from across the United States.
Special thanks to De Buck Gallery, Kavi Gupta Gallery, Bill and Christy Gautreaux Collection, Margaux and Raphael Blavy Collection, Green Family Art Foundation, Scantland Collection.
Jim Riswold, Wounded Knee (Spotted Elk Death Mask), 2018-2020. Plaster, Edition of 3, AP.
Courtesy of the artist’s estate.
Jim Riswold, Wounded Knee (Colonel James W. Forsyth Death Mask), 2018-2020. Plaster, Edition of 3, AP.
Courtesy of the artist’s estate.
January 23 - May 31, 2025
Amsden Gallery
Organized by the Ulrich Museum of Art
Curated by James Porter, Exhibition Designer and Production Manager
A message from Jim Riswold:
The John Ford death mask would like to say, “Death masks are fascinating but slightly haunting relics from an age before photos. Until cameras rendered them redundant, it was common for notable people to have metal, wax, or plaster applied to their face when they had died, creating a ‘death mask.’”
The motivation behind the masks morphed with time. It was a way for the living to reconnect with the past or to memorialize the dead. Throughout history, the method of creating death masks remained the same. The face of the corpse would be lubricated or protected in gauze before clay or wax was applied to make an imprint of the deceased’s features. After the material dried, it was removed, and the result was a mask with the true features of that person.
Death masks were taken not only of deceased royalty and nobility, but also of eminent persons—composers, dramaturges, military and political leaders, philosophers, poets, and scientists, such as Dante Alighieri, Ludwig van Beethoven, Napoleon Bonaparte, Frédéric Chopin, and Oliver Cromwell. In ancient Rome, death masks were often used in making marble sculpture portraits, busts, or engravings of the deceased.
In other cultures, a death mask may be a funeral mask, an image placed on the face of the deceased before burial rites, and normally buried with them. The best known of these are the masks used in ancient Egypt as part of the mummification process, such as Tutankhamun’s mask, and those from Mycenaean Greece, such as The Mask of Agamemnon.
The popularity of death masks started to decline in the late 19th century and early 20th century. When Queen Victoria died her grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany, tried to have a death mask made for her, but was stopped by members of her British family who knew how much she disliked them. The invention of photography has made death masks unnecessary for their primary purposes in western cultures.
January 23 - August 2, 2025
Grafly Gallery
Titled Homegrown, the third phase of the Ulrich Co-Lab is a collaboration with Harvester Arts. Together we selected nine local artists to create artworks inspired by pieces in our permanent collection. Our local talent will be showcased alongside our beloved collection pieces, creating a dynamic dialogue between past and present. These artists will base their response pieces on two works from the Ulrich’s permanent collection.
Each artwork created for Homegrown will offer a fresh perspective, shedding light on familiar pieces while adding contemporary and diverse voices to the Museum. You will have the opportunity to directly engage with the exhibition by voting for your favorite objects. Your input will play a pivotal role in shaping the conversation within this curatorial experiment.
Participating artists: Artists A + B, Rachel Curtis, George Ferrandi, Lydia Humphreys, Dylan McNeil, Carlos Palomino, Taiomah Rutledge, Levente Sulyok, and Jocelyn Woodson.
We are thankful to Emprise Bank for being the lead sponsor of this exhibition.
As we honor 50 years of art and innovation, the Ulrich embarks on a future of
immersive exhibitions, community engagement, and shared celebration.
Dear Ulrich friends,
This last year was a year of reflection for our team. We took a deep dive into the Ulrich’s five-decade history, rediscovering stories, exhibitions, and world-class collections that have shaped our identity. Our 2024 exhibitions highlighted the caliber of our collection: Dream Machine: Fantasy, Surreality, and Play brought rarely seen pieces out from the vault, while [RE]POSE: Leisure Bodies and Empowered Postures invited viewers to question the Western art historical canon’s depiction of the female figure. These exhibitions, paired with our education programming, significantly increased school and university tours and expanded our outreach beyond the museum walls into the communities we serve. To further expand access to our Museum, we are updating our hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. We will be closed on Sunday and Monday.
As we step into another exciting year, our focus turns to envisioning the next 50 years and the impact we have on our campus and local communities. While last year we celebrated our permanent collection, this year promises immersive and interactive experiences. Devan Shimoyama: Rituals will re-contextualize Shimoyama’s works as devotional objects within a ritualistic context.
The colors, textures, and themes selected for this exhibit will broaden your perspectives. Listening Devices: The Photographer and New Perspectives reflects on listening as an act of empathy, featuring black and white photography that explores the role of the camera as a “listening device.” Curated by our very own James Porter, exhibition designer and production manager, Jim Riswold: American Death Part 1 uses death masks to contemplate iconic and fictional characters from American history, inviting reflection on memory and identity. Finally, the third phase of the Ulrich Co-Lab, titled Homegrown, features nine local artists selected in partnership with Harvester Arts. This exhibition offers you the chance to engage directly by voting for your favorite piece.
As we prepare for these exhibitions, we also invite you to help us reach our 50th anniversary fundraising goal. You can contribute by joining our Ulrich Friends with Benefits group, donating to our U50 campaign, or attending our upcoming gala in May — the final celebration of this milestone year. And don’t forget to mark your calendars for January 23rd! Our spring opening celebration will be extra special this year, as we celebrate this significant anniversary with cakes and bubbles.
With gratitude and excitement,
Vivian Zavataro
Executive and Creative Director
On November 21, Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture was reinstalled on the Museum’s southwest lawn following a conservation treatment that began in summer 2022.
Russell-Marti Conservation Services restored LOVE to its former vibrance while WSU engineers and Physical Plant worked with the Museum to design a 7-feet-tall steel frame for the sculpture modeled after the frame seen in Philadelphia.
The pedestal will preserve the conservation work, lifting the sculpture away from irrigation systems and stabilizing it against the Kansas elements. The frame also nods to Indiana’s fascination with the roadside signs that dotted the American landscape in his childhood memories.
Most closely associated with the Pop Art movement, Indiana explored themes of American identity, individual history, and the transcendent power of language. He began working on the stacked arrangement of LOVE in 1964, and in 1965, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, commissioned a Christmas card that came to be the red, blue, and green design.
During a time when peace and love were proclamations of protest, the composition captured the zeitgeist and is now one of the most widely recognized images in modern art. The visual proliferated exponentially when Indiana authorized the United States Postal Service to distribute a LOVE stamp in 1973, which sold more than 300 million pieces.
Indiana’s first monumental LOVE sculpture, made of Cor-Ten steel, was fabricated in 1970, and he would go on to experiment with other various media and palettes. The polychrome aluminum sculpture acquired by the museum in 1980 is the first in an edition of 8 exhibiting the blue/green color combination.
Below Image:
Robert Indiana, LOVE, 1966/1980, 1980 (Date of fabrication).
Aluminum; polymer resin.
Museum Purchase with Student Government Association funds
The freshly conserved LOVE, now located in front of the Ulrich Museum, makes a great background for a group photo with your favorite people. Wichita High School North PandoKids visited on November 22.
Party with your Ulrich family and celebrate the Museum’s 50th anniversary at our U50 Gala & Book Release Party! Compete for original art works at our art auction fundraiser. Enjoy high-energy entertainment. Explore our appetizer stations with treats from our favorite local restaurants. Toast the evening with wine, beer, and cocktails. We will debut our U50 book filled with Ulrich artworks and memories, which will be available at the event.
Tickets are $100 each and go on sale March 4, 2025. Visit the Event Page for details.
Friday, May 9 6-9 p.m. Henry’s Place at NICHE, 124 S. Broadway
January 14-21
New museum hours
Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center
An exhibition of permanent collection works reminiscent of Dr. King’s activist spirit and his shared hope for a better world.
Wednesday, January 15
10 a.m. Refreshments | 10:30 a.m. Program
Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center
Join the Ulrich interns as they share their experiences this school year at the Museum.
Thursday, January 23
5:30-8 p.m.
Ulrich Museum
Join us to celebrate our 50th anniversary and experience our U50 spring exhibitions. Come for cake and bubbly while engaging with artists, art fans, and special guests. Create your own art, visit photo stations, and enjoy performances, food, and fun.
January 23-February 8
Closed February 11-15
February 18-March 1
New museum hours
Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center
Artists of Envision Arts Gallery will create and display tactile replications of select works included in the exhibition, Devan Shimoyama: Rituals.
Saturday, February 1
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Polk/Wilson Gallery
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages high school students to learn about poetry through recitation, memorization, and competition. Come listen to emerging poetry students compete for the opportunity to go to state.
Thursday, February 13
6-9 p.m.
Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center
$20 | Tickets at the front desk or register on the event page at Ulrich.Wichita.edu.
Bid on more than 40 love-themed original artworks by popular Wichita artists. Enjoy an evening of art, chocolate, and champagne, and have your photo taken with LOVE by Robert Indiana.
Wednesday, February 19
10 a.m. Refreshments | 10:30 a.m. Program
Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center
Curators of the Spring exhibitions will discuss their processes of building the four new shows on view.
Thursday, February 27
6 p.m. Program
McKnight 210
In connection with the spring exhibition, Devan Shimoyama: Rituals, the award-winning contemporary multidisciplinary artist will share his creative process, experiences, and inspirations.
March 4-15
New museum hours
Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center
This competition in collaboration with WSU; Wichita Links, Inc.; Wichita Public Schools; and the Kansas African American Museum displays the stories and challenges of students through the lens of their life experiences.
Thursday, March 6
5-7 p.m. ProgramDr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center
$5 Registration fee | Limited to 30 participants Register on the event page at Ulrich.Wichita.edu.
Artist Kendra Cremin will share her knowledge of photography, specifically lumen prints, in conjunction with the Listening Devices exhibition. A lecture will be followed by a demonstration, and participants will create their own piece.
Tuesday, March 11
6 p.m. Program | Polk/Wilson Gallery
Ladee Hubbard, WSU’s 2024-25 visiting distinguished writer and the author of two novels, The Talented Ribkins and The Rib King, will present a fiction reading.
Saturday, March 15
3-5 p.m. | Reception at Ulrich Museum of Art
4:15 p.m. | Film: “I Needed Paris” in McKnight 210
$5 | Limited to 80 participants
Register on the event page at Ulrich.Wichita.edu.
Celebrate the culmination of Telling Your Stories with a reception and film screening. This documentary follows students from the Gordon Parks Academy as they journey to Paris and walk in Gordon Parks’ footsteps.
March 18-22
New museum hours
Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center
In collaboration with the Kansas Department of Commerce for their Kansas Global Cuisines and Cultures Week, the Ulrich will host a pop-up exhibition highlighting international artists in our collection.
Wednesday, March 19
10 a.m. Refreshments | 10:30 a.m. Program
Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center
Local artists, Jocelyn Woodson, Levente Sulyok, Taiomah Rutledge, and Artists A + B, will present their process in creating new works inspired by the Ulrich Collection for Ulrich Co-Lab: Homegrown.
Thursday, March 27
6 p.m. Program | McKnight 210
The Ulrich welcomes award-winning scholar Dr. Derrais Carter to speak on his research, which examines Black masculinity, Black queer culture, and Black popular music, in connection with the exhibition Rituals.
April 1-April 12
New museum hours
Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center
In collaboration with WSU Student Engagement and Belonging, a selection of works from the Ulrich collection will celebrate LGBTQIA+ artists and themes, along with programming throughout the month of April.
Thursday, April 3
5:30-7:30pm | Ulrich Museum
Hands-on learning and community connection in conjunction with Devan Shimoyama: Rituals. This event will include themed art projects for all ages, including creating colorful identity collages, face-painting, live music, food truck, and guided exhibition tours.
Friday, April 4
7 p.m. Doors open | 8 p.m. Show
WSU Hughes Metropolitan Complex
$5/WSU students w/ ID, $10/Faculty/Staff
$15/General Public
Prepare to be dazzled by both student drag artists and professional headliners at this annual campus tradition. Mature content. Must be 18+. Sponsored by SAC, Spectrum, and Student Engagement & Belonging.
Saturday, April 5
4-5 p.m.
Douglas Avenue from Oliver to Sycamore. Come cheer on this caravan of queens as they cruise Douglas in sassy convertibles for this inaugural parade.
Sunday, April 6
11:30 Doors Open | 1 p.m. Program
Roxy’s Downtown, 412 ½ E. Douglas
Ticketing info available January 15 at RoxysDowntown.com
Join the girls for a mimosa, brunch, and top notch drag artists at Roxy’s Downtown. Come early for a bite and beverage, then kick back and enjoy the entertainment. The Ulrich will host a panel discussion with the performers, so get your questions ready!
Tuesday, April 8
6 p.m. Program | Polk/Wilson Gallery
Michael Prior, Wichita State’s 2024-25 visiting emerging poet, will give a poetry reading.
Ulrich Community Art Market
Sunday, April 13
Noon to 4 p.m. | 17th Street from Oliver to Grove
Come celebrate community, identity, and fun in the Shocker Neighborhood. Our Community Art Market is returning and will feature local artists vending and giving demos in booths around the circle drive in front of the Museum.
April 15-April 26
New museum hours
Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center
This collaboration between Sedgwick County EMS and Wichita State University showcases images captured by WSU’s School of Art, Design, and Creative Industries students, alongside research findings from the Department of Industrial, Systems, and Manufacturing Engineering. Discover the lives of EMS professionals in this one-of-a-kind exhibition. Funded by the National Science Foundation (Award #2138995).
Wednesday, April 16
10 a.m. Refreshments | 10:30 a.m. Program
Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center
Gain deeper insight into The Hidden Side of EMS pop-up exhibition through an engaging panel discussion featuring members of the Sedgwick County EMS, WSU Engineering, and ADCI teams.
Thursday, April 17
6 p.m. Program
McKnight 210
As part of the Ulrich50 celebration, the Ulrich commissioned a new sculpture by artist Bianca Beck, created specifically for the WSU campus as the 89th piece in the Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection. Special thanks to lead sponsor, Peri Widener
Friday, April 25
4-6 p.m. Reception Ulrich Lobby
Celebrate the conclusion of The Hidden Side of EMS pop-up exhibition with an afternoon of art, appreciation, and community. You can even tour an EMS truck! Enjoy this fitting finale to a powerful exploration of the unsung heroes in our community.
Sunday, May 4
Noon to 4 p.m.
21st St from Nomar Market at Broadway Ave. to Woodland Park
Come visit the Ulrich team at this community-building event for Wichitans. The street will be closed to traffic but open to the people of Wichita for activities such as artmaking, entertainment, biking, and more.
Friday, May 9
6-9 p.m.
Henry’s Place at NICHE, 124 S. Broadway $100: Purchase tickets on the event page at Ulrich.Wichita.edu.
Celebrate our 50th anniversary at our U50 Gala & Book Release Party! Compete for original art works at our art auction. Enjoy high-energy entertainment. Explore our appetizer stations with treats from our favorite local restaurants. We will debut our U50 book filled with artworks and memories, available at the event. Tickets go on sale March 4.
Saturday, May 17
2 p.m. Program | Polk/Wilson Gallery
Agnes Corrigan, Kyle Hall, Alexander Hurla, and Jaryd Porter, 2025 WSU Creative Writing graduates, will give readings of their work.
Wednesday, May 21
10 a.m. Refreshments | 10:30 Program
Beren Gallery
Jennifer Ray, associate director of photo media for WSU’s School of Art Design and Creative Industries, will give a photography critique of the images in the exhibition, Listening Devices.
Friday, May 30
6:30-8 p.m.
Downtown Wichita | Main Street and Market Street North of English Street
Catch the Ulrich team downtown in this year’s Riverfest Sundown Parade!
June 2-June 6
6-8 p.m. | Downtown Wichita
The Ulrich is bringing summer artmaking to the 53rd annual Riverfest Kids Corner! Bring the little ones for creative, kid-oriented make-it take-it activities.
Tuesday, June 10
10:30 a.m. to Noon | Meet in Ulrich lobby
$5 Fee | Limited to 30 participants
Artist and printmaking teacher, Sunny Overholt, will present an exciting hands-on workshop designed for kids 8 to 12! Limited to 30 participants. Visit the Event Page at Ulrich.Wichita.edu for registration details.
Saturday, June 14
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Amsden Gallery
Everyone is invited to participate in a wide variety of fun art activities in this guided art-making event.
Wednesday, June 18
10 a.m. Refreshments | 10:30 a.m. Program
WSU Henrion Hall Rooms 105 and 106
Brenda Lichman, executive director of Empty Bowls Wichita and Ulrich’s associate director of education, will assist participants in creating or painting a handmade ceramic bowl to contribute to Empty Bowls Wichita Chili-Cook on Saturday, October 18.
Saturday, June 28
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Ulrich Museum
Explore the exciting world of printmaking! This event is perfect for all ages and experience levels. Bring your creativity and leave with your own masterpiece. We’ll have a food truck at this event!
Saturday, July 12
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Amsden Gallery
Everyone is invited to participate in a wide variety of fun art activities in this guided art-making event led by Ulrich staff.
Tuesday, July 15
6 p.m. Program
McKnight 210
Multidisciplinary artist Abhidnya Ghuge is known for her immersive site-responsive installations made of thousands of rolled woodblock prints. Her practice engages with themes of belonging and community and is inspired by the ephemeral nature of the human experience. These ideas are quite literally reflected in her means of creating through hands-on community collaboration, wherein different perspectives and patterns naturally emerge and enrich the piece. In connection with her Fall 2025 site-specific installation at the Ulrich, Ghuge will share her unique practice, her story, and her inspirations.
Wednesday, July 16
10 a.m. Refreshments | 10:30 a.m. Program
Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center.
Doug Billings will give a presentation on various types of printmaking processes in conjunction with the opening of the fall 2025 exhibition, Abhidnya Ghuge: Our True Nature, a site-specific installation made of rolled woodblock prints.
Thursday, July 31
6 p.m. Program
McKnight 210
American mixed-media artist Justin Favela is known for large-scale installations and sculptures that are created in the style of piñatas. His work speaks to the intersection of American pop culture and his Guatemalan-Mexican heritage, and reflects his own experiences as a queer person of color in the U.S. Favela’s installations create immersive spaces that playfully dismantle institutional hierarchies, making his work just as subversive as it is accessible and fun. Favela will give an exciting artist talk associated with a new site-specific installation at the Ulrich, on view Fall 2025.
Summer Studio Saturdays
Saturday, August 9
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Amsden Gallery
Everyone is invited to participate in a wide variety of fun art activities in this guided art-making event led by Ulrich staff.
Myriam Boulos, LEBANON. Beirut. What’s ours, 10/18/2019.
Archival pigment print. Museum Purchase.
The Ulrich tells the story of today, represents the historically excluded, and reflects the world around us with authenticity and equality. Collection growth is community growth.
Daniel Crews-Chubb, Immortal XIX (pink), 2023.
Oil, oil bar, acrylic, ink, spray paint, charcoal, sand, and collaged fabrics on canvas.
Gift of Julie and Bennett Roberts.
Devan Shimoyama, Togetherness (Eclipse), 2019. Oil, colored pencil, fabric, collage, rhinestones, jewelry, glitter, sequins, and Flashe on canvas stretched over panel.
Museum Purchase.
Documentary photography historically has revealed the social landscape of a particular time and place, in many cases raising awareness for certain issues and unveiling truths about the world in which we live. Wielding her camera in this tradition, Lebanese photographer Myriam Boulos (born 1992) endeavors to not only re-appropriate reality and truth, but “create a visual space in which both truths merge, dialogue, and coexist,” according to Boulos. In a recent acquisition, three photographs by Boulos were added to the permanent collection, each representative of the artist’s motivation to subvert social and political norms in place within her home country. LEBANON. Beirut. What’s ours (10/18/2019), captured the day after Lebanon’s October Revolution started, symbolizes the women who took part in those protests and the communities at large who stood together in a reclamation of their bodies, their neighborhoods, and their lives. In the artist’s words, “Because when we start saying no to one thing, it’s like a domino effect. We say no to everything that is normalized when it shouldn’t be in our life, from the political to the most intimate and personal things.”
American contemporary artist Devan Shimoyama (born 1989) is a world-building multi-disciplinary artist inspired by intersectional spiritualism and ancient mythologies. His mixed media work reflects, dismantles, and reimagines existing systems at play today, or it creates new systems altogether, while examining the complexities of race and sexuality. The Ulrich has a history of exhibiting artists early in their careers and acquiring works from those important shows. Togetherness (Eclipse) (2019) is the first work by Shimoyama to join the permanent collection and will be featured in the major solo exhibition Devan Shimoyama: Rituals, opening January 2025. The piece depicts a shamanistic figure entwined with snakes, which is a recurring character in Shimoyama’s works, first appearing in 2018, and it is emblematic of the artist’s visual vocabulary and universe creation.
Similarly, British artist Daniel Crews-Chubb (born 1984) is decidedly a painter of fictional characters, or rather, amalgamations of historical references. His practice involves a more expressive, improvisational application of his materials, combining charcoal, spray paint, sand, collaged fabrics, and impastoed oil paint in a chaotic flurry of movement. Inspired by ancient sculptures of deities and non-human figures, especially large-scale pre-Columbian sculptures, Crews-Chubb’s figures are both an homage and a fresh iteration of these sacred objects, as well as a conduit for experimentation. Immortal XIX (pink) (2023) is the first work by Crews-Chubb to enter into the Ulrich permanent collection.
Step inside monumental installations by contemporary artists never before exhibited in Wichita, and explore new media and making in hands-on creative spaces.
Abhidnya Ghuge, Unwrapped Saint, Percolated Peace (detail), 2015.
Woodblock printed paper plates, wire.
Courtesy of the artist and Women and Their Work Gallery.
Justin Favela, Valley of Oaxaca, 2018.
Tissue paper and glue.
Courtesy of the artist and David B. Smith Gallery.
Our 2025 Fall exhibitions and associated programs are made possible by the generosity of Ulrich50 donors, for which the Ulrich is very grateful. The Ulrich extends sincere thanks to members of Ulrich Friends with Benefits, whose ongoing support makes programming possible. The City of Wichita and Wichita State University provide funding support for the Ulrich’s general operations.
Abhidnya Ghuge, Unwrapped Saint, Percolated Peace, 2015. Woodblock printed paper plates, wire.
Courtesy of the artist and Women and Their Work Gallery.
Polk/Wilson Gallery
Organized by the Ulrich Museum of Art
Curated by Jo Reinert, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
Multidisciplinary artist Abhidnya Ghuge is known for her unique site-responsive installations made of rolled woodblock prints.
In July 2025, Ghuge will install a monumental piece at the Ulrich Museum of Art, created with approximately 10,000 woodblock-prints and wired infrastructure. Her practice involves printing onto and manipulating paper plates as a conceptual mode and is inspired by the ephemeral nature of the human experience.
As the disposable paper plate is recontextualized into a valuable object or treasure within her installations, Ghuge urges audiences to reflect on the value of human life, a woman’s life in particular, and to acknowledge power and potential in ourselves and others. Her intricate works are meditations on social and cultural dichotomies, while encouraging close-looking, deep introspection, and being present.
Ghuge’s work inherently embodies themes of belonging, community, time, and value, and these ideas are quite literally reflected in her process. In July 2025, WSU students and community members will be invited to assist Ghuge at the Ulrich, in the rolling and placing of the paper plates during installation. She enjoys the shared experience of creation and the different perspectives and patterns that emerge during that time. This approach represents the multifaceted identities and backgrounds of Ulrich audiences, and more broadly, of Wichita communities.
August 5 - December 6, 2025
Beren Gallery
Organized by the Ulrich Museum of Art
Curated by Vivian Zavataro, Executive and Creative Director
Justin Favela, a native of Las Vegas, is renowned for his large-scale installations in cartonería, the traditional Mexican art of piñata making. Through his practice, Favela celebrates his heritage and identity while reflecting themes of Latinidad, cultural appropriation, and art history. His vibrant, immersive creations offer a compelling commentary on the intersections of tradition and contemporary culture. Favela’s work frequently challenges the ways Latine culture is represented and commodified, inviting viewers to reconsider notions of authenticity and cultural ownership.
After over a decade of working with major cultural institutions, Favela is rethinking how he wants to engage with these organizations. His upcoming installation at the Ulrich Museum of Art will reflect on this relationship between the artist and the museum while continuing to address issues central to his practice. This exhibition marks a new chapter in Favela’s work, questioning how art can serve as a platform for personal expression and collective dialogue.
Throughout this installation, we invite our public to consider not only the content of Favela’s work but also the context in which it is presented, asking critical questions about the role of art institutions in shaping narratives and perpetuating stereotyping. Our goal is to challenge traditional boundaries for both the artist and the museum, creating a space to reimagine the possibilities of collaboration, representation, and cultural exchange.
We are thankful to Peri Widener for being the lead sponsor of this exhibition.
August 19 - December 6, 2025
Grafly Gallery
Museums are known as repositories of culture, where objects — whether artworks, utilitarian items, or anthropological artifacts — tell the stories of different communities. In Getting Personal, the Ulrich invites you to share a piece of your personal story by contributing an object from your life or connection to this area.
From February through the end of the exhibition in December 2025, you can participate in two ways: by submitting an object that holds personal meaning for you or by sharing an object related to Wichita. Each submission should include a short paragraph explaining the object’s significance. Beginning in February, a submission form will be available on our website. Our team will review each contribution and follow up with you about the next steps. Selected objects will be displayed at the Ulrich from August through December 2025. All objects will be returned to their owners in January 2026. You may choose to share your story anonymously or with your name — it’s entirely up to you!
The goal of this final phase of the Ulrich Co-Lab is to gather and share the histories of our community, fostering connections and empathy as we reflect on our shared present and past.
We are thankful to Emprise Bank for being the lead sponsor of this exhibition.
Our appreciation to the donors for their generous support.
Thanks to a generous gift from longtime Ulrich and WSU donor Stev Overstreet, our paid student internship program continues through Summer 2025.
The Stev Overstreet Ulrich Museum of Art Internship Fund supports four paid student internships. Our interns learn many aspects of running a museum: assisting with research for exhibitions, cataloging works of art, hands-on collection management, special events, and marketing and communications.
Overstreet, who retired recently, worked for 42 years as a Real Estate Manager for Boeing and then for Spirit AeroSystems. He was the first in his family to earn a college degree, graduating from WSU in 1968 and completing a Master of Science degree immediately following.
Additional support comes from the Kouri Assistantship
Endowment and WSU Student Government Association.
The Ulrich Alliance is a group of art enthusiasts who volunteer their time and talents at the Ulrich Museum. Ulrich Alliance volunteers include docents, students, educators, and our art curious community.
Join this ever-growing group of volunteers under the leadership of the Alliance Steering Committee who work to engage the community in meaningful ways.
We offer volunteer opportunities to embrace your unique talents, including:
Make friends in the Wichita creative community, use your talents to help the Ulrich engage new art fans, and share your passion for contemporary and modern art. Become an Ulrich Alliance volunteer!
Download the form and apply!
Questions? Email Brenda.Lichman@wichita.edu or Ann.Keefer@wichita.edu
Thank you to our cherished Ulrich Friends with Benefits members who provide indispensable support for programs, community outreach, and student engagement through philanthropic contributions. Click the link below to learn about our 2025 season, renew your membership, or become a new UFWB member.
For more information about Ulrich Friends with Benefits, contact Ann Keefer, Membership/Special Events Manager at Ann.Keefer@wichita.edu. You can also join online at foundation.wichita.edu and select Programs -> Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art and Fund -> Ulrich Friends with Benefits from the drop-down menus. Thank you for your support!
To become a member, fill our our membership form!
“Fiction can reflect our reality in nuanced and exciting ways, and in queer ways inherently. I want people to dip into this universe and challenge it and push the boundaries of it.”
Devan Shimoyama
featured in Devan Shimoyama: Rituals