If you have been at the Ulrich in the past two years, you might have participated in our curatorial experiment, the Ulrich Co-Lab. The four exhibitions that took place at Grafly Gallery aimed to interact with you! The final phase of the Ulrich Co-Lab brings together the voices, choices, feelings, and reflections of hundreds of visitors who engaged with this evolving venture. With, Not For: Centering Community, Connection, and Identity is both a culmination and a beginning—a collective portrait of what happens when museums become spaces of listening, co-creation, and care.
During the past two years, our community selected different artworks from our collection, shared their thoughts and ideas, and, together with our team, reimagined the role of the museum itself. Visitors connected pieces to Wichita neighborhoods and surrounding areas, wrote wall labels, voted on their favorite pieces made by local artists, and shared their personal stories and objects. With, Not For includes highlights from each Ulrich Co-Lab phase, transforming our museum into a space where academia meets lived experience.
As museums grapple with how to be more inclusive, relevant, and accountable, this exhibition offers one possible path forward: curating with, not for. We invite you to reflect on what we've made together and what we might continue to build. We are grateful for the trust, time, and stories you shared with us. You have helped to turn the Ulrich into a commons, a museum of, by, and for its people.
Organized by the Ulrich Museum of Art. Curated by Vivian Zavataro, executive and creative director.
