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Ulrich Newsletter Spring 2025 Cover

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

Spring
Exhibitions

U50 imagines the future of Ulrich exhibitions, with immersive art experiences that interpret our contemporary world and reflect new stories.

A Native American woman in a native-themed outfit that stylizes a Wonder Woman costume.

Cara Romero, Arla Lucia, 2020.
Photogravure.
Museum Purchase.

an american flag shape with a blue field with the words 'look for the moment when pride becomes contempt' and a red field that has the words who is free to choose? who is beyond the law? who is healed? who is housed? who speaks? who is silenced? Who salutes longest? who prays loudest?? who dies first? who laughs last?

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.

a colorful image of a Black man wearing nothing but underwear sitting on a bed

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.

Devan Shimoyama: 
Rituals

January 23 - June 14, 2025

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.

Plaster sculpture of the face and hands of a native american woman

Jim Riswold, Wounded Knee (Spotted Elk Death Mask), 2018-2020. Plaster, Edition of 3, AP.
Courtesy of the artist’s estate.

Plaster sculpture of a bearded civil-war-era solider with a chunk missing where his right eye should be

Jim Riswold, Wounded Knee (Colonel James W. Forsyth Death Mask), 2018-2020. Plaster, Edition of 3, AP.
Courtesy of the artist’s estate.

Jim Riswold’s 
American Death
Part 1

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.

Participants locate objects on a large map

The Ulrich Co-Lab Homegrown

January 23 - August 2, 2025

Grafly Gallery

Organized by the Ulrich Museum of Art Concept and research by Vivian Zavataro, Executive and Creative Director

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.

Museum Happenings

museum staff pose with the Millipede sculpture by Tom Otterness

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

Museum visitors discuss art in an ulrich gallery
A man sells art on the WSU campus

Martin H. Bush
Outdoor Sculpture Collection

LOVE Comes Home

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

Group of students with the LOVE statue

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.

U at 50 from 74to 2024

U50 Gala &
Book Release

SAVE THE DATE!
U50 Gala & Book Release Party

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

Spring Schedule

JANUARY

Pop-Up Exhibition | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

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.

Senior Wednesday | Ulrich Interns Take Over!

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.

Exhibition Opening Celebration & 50th Birthday Party

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.

Pop-Up Exhibition | Envision Arts

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.

FEBRUARY

Poetry Out Loud

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.

Love Wins Art Auction

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.

Senior Wednesday | Curating the Spring Exhibitions with James Porter, Jo Reinert, and Vivian Zavataro

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.

Visiting Artist Talk | Devan Shimoyama

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

Telling Your Stories | Photography Competition Exhibition

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.

Artist Workshop | Lumen Prints with Kendra Cremin

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.

Writing Now Reading Now | Ladee Hubbard

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.

Telling Your Stories | “I Needed Paris”

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.

Pop-Up Exhibition | Kansas Global Cuisines and Cultures Week

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.

Senior Wednesday | The Ulrich Co-Lab: Homegrown | Local Artist Panel

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.

Visiting Scholar Talk | Derrais Carter

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

Pop-Up Exhibition | Gaypril Drag Fest

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.

Makers & Masterpieces | Colorful Cultural Collisions

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.

WSU’s 15th Annual Drag Show

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.

Drag(ging) Douglas Queen Parade

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.

Roxy’s Drag Brunch and Panel Discussion

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!

Writing Now Reading Now | Michael Prior

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.

Open Streets ICT | Shocker Neighborhood

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.

Pop-Up Exhibition | The Hidden Side of EMS

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).

Senior Wednesday | Exhibition Panel:EMS, WSU Engineering, and ADCI

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.

Visiting Artist Talk | Bianca Beck

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

Closing Reception | The Hidden Side of EMS

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.

MAY

Open Streets | Nomar

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.

U50 Gala & Book Release Party

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.

Writing Now Reading Now | Graduate Reading

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.

Senior Wednesday | Photo Critique: Jennifer Ray

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.

Ulrich in the Riverfest Sundown Parade

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

Riverfest Kids Corner

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.

Summer Kids Artist Workshop | Get Creative with Printmaking

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.

Summer Studio Saturdays

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.

Senior Wednesday | Empty Bowls Build-a-Bowl

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.

Makers & Masterpieces: Pattern & Printmaking

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!

JULY

Summer Studio Saturdays

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.

Artist Talk | Abhidnya Ghuge

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.

Senior Wednesday | The Printmaking Process with Doug Billings

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.

Artist Talk | Justin Favela

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.

AUGUST

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.

Recent Acquisitions

A woman with a magenta head scarf over dark robes puts her face in her hand while another woman puts a hand on her shoulder

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.

human figure abstract

Devan Shimoyama, Togetherness (Eclipse), 2019. Oil, colored pencil, fabric, collage, rhinestones, jewelry, glitter, sequins, and Flashe on canvas stretched over panel.
Museum Purchase.

A man floats in space.

Images as Resistance:
Myriam Boulos

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.”

Mythological Archetypes in Contemporary Contexts

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.

Fall
Exhibitions

Step inside monumental installations by contemporary artists never before exhibited in Wichita, and explore new media and making in hands-on creative spaces.

Abstract bubble texture

Abhidnya Ghuge, Unwrapped Saint, Percolated Peace (detail), 2015.
Woodblock printed paper plates, wire.
Courtesy of the artist and Women and Their Work Gallery.

A landscape image made of strips of tissue paper

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.

A large, abstract sculpture made of wood block printed paper plates on a metal structure.

Abhidnya Ghuge, Unwrapped Saint, Percolated Peace, 2015. Woodblock printed paper plates, wire.
Courtesy of the artist and Women and Their Work Gallery.

Abhidnya Ghuge

July 22 - December 6, 2025

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.

Artist Justin Favela, in a skeleton tee shirt, poses in his studio.

Justin Favela

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.

The Ulrich Co-Lab exhibit is installed in the first floor Grafly Gallery at the Ulrich.

The Ulrich Co-Lab Getting Personal

August 19 - December 6, 2025

Grafly Gallery

Organized by the Ulrich Museum of Art Concept and research by Vivian Zavataro, Executive and Creative Director

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.

Two women talk in front of vibrant paintings

Ulrich50
Donors

Our appreciation to the donors for their generous support.

Director's Circle

  • Emprise Bank
  • Sondra Langel
  • Mike & Dee Michaelis

Presenter

  • Anna Anderson & Chris Shank
  • Don & Lora Barry
  • Martin & Ann Bauer
  • From the Dr. Sam Kouri Family in memory of Jacque Kouri
  • Dr. Sam Kouri
  • Lee & Ron Starkel
  • Peri Widener

Leader

  • Saroj Arab
  • Charlie Baker
  • Jim & Ruthie Gillespie
  • Dr. George & Eleanor Lucas
  • Errol & Suzanne Luginbill
  • Mosby Lincoln Foundation
  • Bruce & Linda Schreck

Stakeholder

  • Anonymous – In celebration of Ruth Ann Forsberg Martin
  • Dr. John & Nancy Brammer
  • Barry & Paula Downing Foundation
  • Chris & Genevieve Farha
  • Dr. Harold & Evelyn Gregg
  • Sonia Greteman & Chris Brunner
  • John & Karen Hageman
  • Lou & Terry Heldman
  • Gayle & Doug Malone
  • Jane McHugh
  • Derek Morgan & Dr. V. Kaye Monk-Morgan
  • Stev Overstreet
  • Donna & Martin Perline
  • Dwayne & Dottie Shannon Foundation
  • Don & Ellie Skokan
  • Craig & Laura Thompson

Associate

  • Justin & Mica Elkouri
  • Dr. Alan & Sharon Fearey
  • Fidelity Bank
  • Dr. H. Guy & Carol Glidden
  • Trish Higgins
  • Elizabeth & Don King
  • Deb McArthur & Mary Singleton
  • David & Rynthia Mitchell
  • Keith Pickus & Deirdre O’Farrell
  • Janel Razook
  • Shoko Sevart

Partner

  • Berry Foundation
  • Bikki Bevelhymer & Conor Donnelly
  • Drs. James D. Blakemore & Rebecca Whelan
  • Jim & Sara Farley
  • Gridley Family Foundation
  • Tracy Hoover & Curt D. Gridley
  • Dr. Shirley Lefever & Steve Berry
  • Patricia McDonnell & Larry Schwarm
  • Rick Muma & Rick Case
  • Dr. Anthony & Rachel Muscat
  • Kate Nicholson
  • Jan Twomey
  • Jeff & Janice Van Sickle

Friend

  • David Bernstorf
  • Pam Bjork
  • Eric Cale & Sarah Bagby
  • Tom & Terry Johnson
  • Dr. Patrick P. & Katherine McCoy
  • Angela Paul
  • Ann Marie Siegwarth
  • Teresa Veazey

Interns & Volunteers

“This a valuable experience for me because it allows me to connect with art beyond an academic standpoint and confer with like-minded people in a professional capacity.“ ­— Education Intern Serena Chau

MEET OUR 2024-2025 STEV OVERSTREET ULRICH INTERNS

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.

11 volunteers pose for a group photo

ALLIANCE VOLUNTEERS

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:

  • The Alliance Scholarship Committee which awards $1,000 each to a WSU graduate and undergraduate art student.
  • Working with Ulrich staff to create memorable events that showcase our exhibitions with parties, community events, and artist visits.
  • Leading art education tours for students and community members as a docent.
  • Chances for students to test-drive their careers in events, design, and museums.

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

Friends With Benefits

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.

Friends With Benefits Members

  • Brenda Aldinger & Albert Brouwer
  • Dr. Lionel & Tammy Alford
  • Anna Anderson & Christopher Shank
  • Saroj Arab
  • Charlie Baker
  • Don & Lora Barry
  • Michelle & Aaron Bastian
  • Martin & Ann Bauer
  • Dr. Denita Benyshek
  • Bikki Bevelhymer & Conor Donnelly
  • Pam Bjork
  • Drs. James D. Blakemore & Rebecca Whelan
  • Connie Bonfy
  • Dr. John & Nancy Brammer
  • Marie Bukowski
  • Gerri Colgan & Mike Klaassen
  • Carolyn Copple
  • Kendra Cremin
  • Jessica Emrick Davies
  • Patricia Dengler
  • Barry & Paula Downing
  • From the Dr. Sam Kouri Family in memory of Jacque Kouri
  • John & Connie Ernatt
  • Jana Erwin
  • Dean Bradley & Patrick Habkirk
  • Jill & Jeff Howard
  • Chris & Genevieve Farha
  • Diana & Ayham Farha
  • Vincent Farha
  • Dr. Alan & Sharon Fearey
  • Jim & Ruthie Gillespie
  • Dr. H. Guy & Carol Glidden
  • Hew & Judy Goodpasture
  • Patti Gorham & Jeff Kennedy
  • Dr. Harold & Evelyn Gregg
  • Sonia Greteman & Chris Brunner
  • Mr. & Mrs. Navid Haeri
  • Karen & John Hageman
  • Lou & Terry Heldman
  • Trish Higgins
  • Amy Hopper
  • Tracy Hoover
  • Tom & Terry Johnson
  • Elizabeth & Don King
  • Dr. Sam Kouri
  • Sondra Langel
  • Ed Lincoln
  • Dr. Shirley Lefever & Steve Berry
  • Dr. George & Eleanor Lucas
  • Errol & Suzanne Luginbill
  • Gayle & Doug Malone
  • Jerry Martin
  • Scott Martin
  • Debra McArthur & Mary Singleton
  • Patricia McDonnell & Larry Schwarm
  • Molly McFerson
  • Telly McGaha & Justin Brown
  • Jane McHugh
  • Lynda Medlock
  • Mike & Dee Michaelis
  • David & Rynthia Mitchell
  • Derek & Dr. V. Kaye Monk-Morgan
  • Rick Muma & Rick Case
  • Dennis Murphy & Dennis Reimer
  • Dr. Anthony & Rachel Muscat
  • Kate Nicholson
  • Richard Overby & Mat Buckingham
  • Stev Overstreet
  • Donna & Martin Perline
  • Keith Pickus & Deirdre O’Farrell
  • Janel Razook
  • Robert & Sharol Rasberry
  • Bruce & Linda Schreck
  • Bruce & Lisa Schriefer
  • Marcia Scurfield & Doug Billings
  • Shoko Sevart
  • Joe & Kathy Shanahan
  • Don & Ellie Skokan
  • Lee & Ron Starkel
  • Keith & Georgia Stevens
  • Craig & Laura Thompson
  • Jan Twomey
  • Janice K. & Jeff Van Sickle
  • Teresa Veazey
  • Peri Widener

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!

Partners

“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

Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Closed Sundays and Mondays, University & Major Holidays
ulrich@wichita.edu | Free Admission | 316.978.3664
1845 Fairmount; Wichita, KS 67260-0046
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