2025 vol 81 issue 1 / kansasmag.com
a new light on the classics
EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS IN THE CAPITAL CITY Catch twinkling lights across the city including Topeka Zoo Lights, TARC’s Winter Wonderland at Lake Shawnee, and Miracle on Kansas Avenue Parade in Downtown Topeka. Shop local stores, enjoy the magic of winter, and discover your #TopCity adventure.
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Step into a world where art and illumination merge to create a truly
Whether you're an art enthusiast or simply looking for an inspiring outing, the Museum of Art and Light promises a dazzling journey through creativity and brilliance. Opening this November. Join us and see art in a new light!
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captivating experience using innovative lighting techniques.
WHAT’S INSIDE /
featured
featured stories
38
Big, Bold and Beautiful
There might be close to 500 murals across Kansas, thanks to artists, civic groups, and funding programs dedicated to transforming walls, silos, grain bins and other public spaces into works of art
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A Luminous Debut
PHOTO Ashley Walker
The Museum of Art + Light in Manhattan opens to redefine possibilities for modern galleries
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WHAT’S INSIDE /
departments
kansas DETAILS
10
80 Years
A Look Back at How
KANSAS! Covered Kansas
12
Heartland
14
Culture
16
Behind the Scenes
People and Places That Define Us
Arts and Experiences
A Conversation with
KANSAS! Contributors
18
Captured
Authentic Life in the Sunflower State
We Love Kansas 20 Reasons Celebrating Unique Attractions
wide open SPACES
Town Where Sausage 24 AGets Its Day
Some of the most eclectic, fun,
and community-building festivals can be found in small towns across Kansas
Grille Brings 28 Barolo Artsy Atmosphere on
and Around the Tables
This Salina restaurant matches
the surrounding spirit of a savvy, fun and revitalized downtown
as Art 32 Textile A small museum on the campus
of Kansas State University houses a rare and unusual collection of historic clothing and textiles
PHOTO Jason Dailey
Folk dancers perform at the Third Friday Art Walk in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood of Kansas City.
On the Cover A visitor stands inside the exhibition “Renoir: A Luminous Evolution” at the Mezmereyz Gallery of the Museum of Light + Art, which opened in Manhattan in November 2024. Photograph by Susan Kraus.
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IN EVERY ISSUE 7
The Extra Details
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Kansas Gallery
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64
Hello from Our Publisher From the Poet Laureate
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KANSAS! (ISSN 0022-8435) is published five (5) times per year by Kansas Tourism 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100 Topeka, KS 66612; 785.296.3479; TTY Hearing Impaired: 785.296.3487. Periodical postage paid at Topeka, KS, and at additional mailing offices. Newsstand price $5 per issue; subscription price $20 per year; $36 for two years. All prices include all applicable sales tax. Please address subscription inquiries to: Toll-free: 800.678.6424 KANSAS!, 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100 Topeka, KS 66612 Email: kansas.mag@ks.gov | Website: www.KansasMag.com POSTMASTER: Send address change to: KANSAS!, P.O. Box 146, Topeka, KS 66601-0146.
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Please mail all editorial inquiries to: KANSAS!, 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100 Topeka, KS 66612 email: kansas.mag@ks.gov The articles and photographs that appear in KANSAS! magazine may not be broadcast, published or otherwise reproduced without the express written consent of Kansas Tourism or the appropriate copyright owner. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Additional restrictions may apply.
30 Murals in the County
Zoo • Museums • Rodeos • Festivals • Milford Lake • Water Parks Hunting • Kansas Landscape Arboretum
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the extra details
the extra details Around the State 1 Norton / page 19
2 Hiawatha / page 20
7 2
1 8
3 Columbus / page 23
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4 Fredonia / page 24 5 Salina / page 28
6 Kinsley / page 38
7 Fairview / page 44
PHOTO/ILLUSTRATION (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Kansas Tourism, AdobeStock/sila5775, Kansas Tourism
8 Clay Center / page 43
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Volland Foundation Residencies Each year, artists have an opportunity to apply for a residency at the Volland Foundation in Wabaunsee County for the spring, summer, or fall. The two-four week residencies come with housing and stipends and allow artists to develop and explore personal projects in a rural Kansas setting. Begun in 2013, the residencies have hosted choreographers, novelists, songwriters, sculptors, and more from Kansas and around the world. For more information about the residencies or the public art shows at Volland, see vollandfoundation.org Tallgrass Artist Residency In 2025, the
small Flint Hills town of Matfield Green will again host a series of artists to live and work in their community as part of the Tallgrass Artist Residency. Sponsored by the Kansas Arts Commission, this program brings artists who live in an area that is or was ecologically considered to be prairie land. The artists are provided living space and a stipend to document and share a creative process over the period of 12 days. tallgrassartistresidency.org
Record runner numbers! In our 2024 edition #3, we introduced the Crossroads Marathon in Salina and the success of the relatively new race event. On November 2, Salina hosted the 2024 Crossroads Marathon with a record registration of over 5,202 runners. The entrants arrived from across Kansas, the nation, and
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the globe with international racers representing countries such as Japan. The race had success with group registrations as well and was proud that running clubs such as Team Take Down, a national group of African American marathon runners, chose Crossroads Marathon as their national gathering spot in 2024.
hello F R O M O U R P U B L I S H E R
Murals keep Kansas towns colorful and vibrant.
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ANDREA ETZEL
PUBLISHER, KANSAS! MAGAZINE
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PHOTO Andrea Etzel
I thought public murals were a hot trend a few years ago, but this movement has only grown in popularity. Do you follow Junction City muralist Mindy Allen (@mindysmurals on Instagram; Mindy’s Murals on Facebook; @mindys_murals on X) on social media? If not, I highly recommend it. She documents her work on new mural projects in Kansas and other locations. In the feature story “Big, Bold and Beautiful,” Allen and other Kansas mural artists share their process and recent work. Discover the vibrant mural revitalizing Kinsley, a collaboration between acclaimed musician Freedy Johnston and artist Dave Loewenstein. This colorful work, weaving Johnston’s life story into a heartfelt homage to his hometown, celebrates Kinsley’s charm and its iconic status as the midpoint between New York and San Francisco. Public art isn’t just a pretty picture. It’s a statement, a conversation starter, and a community builder. Whether it’s a bold mural splashed across a town wall or a quirky sculpture tucked away in a park, public art can transform our surroundings and inspire our souls. It breathes life into our neighborhoods, attracts visitors, and fosters a sense of pride and belonging. As we celebrate Kansas’ growing public art scene, Manhattan’s new Museum of Art & Light is a must-visit. The first of its kind in the world, MOA+L is a contemporary museum creating immersive experiences through technology. Kansans and visitors can now appreciate art in a whole new way. Kansas’ art scene is alive and thriving. I hope these stories inspire you. Explore, support, and celebrate the art that makes each town in our state a bit brighter and more beautiful.
PA I D A DV E R T I S E M E N T
80 Years / K A N S A S D E T A I L S
KANSAS! is turning 80
o
ver the last eight decades, KANSAS! has established a legacy of celebrating the best of the Sunflower State—its people and places—its mission to inspire Kansans to love where they live while being a postcard from home to those who’ve moved away. This special anniversary section is dedicated to looking back at the evolution of KANSAS! through the years, paying tribute to past contributors and honoring former editors.
A Legacy in the Making Illustration by F. Blackbear Bosin
Do you have a favorite story or memory of KANSAS!? Maybe you remember the first issue you read, or a story that you think back to. We’re asking readers to share their favorite KANSAS! memory. 10 KANSAS! magazine
KANSAS DETAILS /
80 Years
There are exciting “gifts” in the works, the first one arriving at beginning of the new year. In preparation for the anniversary, we’ve gone through the archives and reread every issue. All 407 of them. Similar to going through a time capsule, we came across new revelations and a few surprises. One example was learning Kiowa-Comanche artist Blackbear Bosin illustrated a story for the magazine in fall of 1965. In Kansas, Bosin may be best known as the sculptor of Wichita’s iconic Keeper of the Plains statue. Bosin became known internationally when his painting Prairie Fire appeared in National Geographic and was later displayed in the White House. His work was also featured in both Time and Life magazines.
PHOTO Archives of KANSAS! magazine
Opposite Olorro con re, quae. Alit pre etur, nis siti voluptam, ad quos sa ex et aut volesci Above Olorro con re, quae. Alit pre etur, nis siti voluptam, ad quos sa ex et aut volesci
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heartland / K A N S A S D E T A I L S
Art Walks Part art show, part entertainment, part food-fest, and part community gathering—art walks across Kansas lift artists and civic pride Photography by Jason Dailey
t’s a Third Friday Art Walk evening at Kansas City’s Strawberry Hill neighborhood. A steady stream of foot traffic makes its way from the surrounding residential streets, joining teens showing off the bikes they manufactured and customized at Lowriding & Success Bike Club, hula-hooping youth from Chani’s Dance Academy, painters, illustrators, jewelry artists, florists, and food vendors. Before the evening is finished, attendance will have reached some 2,000 people, a huge success for an event that began in June 2021 with only a few dozen participants. Caroline Meek, who helps coordinate the event through her work at the nonprofit Community Housing of Wyandotte County, says that as the art walk has grown, it has kept the same goals— to promote local artists in ways that nourish the community. The Kansas City Art Walk gives priority vending spots to neighborhood creatives and partners with area businesses and civic groups to highlight art and the community behind it.
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“The focus on celebrating art and people at a family-friendly neighborhood event is really important to us. Our organization’s whole idea is that it takes more than a house to make a good neighborhood.” —CAROLINE MEEK
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“The focus on celebrating art and people at a familyfriendly neighborhood event is really important to us,” Meek says. “Our organization’s whole idea is that it takes more than a house to make a good neighborhood.” Many other Kansas communities have seen similar success with art walk events. Though there is no official registry of art walks, Kansas Arts Commission Director Curtis Young says art walks and similar events are making an impact in large and small towns. “They add to the identity and quality of life in a community,” Young says, noting that
KANSAS DETAILS /
heartland
because art walks are often in concentrated, pedestrian areas, they can strengthen community main streets, downtowns, or business districts. Sarah Fizell, executive director of nonprofit Arts Connect in Topeka, says art walks bring proven economic benefits. “Art walks are free events, but they are an economic driver,” Fizell says. “They encourage shopping, buying dinner, getting out of the house. All the art walks I am aware of are focused on local businesses, so the money spent for those events stays in the communities.” Fizell’s group coordinates Topeka’s First Friday Art Walk, which evolved from similar art walks held since 2006. She says over those two decades, the art walk has created pride and identity for the city and its artist community. It has also introduced people of all ages and backgrounds to works of art by fellow residents. “First Friday Art Walks are for everyone,” Fizell says. “You don’t have to be an artist or work in the arts community— you are qualified to have entry into the arts. This is important, especially in the Midwest, where we don’t always feel or claim to be ‘artsy.’ Art walks are a way we build grassroots support for arts in our community.”
Kansas City Topeka
Opposite Vendors set up at the Third Friday Art Walk. Organizers say they work closely with local businesses and residents to ensure that the market has a madelocal flavor. Above Vendors at the Third Friday Art Walk are a mix of painters, potters, illustrators, jewelry artists, chefs, and even an occasional poet, such as Dan Erickson who sold poems for a good price at a recent Art Walk.
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culture / K A N S A S D E T A I L S
When Art Flows Tom Egan creates unique, interactive waterworks for museums and learning centers Story by Cecilia Harris Photography by Jane Serene
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culture
Salina Manhattan Wichita
plus.
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hen Tom Egan was a child growing up in Salina, he could be found outdoors whenever it rained, capturing and diverting water as it ran down his family’s driveway and into the street. As an adult, he now creates free-standing water tables of interactive art for children of all ages. “When young people start that activity, they will become totally engrossed in it,” says Egan, who now resides in Manhattan. “What the children are doing is constantly imagining their next moves, not just one but several multiple variations in an already relatively complex pattern that they are creating. What I really love about that thoughts-flow activity is that there is no wrong move. Nothing can interrupt their successful progression of changing the flow, and that means that their mind is constantly engaged in this abstract concept of what they can do next.”
Tom Egan’s Two Favorite Kansas Science Centers
“What the children are doing is constantly imaging their next moves ... and that means that their minds are constantly engaged.” —TOM EGAN Egan created his first module in 1998 and continues with fellow water artist Todd Hutchinson, who contributes to the designs and is responsible for production at a facility in Salina. As the years have passed, the designs have become more intricate, and the tables have grown in size. Egan’s water-art modules range from 10 feet long by 40 inches wide to 15 feet, 5 inches long by 59 inches wide. Waterwheels, turbines, dams and aqueducts are all possible additions. A replica of the Erie Canal lock can also be added, allowing people to introduce or remove water from the module floor within the lock, replicating how an actual lock works to transfer ships in the real world, Egan explains. Launched late last summer, a Make It Rain extension module features a rain enclosure with a realistic-looking cloud. Visitors may create a gentle rain to fall on tempered glass or hold both rain controls on simultaneously to produce torrential rain with lightning flashes and low thunder. One of Egan’s designs, Go with the Flow, fascinates children at Wichita’s Exploration Place, where Brooke Bowzee-Graham is director of exhibits. “It’s a very popular exhibit,” says Bowzee-Graham. “It’s one of the most popular things we have in our Explore Kansas area.”
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Opposite This close-up view of one of Tom Egan’s water art modules shows the movement and interactive possibilities that characterize his creations.
Water artist and engineer Tom Egan has traveled the world, conducting in-depth visits to more than 100 science centers and museums. His two favorites in Kansas are Exploration Place in Wichita and the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan. Filled with interactive exhibits and offering engaging programs that encourage a deeper interest in science and technology, Exploration Place strives to inspire the next generation of scientists, inventors and innovators. Egan points to the “Design Build Fly” exhibit as an ideal museum exhibit for interactive learning. Egan praises the Flint Hill Discovery Center’s Immersive Experience Theater, where guests feel the wind rush through their hair and watch smoke from a prairie fire roll across the floor during a multimedia presentation called “Tallgrass Prairie: Tides of Time.” “The prairie fire exhibit is unique; not only is it visual and audio, but it is olfactory,” he says of the smell of smoke when entering the room. “It is even varied in its content of the olfactory as it begins and then passes through from the fresh smoke to the stale smoke, which is a different odor. I thought that was incredible.” exploration.org 316.660.0600 flinthillsdiscovery.org 785.587.2726
behind the scenes / K A N S A S D E T A I L S
BEHIND THE SCENES WITH
Tanner Colvin Born and raised in Salina, photographer Tanner Colvin has lived in Kansas for 37 years. He studied photography at Kansas Wesleyan University and began his career photographing sporting events. He has always looked up to Tom Dorsey and the work he produced for the Salina Journal. Since then, his portfolio has grown exponentially. Now he works as a creative director at the global company Vortex while running a freelance photo business on the side. As his photography business continues to grow, he enjoys storm chasing, gardening, and taking every opportunity to photograph something he is passionate about.
What is one of the hardest subjects to photograph badly? To photograph well? Each year, Salina Arts & Humanities hires me to capture the Smoky Hill River Festival in Salina. I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by a wide variety of other creatives; capturing their energy and passion always seems to come easy. As for the hardest thing to photograph well? Weddings. Tell us about the shot that got away. In 2015, I was covering the Sunflower Showdown at Bramlage Coliseum for the Salina Journal. Kansas State won, and as students rushed the court, one student ran into Kansas’ forward Jamari Traylor. The incident happened right in front of me and I was caught watching it rather than documenting it. What is your favorite chance photo taken in Kansas? Two years ago, I was spending some time at the Smoky Hill River Festival capturing the art installations during the good morning light. While shooting along the river, [I saw] a great blue heron [wander] amongst artist Curt Krob’s sculptures, suspended in the river channel. Tell us about the moments leading up to one of the photographs in this collection of your work. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I stumbled upon a YouTube video showcasing a photography technique called shutter drag. We had a lot more free time during those days, so I wanted to learn a new technique. I reached out to Greg Victors, also known as the Wichita War Dancer [a member of the Tohono O’dham and Ponca nations], to see if he was willing to be my subject. I was able to shoot with Greg, made a new friend, and was pleased with the outcome of the photoshoot. What is your favorite photoshoot of your career? I had always wanted to photograph football in a blizzard, not just snow. Last year’s Kansas State versus Iowa State game crossed that wish off my list. The heavy snow did make focusing difficult, but it added so much flavor to the game.
tannercolvin.smugmug.com
Where is a Kansas location you have never photographed, but would like to? Arikaree Breaks in the far northwest part of the state. It wasn’t until the documentary Kansas From Above came out that I even knew these badlands existed; it’s wildly different from the southeast part of the state and is part of what makes Kansas beautiful.
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PHOTOS COURTESY Tanner Colvin
What’s a Kansas location that you return to again and again to photograph? Kanopolis Lake State Park has always been a favorite place of mine to visit. I am especially drawn to Horsethief Canyon during the winter months. Maxwell Wildlife Refuge and Coronado Heights are also favorites.
“Not all photoshoots produce a winner. It’s OK to fail. You will often learn more from a failed shoot than one with instant success.” –TANNER COLVIN
captured / K A N S A S D E T A I L S Anita Hirsch / Photographer
Norton County
AnitaHirschPhotography.com
Anita Hirsch captured this image using her Canon Rebel T7i and a wide angle lens. She has been a photographer for 42 years and has a studio in Oberlin.
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KANSAS DETAILS /
captured
“I just stumbled on this. I stumble on a lot of things. I was just going down the road and this caught my eye, as I’ve always been attracted to this type of graphic art. I had to walk a bit to get where I wanted to be, and when I approached the scene, there was this sumac that was just beautiful and in the right places.” –Anita Hirsch
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reasons we love kansas / K A N S A S D E T A I L S
Columbus Hiawatha Overbrook Victoria Wallace
Kansas REASONS WE LOVE
By Cecilia Harris IN THIS ISSUE
Cemetery Art Lasting works of art adorn final resting places across the state
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JOHN DAVIS MEMORIAL Mount Hope Cemetery, Hiawatha Some say it was built out of spite; others say it was built from a great love. Either way, the John Davis Memorial in Hiawatha is an enduring, masterful work of art. John and Sarah Davis’ frugality and hard work resulted in a prosperous farm and great wealth. After Sarah died in 1930, John put aside his thriftiness to replace her humble headstone in Hiawatha’s Mount Hope Cemetery with a massive memorial. The first phase was a 52-ton Vermont granite canopy on six granite pillars surrounding her grave. Davis sent a photograph taken on the couple’s 50th wedding anniversary to artisans in Carrara, Italy, where two life-sized statues of the couple were carved of marble; Sarah’s likeness was praised for capturing her delicate facial features. Davis was so pleased with the results that he added seven more marble statues, all carved in Italy and reflecting their life together. The last two installments were granite: an empty, overstuffed chair engraved with the words “The Vacant Chair” next to a second chair where an elderly Davis is seated. “Not only are they beautiful statues, they are museum-quality marble statues in the middle of Kansas,” says Katie Miller, president of the Hiawatha Chamber and Visitors Bureau. “If you look at pictures, they look exactly like the Davises.” An orphan, Kentucky-born John Davis settled in Brown County in 1887 as a young man and found a job working for a local farmer. “He fell in love with the farmer’s
PHOTOS Nick Krug
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reasons we love kansas
daughter,” Miller says. “They didn’t really want her marrying him.” The couple married anyway, bought a farm, and then used any profit to buy more farmland, including some of the best in the county. When Davis began building the memorial after Sarah’s death, local citizens suggested he instead channel his wealth to charities or build a hospital, park or swimming pool to benefit the community during the Great Depression. As Davis rejected those ideas and continued spending his wealth on Sarah’s memorial, criticism spread and resentment grew. “People were hounding him all the time, asking, ‘Why are you doing this?’ And he was standoffish,” says Miller. However, later stories revealed that Davis secretly helped needy families. “He gave thousands of dollars away,” Miller explains. “But his stipulation was you didn’t say it was from him.” Without knowing about Davis’ charity, the community spread rumors that he was spiteful, that he never forgave Sarah’s family for not supporting his marriage, and that he didn’t treat his wife well when she was alive, only to extravagantly memorialize her after her death, according to Miller. “That’s not true; Sarah had rheumatoid arthritis, it was juvenile, so John took care of her physically quite a bit,” Miller says, adding research has revealed that John struggled with social interaction and had relied on Sarah to navigate such situations throughout their life together. “When you put that in perspective,” Miller notes, “the love story shows up.” Miller believes that Davis had been affected by his childhood as an orphan, and that the memorial was his way to show “he was loved, had a love, and a life together.”
For Miller, there is little question whether the memorial was built from spite or love. “Love had to be more of the motivator,” she says. “It’s beautiful; it’s their courtship, it’s their marriage, their anniversary—it’s their life. If it was truly just spite, there’s so much that he could have done, even spending on a memorial, but he chose to focus
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“It’s beautiful; it’s their courtship, it’s their marriage, their anniversary— it’s their life.” —KATIE MILLER on their life together, and to me, that speaks volumes.” Ironically, the personal memorial might also have been John’s greatest gift to the community. Miller says the Davis memorial draws up to 30,000 people to Hiawatha each year. Unfortunately, sections were vandalized decades ago, and although the broken statues were repaired, one still is missing John’s sculpted head. “It was the most heartbreaking statue; it was John kneeling over his wife’s grave, and it screamed sorrow. It was gut-wrenching, and it was beautiful,” Miller says, adding she still hopes the sculpted head will be recovered someday. hiawathaks.com / 785.742.7136
Just 53 miles east of the Colorado border on I-70
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300,000 acres of public access hunting within a short drive from Colby!
Home of the
The historic St. Fidelis cemetery features grave markers as old as 120 years, many of which are intricate Volga German iron crosses. Originating from the Volga River region of southern Russia, these German-speaking settlers, the “Wolgadeutsche,” left these enduring symbols of their heritage. IRON CROSSES St. Fidelis Cemetery Victoria Iron crosses mark the graves of Volga German pioneers buried in several Catholic cemeteries in Ellis County and elsewhere in Kansas. After nature’s elements ruined the wooden crosses first marking the burial sites, blacksmiths and others began creating the much more durable wrought-iron crosses for the graves. Often made of scrap metal, the crosses included latticework, coiled patterns, rayed circles, sunbursts, halos with a ray-burst design, and hearts cut from tin added to the pipes forming the main cross structure, according to getruralkansas.com. Over 100 iron crosses mark graves in St. Fidelis Cemetery north of Victoria. Many iron crosses also may be found in cemeteries near Munjor, Walker, Catherine, Pfeifer, Schoenchen, Ellis, Hays and Antonino, all in Ellis County. stfidelischurch.com 785.735.2777
STONE OBELISK Fort Wallace Cemetery, Wallace In 1867, members of the 7th Cavalry and the 3rd Infantry erected a limestone obelisk at Fort Wallace Cemetery to honor their comrades who died in battle that year. Established in 1865, the fort served as headquarters for troops protecting travelers headed west to Denver along the Smoky Hill Trail. Striving to defend their lands, Indigenous forces attacked the outpost in June 1867 and killed 10 of the 20 people who died at the fort that year, according to the post surgeon’s records. Although most of the soldiers’ remains later were moved to Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery, the monument still stands in their honor. Stone walls enclose the Fort Wallace Cemetery within the Wallace Township Cemetery. ftwallace.com 785.891.3564
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VIVIAN BUTEL STATUE Overbrook Cemetery The family of Vivian Butel, who died at the age of four in 1918, memorialized the child with a custom statue. Located in the Overbrook Cemetery, the headstone depicts her standing with one hand on a tree stump and the other on a gate made of tree branches; there’s a rosebud on the ground by her feet. At that time, the tree stump symbolized life interrupted or the individual being separated from the family. The gate represented the gateway to Heaven, and the broken rose bud represented a premature death. The November 7, 1918, issue of the Overbrook Citizen newspaper reported that her father, a dentist, was away in Colorado when the young girl found a small, unopened box of medicine tablets. Thinking it was candy, she opened the box and swallowed several pills that contained a small amount of strychnine, at the time prescribed in low doses for various ailments. She died within four hours. 785.828.3477
T.J. LOSEY MEMORIAL City Cemetery, Columbus A larger-than-life statue of Thomas J. Losey (1846–1936) marks his grave on his family plot in City Cemetery, Columbus. According to Cherokee County Kansas GenealogicalHistorical Library records, Losey traveled to Kentucky twice in the early 1920s to model for the monument and stayed several months. The carved limestone and concrete sculpture features the 14th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry colonel dressed in his Civil War uniform, a sword hanging from his belt. He stands at parade rest and, with both hands, holds the barrel of a rifle with its butt on the ground. The sculpture is atop an inscribed pedestal with a flowering vine motif and a relief of crossed swords on one side. To his right, a sculpted tree memorializes his wife, Flora, who died in 1901, according to the library’s records. Behind the sculpture are gravestones, shaped like logs, for two daughters who died young and a son. The tree theme extends to a bench and chairs supported by tree stumps. 620.429.2292
The Vivian Butel statue overlooks the town where she spent her final days, a poignant tribute to a life cut short. Visitors leave tokens and mementos in her memory but may be unaware of the heartbreaking circumstances of her death. 23 KANSAS! magazine
Aug. 13, 2024-May 31, 2025
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WIDE OPEN
A TOWN WHERE SAUSAGE GETS ITS DAY Some of the most eclectic, fun, and community-building festivals can be found in small towns across Kansas Story by Beccy Tanner
Photography by Justin Lister
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spaces
WIDE OPEN
spaces
e all have our favorites. Those festivals that draw us year after year, celebrations that feel like home, with comfort foods, friends, music and art thrown in. You know the ones. Throw a festival, a party or a fair, and Kansans will undoubtedly attend, some out of loyalty and others out of curiosity. But throw some unexpected quirk in it, and people will line up every year to experience the humor and sometimes even the audacity of some festivals. Case in point: Fredonia’s Sausage Fest, now a town tradition.
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In 2024, more than a thousand people (or roughly half the population of Fredonia) gathered in and around the town square for hours of sausagethemed entertainment. There was a traditional hot dog eating contest; a wiener wagon where people ride a pedal bike wagon around the town square; a Wiener Weway contest where contestants down a hot dog, chug beer and run around the square with a kielbasa baton; a Mr. Hot Link Contest and more. “It’s just fun for everyone to laugh and be responsibly naughty together,” Bacani McKenney said.
“I think Sausage Fest has helped Fredonia earn a reputation for being fun and a community-centered town. It’s one of those things that people love to tell their friends about just to get a laugh out of them, but those friends then show up —JENNIFER BACANI MCKENNEY to see it in action.”
Above Contestants compete in the sausage-eating contest at Fredonia’s annual Sausage Fest.
Jennifer Bacani McKenney came up with the idea for the festival in 2015, when a stranger on an airplane and asked her what her hometown was famous for. Did it have one of those festivals? Not really, she said at first. But as the conversation evolved, the family physician at the Fredonia Regional Hospital and owner of the Fredonia Family Care center found herself talking about farms. Then, it turned to livestock and the idea of what a festival could look like and set Fredonia apart from other festivals across Kansas. Thus, the idea of a Sausage Fest was born, a gathering with a few doubleentendres, but mostly a family-friendly celebration of farming heritage. Now, the Fredonia Sausage Fest, held on the final Saturday of August each year, has become part of the town’s identity. “People love the idea that we push the limits a bit with our events, our themes, and just the fact that we’re all having fun for good cause,” Bacani McKenney says.
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taken out of the downtown square. We have a great partnership with the local law enforcement, so they send officers to patrol and make sure adults and kids alike can have a safe event.”
Earning reputation We asked Marci Penner, co-director of the Kansas Sampler Foundation near Inman, what some of her nearly 5,000 followers on Facebook look for in their favorite quirky festivals. Their responses varied. Some said their favorite was the longstanding Elk Falls Outhouse Festival held on the Friday and Saturday before Thanksgiving. That’s where the town’s outhouses are decorated in good and not-so-discreet bathroom humor. Liberal has its pancakes and International Pancake Day race with Olney, England. The race in 2025 will be March 4. Cuba has a Rock-A-Thon (usually starts the third week in March) with residents and alums rocking in rocking chairs for a week to raise money for town projects. WaKeeney has its Buzzard Bash because who doesn’t like celebrating turkey vultures with a festival? It’s in April each year. Scott City holds its arts and crafts Whimmydiddle Festival on the last Saturday in September. Lindsborg has Svensk Hylingsfest, which celebrates the town’s Swedish heritage, and Vaffeldagen, a festival of waffles. The town of Geneseo goes all out to honor space travelers in its UFO Day, held in July. And apparently some of us—only some of us—appreciate a good testicle festival (also known as Rocky Mountain Oyster feeds) in communities such as Wilson, Dodge City, and Harper. But what makes a good festival with enough quirk to draw crowds? “People have come to expect entertaining events, great food vendors, a fun beer garden and unique T-shirts and themes, all in a safe community setting,” says Fredonia’s Bacani McKenney. “Everyone has to realize that they have to follow the rules, so only alcohol purchased at the Sausage Fest is allowed, and it can’t be
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Celebrating good causes Fredonia’s Sausage Fest is also all about raising money for the community. Located in Wilson County in southeastern Kansas, Fredonia has about 2,000 residents. Back in 2012, Bacani McKenney was one of the key people instrumental in starting a group called Cultivate Fredonia. The group works to help beautify and cultivate quality housing, as well as to support healthy living projects such as walking trails. Money raised from the Sausage Fests helps fund projects such as Every Child Deserves a Bike, which encourages the town’s second graders to sign up and receive a bicycle. This year’s festival raised more than $15,000 in one evening. “I think Sausage Fest has helped Fredonia earn a reputation for being fun and a community-centered town,” Bacani McKenney says. “It’s one of those things that people love to tell their friends about just to get a laugh out of them, but those friends then show up to see it in action. As the attendance rises, we have more vendors who are interested, which then invites even more people to show up. So, it’s a great cycle of sausage-y success.”
Above Dachsunds—or wiener dogs as they are also known—were honored guests at the Sausage Fest.
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“People love the idea that we push the limits a bit with our events, our themes, and just the fact that we’re all having fun for good cause.” —JENNIFER BACANI MCKENNEY
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BAROLO GRILLE BRINGS ARTSY ATMOSPHERE ON AND AROUND THE TABLES This Salina restaurant matches the surrounding spirit of a savvy, fun and revitalized downtown Story by Meta Newell West
Photography by Jason Dailey
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oliday party planning is underway at Barolo Grille in Salina. Last year’s 2023–2024 holiday festivities included an over-thetop, pop-up style party featuring a lighted archway and hundreds of colorful beribboned ornaments suspended from the ceiling. This year’s event has expectations to meet and beat. “Lots of effort goes into making this a place where people can come and celebrate the season,” says Vaughn Kresin, the restaurant’s operating partner. By late summer, Kresin and his team were dropping some social media hints about their plans, along with what he calls images and videos of “real” restaurant operations: chefs preparing food, wait staff serving customers and even kitchen disasters, such as a puddle of tea covering the floor after the spigot on the brewing machine was left open; the caption read, “You’re not a real restaurant worker until this happens …” From holiday dreams to daily dishes, the Barolo Grille is devoted to ensuring that dining pleases the palate and the eye, according to Jason Cao, who opened the restaurant in 2020 and oversees the backof-house operations. Cao says his team of chefs and cooks represents diverse backgrounds but is “fueled by their love for culinary art,” emphasizing the skill and the aesthetic. Hand-cut meats, such as wagyu beef from Saline and Dickinson County, are featured in dishes. The grilled salmon filet is served with champagne sauce. Steaks are cooked to order with freshly prepared sauces and vegetable sides. Sushi lovers can select from a wide range, including the house invention, the Howard roll, which features a crab and jalapeño roll topped with seared Howard waygu beef. House-made desserts are the grand finale, including cheesecake, brown sugar pie, and rich and sumptuous chocolate Sorrento. Change is inevitable in the ever-evolving restaurant industry landscape, but changes at Barolo Grille are also sometimes driven
h
Above Barolo Grille is located in Salina’s revitalized downtown, where the city has prioritized public art projects such as statues and murals. Right Barolo Grille’s Korean-inspired meatballs represent the restaurant’s blend of tradition and innovation.
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by customer input. Vaughn mentions that shortly after removing pan-fried liver from the menu, he reinstated it in response to diner demand. “Basically, we try to offer something for everyone, and we are willing to make adjustments according to diners’ needs,” he adds. There are gluten-free and vegetarian offerings, and the house regularly leaves out or substitutes ingredients according to customer preference. Happy Hour, from 3 to 6 p.m. (or until closing on Wednesdays), offers customers a variety of reduced-price dishes.
more. Barolo Grille 112 S Santa Fe Ave, Salina / 785.833.2272 HOURS
3–9 p.m. Monday–Thursday 3–10 p.m. Friday–Saturday closed Sunday
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enjoy. Barolo Grille’s Korean-Inspired Meatballs Created by Chef Jonathan Covert, these meatballs have become a popular addition to the small-plate offerings on Barolo Grille’s menu. Although this recipe is sized for restaurant offering, it can easily be cut in half or quartered. Many of the ingredients can be adjusted for desired flavor profile. YIELD 32 two-ounce meatballs INGREDIENTS PASTE
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Selections include favorites such as crab and jalapeño tempura, loaded flatbreads, roasted red pepper hummus, and the ever-popular ahi-tuna street tacos. New chef creations, such as Koreaninspired meatballs, keep things interesting. At the bar, manager Kara Reith makes her own simple syrups, infusing them with a variety of flavors for both seasonal and traditional cocktails and alcohol-free mocktails such as margaritas, Long Island iced teas and Moscow mules. In keeping with its namesake Barolo (the name of a dry Italian red wine), the restaurant offers a wide selection of Italian reds as well as white wines. And, following the somethingfor-everyone theme, the bar also offers dealcoholized wines. Located in the heart of downtown Salina, Barolo Grille’s artistic decor and elegantly plated dishes complement the Downtown District’s refreshed vibe, where reconfigured streets, sidewalks, and plazas create inviting spaces. Of course, the city’s outdoor public sculptures and murals can be appreciated on an empty stomach— but with options such as Barolo, a beautiful meal makes everything more pleasing.
½ cup minced garlic ½ cup soy sauce (low sodium or gluten-friendly soy works as well) 5 ounces Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) 1 medium-sized hand of ginger, peeled (ginger will roughly fill a ⅓ cup after peeled and sliced) 1 cup brown sugar (packed) 2 honey crisp apples, peeled and cored ¼ cup sesame oil
MEATBALLS
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½ bunch cilantro, roughly chopped (about 1 cup) ½ small yellow onion, small diced (about ⅓ cup) 4 pounds wagyu beef (80/20 ground beef is also a good substitute) 4 large eggs (one egg per pound of beef) 1 cup dried Italian breadcrumbs (pork rinds work well as a gluten-free option) Salt and pepper to taste. Option: for additional spice, add Korean chili flakes or any desired pepper
INSTRUCTIONS PASTE
one. Place all paste ingredients in a blender and blend to a smooth paste; set aside. MEATBALLS
one. In a large bowl, combine all meatball and paste ingredients and mix well two. To conduct a “taste and sample,” shape a meatball and bake according to the instructions in steps 4–5. Taste, checking for seasonings, and adjust as needed. three. Form mixture into 2-ounce meatballs. Place on a sheet tray that has been lined with parchment paper, or use a wire rack in place of parchment paper if preferred. four. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for approximately 12 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers a temperature of 145 degrees. five. Serve over a bed of kimchi with teriyaki sauce drizzled on top.
Above Owner Jason Cao (left) and chef Jonathan Covert work to create an artistic atmosphere and fine dining at Barolo Grille.
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TEXTILE AS ART A small museum on the campus of Kansas State University houses a rare and unusual collection of historic clothing and textiles Story by Christine Steinkuehler
Photography by Nick Krug
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he museum is here, but few know where to find it—tucked away on the third floor of Kansas State University’s Justin Hall, behind an ordinary wooden door with a plain white sign reading “Historic Costume and Textiles Museum,” along with its hours and contact information. The door opens to an atypical museum. This is no reception desk, gift shop, display cabinets, or storyboards. Instead, there is a large table in the center, bookshelves and storage along the perimeter, and rolling racks of covered clothing in the aisles. Professor Marla Day, the museum’s curator,
The Collection More than 15,000 items are part of the museum, including American fashion designs, American quilts, salon shoes, military uniforms, Byzantine-era textiles, Chinese and other culturally diverse textiles and clothing. Among the collection’s highlights are dresses by Nelly Don, the famous Kansas City designer who manufactured an estimated 75 million dresses from 1916 to 1978, and wearable art from Anita Mayer, an internationally recognized contemporary artist and weaver.
Most of the museum’s collection is accessible to the public. Given the collection’s size, visitors should contact the museum to request viewing specific pieces. The hours vary with the school’s schedule, so email for an appointment and note that tour groups are limited to 12 people, middle-school age and older.
Above Professor Marla Day curates a rare textile museum on the Kansas State campus. Right The collection includes historically significant men’s and women’s clothing.
is at the front of the room. Books line the shelf above her desk, and displays of several of the museum’s previous exhibit books and clothing items cover the countertops. The room itself is a little cold, as it should be, to protect its precious contents, all 17,000 of them, at 65 degrees with 45% humidity year-round. The collection began in the early 1900s and evolved into a teaching collection of cardboard boxes stored in different areas for domestic science classes. In 1960, the collection moved to Justin Hall. In the 1970s, a curator was hired who took crucial steps to remove the textiles from ordinary cardboard boxes and preserve them in archival-quality containers and protected hanging cases. Day, who had researched traditional Chinese clothing as a student, arrived as a graduate teaching assistant in 1996. In 2004, she became curator of the museum and has since expanded the museum’s collection.
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Perhaps the most quintessentially Kansas clothing in the collection is the prairie dress, a simple cotton dress that reveals much about the times and the people who wore it. Women on the Plains in the late 1800s had a choice of cotton, linen, silk and wool for their clothing. Cotton was by far the most popular choice because it was inexpensive, available in a wide variety of patterns, and comfortable. It was also popular because until the turn of the century, in many parts of Kansas, women made and washed their clothes by hand, and cotton was easy to sew and launder. On the Road and on the Campus Since Day became curator, she has also worked to bring portions of the collection to different communities. As a Humanities Kansas Speakers Bureau member, Day gives presentations about Nelly Don, the Kansas City designer and entrepreneur, and curates other traveling exhibits and presentations. She has recently focused on thrift style and the history of upcycling feed sacks during the early 20th century. Day also has been working on a traveling exhibit celebrating the “little black dress.” Also known as the LBD, the variable design is considered to have gotten its start in 1926 when Coco Chanel published a picture of a simple black dress in Vogue, which called it “a sort of uniform of taste.” Day’s exhibit will feature LBDs from every decade and in a range of prices and styles. In addition to preparing traveling exhibits, Day creates displays for cases in Justin Hall, works with interns, teaches classes and gives on-campus presentations. Most of the museum’s collection is accessible to the public. Given the collection’s size, visitors should contact the museum to request viewing specific pieces. The hours vary with the school’s schedule, so email for an appointment and note that tour groups are limited to 12 people, middleschool age and older. Once visitors don cotton gloves, Day or other museum staff will bring items to a large center table, explain their significance, and point out design features. For example, a Opposite The plaid coat by Pauline Trigere is collection has more designed with only one seam down than 15,000 items, including quilts, the back—but the plaid pattern dresses, footwear lines up perfectly along this crucial and more.
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seam. Then there are the Nelly Don designs, which contain extra fabric, allowing the wearer to adjust the seams without major tailoring. Other stunning pieces hang inside some of the museum’s cabinets. There is a blue cotton bodice from the 1870s, a polka-dotted mini dress from the 1980s, and samples of everything from the Renaissance to the present. Day has been working on expanding the museum’s denim selections and finding good representative samples with provenance to put the item in a cultural context. She likes textiles in her collection to tell a story of the owner, their life, and the world when the piece was designed. Eclectic Approach While Day and her team build and preserve culturally and historically significant items, the collection of Historic Costume and Textile Museum does not necessarily distinguish between high and low fashion. For example, Day believes that even curated samples of today’s easily disposed microtrend fashions should eventually be in museum collections. She points to the paper dress fad of the 1960s. The first of these were simple shift-design dresses made as a promotion for the Scott paper towel company out of “Dura-Weave” (a rough fabric now used in upholstery and carpets) and were designed to promote using this product to make disposable garments for medical workers. Scott sold these early designs to consumers for $1.24 and started a craze. The museum has several paper garments; one of the most striking is a TWA 1968 flight attendant black paper jumpsuit with a coordinating silver-foil belt and collar. The airlines created a line of these paper garments to match a flight’s meal theme. They are cheap but somehow also elegant and stunning. Though dresses are a vital part of the collection, the museum collects everything related to clothing and costuming, from head to toe: bracelets, undergarments, stockings, shoes, jewelry, and more. Day believes it’s important to understand the context of the pieces and to see changes over time—which means the clothes you wear to the museum might one day be represented in its collection.
10-4pm Wed-Sat I 1-Spm Sun
(785) 887-6148 I www.lecomptonkansas.com
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and Beautiful There might be close to 500 murals across Kansas, thanks to artists, civic groups, and funding programs dedicated to transforming walls, silos, grain bins and other public spaces into works of art
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Story by
DEBORAH WALKER
Photography by
ASHLEY WALKER AND DEBORAH WALKER
It is truly a favorite son coming home to give back to his community. The fact that we could document that in the form of a mural was heartwarming.
–DAVE LOEWENSTEIN
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Left A few days before the Destination: Home mural was finished, the town of Kinsley held a celebration. Freedy Johnston, the artist and musician who inspired the mural, performed a concert with residents and mural artist Dave Loewenstein (wearing plaid shirt and hat) in attendance. Right Mural artist Mindy Allen stands in front of one of her murals in Salina. Photograph courtesy Tanner Colvin.
or Freedy Johnston, the summer 2024 unveiling of the Destination: Home mural on the outside wall of the Midway Market in Kinsley was a festive homecoming. For the town of Kinsley, the mural’s unveiling was a celebration of a native musical star and a nod to the city’s heritage and pride in its position at the nation’s center, exactly halfway between New York City and San Francisco. It’s a bold, vibrant mural with a background of blues, golds, and purples and festooned with large and small vignettes of the native Kansas plants and animals, a packed crosscountry train, a banner-flying airplane, a windmill, and more. When examined closely, the Kinsley mural tells many stories. But it will do more than that, according to the artists and organizers who helped create it. The mural, like other murals across the state, will bring in visitors, boost civic pride, and nurture the arts and creativity. For all these reasons, murals are becoming one of the state’s biggest—literally and metaphorically— art forms.
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HUNDREDS AND MORE
When asked to define what makes a mural a mural, Mindy Allen, a professional muralist from Junction City, replies that a mural can be about almost any theme—from local history to beautiful natural images—and in almost any style. Murals, she says, can go almost anywhere there is some empty space, paint, a painter, and a few good hours for the paint to dry. It just needs to be beautiful and big. “I consider a mural anything that uses creativity and could go on a large space,” Allen says. “If you can paint something artistic on a canvas but make it larger—it’s a mural.” Across Kansas, there are murals on the sides of small cafés and murals stretching hundreds of feet up and down silos and granaries. Usually, murals don’t need licenses, registrations, or permits. And, as a result, there is no official count of the number of murals in the state. Kansas Tourism (TravelKS.com) maintains a fairly comprehensive website of nearly 400 murals in Kansas. But there are likely more, with the numbers growing every year. “During my first years, I didn’t see many murals around,” adds Allen, who began painting murals in 2012,
Support for Murals Like more than 100 other murals in the state, Kinsley’s Destination Home mural received funding and support from the Kansas Department of Commerce. The department provides this support through either the Kansas Arts Commission, the Office of Rural Prosperity, or a combination of both. Kayla Savage, who helped coordinate the Kinsley mural in her role as the director of community engagement at the Department of Commerce, says the state funding almost always comes in the form of a matched grant, with communities helping to cover the cost of materials and payment to the artists through donations or fundraising. In some cases, the state can also assist groups in leveraging national grants. Savage says the department supports murals because the art contributes to local economies and pride. “Murals play an interesting role,” Savage notes. “They are at the intersection of history, culture and something unique and special to each community.” Communities interested in starting or expanding mural art can refer to the department’s mural website portal, kansascommerce.gov/murals, for information on resources, grants and funding opportunities. However much the state supports a project, the final mural remains communityfocused and community-owned, according to Savage. “The mural belongs to the community,” Savage says. “It’s theirs throughout the process, and it’s theirs when it is completed.”
“but since 2020, I have seen so many more large exterior murals, especially in rural areas. I think people are seeing the value of murals and how they bring people to your town.”
COMMUNITY PRIDE
The theory that murals can increase tourism and civic pride has been confirmed in academic studies of towns in the United States and across the globe. Closer to home, there’s evidence in areas such as Clay Center and Clay County, where an official map guides visitors to local murals. “When this started about five years ago, our intent was to install one mural,” explains Brett Hubka, committee chair of nonprofit A Mural Movement of Clay Center. But once that first mural was finished, donations kept coming, and the group decided to create more. “We hit 10 and thought that was pretty cool,” Hubka explains. When people asked for more, donations came in from 20 different states. Clay Center has now raised more than $350,000 and created 32 murals. One of the most recent murals is a 3,800-square-foot mural by Christian Stanley of C. Stanley Creative. Wrapped around a multistory grain bin, the mural features a charging bison herd against a background of pulsating blues and electric golden hues. Hubka says while his group has not commissioned a study to examine the correlation between murals and tourism in Clay Center, he sees strong anecdotal evidence.
We realize murals are an economic driver. They get people to stop in Clay Center, view the murals, grab a bite to eat along the mural trail, and stop at our shops and boutiques. –BRETT HUBKA
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Right Clay Center has found that murals can drive visitors and create a sense of civic pride. Artist Christian Stanley created one of the city’s most recent murals, a charged scene of a bison stampede. Photo courtesy A Mural Movement of Clay Center.
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... I wanted the mural itself to look like a quilt with different patches coming together. I hope I made that clear and that you can see that, especially on the left side.
–CHRISTINA KLEIN
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Left Artist Christina Klein painted this mural at the entrance to her hometown of Fairview. Klein says she was inspired to create images that honored the natural landscape and native animals of the region and modeled the mural on the quilt patterns she admired as a child at Fairview’s church bazaars.
“We go through thousands and thousands of mural map guides a year, and locals are not using these maps because they know where all the murals are; these maps are going to visitors,” Hubka explains. “We realize murals are an economic driver. They get people to stop in Clay Center, view the murals, grab a bite to eat along the mural trail, and stop at our shops and boutiques.” As more murals are installed, cities and artists are exploring how the newest murals add something unique while also connecting the community to art and artists. In Fairview, population 250, visitors encounter a newly created mural at the town’s western gateway. Created by Fairview native Christina Klein, it pays homage to the region’s landscape and wildlife, featuring a heron, a red-tailed hawk, a meadowlark, a honeybee, a firefly, and a cow (modeled by a brown Angus from her father’s Fairview farm) against a north-central Kansas landscape. Klein also included an homage to a prominent rural Kansas tradition. “One of my memories growing up in Fairview was attending the church bazaars and seeing the beautiful quilts,” Klein recalls. “So I wanted the mural itself to look like a quilt with different patches coming together. I hope I made that clear and that you can see that, especially on the left side.” In Chanute, murals have undergone a sort of thematic evolution over the past five years. One of the first large murals in 2019 paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of an arts and crafts festival with a dramatic sepia-toned collage depicting world explorer Osa Johnson riding a zebra; a rail engine steaming along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe line; and a daring pilot dangling from an 1896 Chanute glider plane. More recent murals have become less tied to specific historical references and more focused on the artistic overlap of location and space.
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Amy Jensen, the executive director of Chanute’s chamber of commerce and office of tourism, says visitors request directions to all the murals, including a new 3D elephant mural by local artist Gage Guiot.
A BOY, A GUITAR, AND A DOG
The stories behind each mural are often just as particular to the events and people of that location as the mural itself, which brings us back to Kinsley and the story of Freedy Johnston. After getting a guitar, starting a band, and performing at his high school talent show, Johnston left Kinsley to study painting at the University of Kansas. He soon transitioned to a career as a singer-songwriter, moving to New York City in 1995 and launching a successful recording career with over a dozen solo albums. He returned on occasion to Kinsley, but the chance to create a mural in his hometown came about in March 2024 when he applied for a grant to create a work of art on a large scale. “I had never done a mural before, so the state introduced me to the great muralist Dave Loewenstein as a collaborator,” Johnston recalls. Loewenstein, who has been painting murals in Kansas since 1991, took Johnston’s initial ideas for a design and helped adapt them for the scope of the mural. “What a great story!” Loewenstein says of Johnston’s biography and its partial depiction in the mural. “It is truly a favorite son coming home to give back to his community. The fact that we could document that in the form of a mural was heartwarming.” In its completed form, the east side of the mural (the left side as you face it) features the skyline of New York City, where Freedy resided for many years and began his music career. A beam from the Statue of Liberty highlights animals and plants in a prairie landscape, along with the words
“Escape to Kansas!” Along the bottom of the mural, a train brings passengers to the west end of the mural, representing San Francisco. On this side, as a nod to Kinsley’s history as a wintering ground for traveling carnivals, carousel animals rise from the San Francisco Bay. One of them is the spitting image of a childhood pet, Sparky, now immortalized with heavenly wings on his carousel saddle. “He was a little Jack Russell who lived to be 15. I miss him every minute,” Johnston says. The spirit of Sparky appeared once more at the mural opening as Johnston honored him by performing his song “Sparky the Heroic Dog.” The event drew a crowd of visitors and locals, including Marsha Rose Bagby, who arrived wearing her Freedy “Coming Home Again” benefit concert T-shirt from 1998. She says she and her family knew Johnston long before his career launched, and they
consider him family. When away at college in Lawrence, he would send recordings of their band playing in a garage, and later, when his career took off, he sent autographed copies of each new CD. Also present was Father Tim of St. Nicholas Church in Kinsley. He became familiar with Johnston’s music in 1990 while living in Connecticut. At that time, Father Tim, who was from Hutchinson, didn’t know Johnston was also from Kansas and that he would one day serve in Johnston’s hometown, now his own as well. Johnston still lives outside of Kansas. But part of him is here, in Kinsley. In the middle of the mural, the spot that marks Kinsley on the train’s NYC-San Fran journey, a grain elevator rises to the sky. On top of that elevator is a small figure, strumming a guitar and singing its heart out as it plays a song for its hometown, a song it will play from now on, each and every day, in the heart of Kinsley.
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Above Marsha Rose Bagby (center) arrived at the mural concert wearing a T-shirt from one of Freedy Johnston’s previous concert returns to Kinsley in 1998.
V I S I T D O D G E C I T Y . O R G / W I N T E R
EXPERIENCE THE HOLIDAYS WITH A WILD WEST FLAIR IN DODGE CITY Whether you're sipping on cocktails or enjoying a live concert or show, Dodge City is a fantastic holiday destination to celebrate with your family Western style. Enjoy quality food from dozens of local restaurants and shop for that perfect holiday gift in one of our many shops and boutiques.
1- 8 0 0 - O L D -W E S T
Enjoy the Magic of
Lemon Park Lights
Pratt, Kansas
November 23 - January 1
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Visit Pratt for the holidays and take a one-mile drive through Lemon Park, Pratt’s oldest & most scenic park, adorned with thousands of lights and animated displays. A second holiday park has been added nearby featuring the Twelve Days of Christmas. Many enjoy the lights from the walking paths or on hay rack rides. Dusk till 11:00 PM nightly. Make Pratt one of your holiday destinations.
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story and photography by
S U S A N K R AU S
a
l u m i n o u s
d e b u t The Museum of Art + Light in Manhattan opens to redefine possibilities for a modern galleries
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anhattan, Kansas, The Little Apple, has created a museum that even the Big Apple does not yet have. When the Museum of Art + Light (MoA+L) opened on November 8, 2024, it became the nation’s first museum dedicated to digital, immersive fine art. Though the three-story museum contains halls of traditional art, its permanent galleries of experimental, light-projected shows seek to expand our understanding of what art is, how it is created, and how it can be experienced. “We wanted a museum that embraced 21st-century technology throughout all of the exhibitions and one that provided visitors with an engaging experience,” museum director Erin Dragotto explained. You’ll Know It When You’re in It The crown jewel of this new museum is the first-floor Mezmereyz (The Mez) gallery, 21,500 square feet of open space that uses 108 Epson projectors and a massive media server to immerse visitors in an artist’s creations, life, natural environment and sense of place. The opening exhibit, “Renoir: A Luminous Evolution,” rotates through 300 of the artist’s works, plus family photos and snatches of films to present the artist’s home, life, travels, artistic passions and evolution in an enfolding visual panorama. The floor is transformed into cobblestones; landscapes move in the wind; Renoir’s paintings and portraits are given cultural context and dimension. Sydney Bouhaniche, the museum’s creative director of immersive exhibitions, explains that his goal was to “craft an experience that goes beyond art appreciation … that allows each visitor to feel as if they are traveling through time.” Bouhaniche added a soundtrack of music and environmental sounds for what he describes as an “essential element” that “enhances the realism and emotional depth of the environment.” Most visitors to the Renoir exhibit will have seen paintings by the artist online, in books, a classroom, or in various world museums. But the Mez gallery experience allows visitors to appreciate how each painting is a small piece of a larger whole. The immersive depth of the gallery adds new understanding to the multiple layers and connections of an artist’s life and work, and it makes the art accessible to those who may not know anything about Renoir. You do not need prior knowledge to have a rich experience. Elevating Digital and Fine Art The museum’s second floor houses the De Coded Digital Gallery, an entire gallery to collect and display digital art permanently. The opening exhibition, “Code and Canvas: Defining Digital Art in the Age of Blockchain,” features five internationally recognized digital artists of widely different styles: Erick “Snowfro” Calderon, Tyler Hobbs, Sasha Stiles, Emily Xie, and Grant Yun. (continued on page 54)
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“We wanted a museum that embraced 21st-century technology throughout all of the exhibitions and one that provided visitors with an engaging experience.” –ERIN DRAGOTTO
a d d
s o m e
M o A + L LO C AT I O N
You will have no trouble finding The Museum of Art + Light, an exciting addition to the art scene, overlooking the Kansas River at 316 Pierre Street in southeast Manhattan. Constructed of massive, stacked, angled white forms with light gray stripes, the museum positively glistens in sunlight and seems to glow in the dark.
HOURS
l i f e
Wednesday to Monday, 10 a.m.– 5 p.m. (closed Tuesdays)
MEMBERSHIP
yo u r
Members receive unlimited annual admission to 2nd- and 3rd-floor galleries; limited number of Mezmereyz admissions; discounts on additional Mezmereyz tickets (based on level), gift shop purchases and at Café Azul; priority and discounts for programs, lectures and classes, and more. Levels include special rates for students, seniors, educators, couples and families.
ADMISSION
t o
Tickets to all museum galleries and the Mezmereyz are $25 adults, $15 kids and $20 seniors/students; 3 and under free. Separate tickets for only the museum galleries or only the Mezmereyz are less.
artlightmuseum.org
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Any art form can be mind-juggling and edgy, especially for newcomers. And with digital art, we are all newcomers to a degree. Only the very youngest of us have grown up surrounded by it. So, in this hall, you might find yourself requiring some time and thought, even adjusting your body to change your line of sight, perhaps to better see what a particular artist is attempting. You may want to google some of the terminology used in descriptions. This is art that requires engagement, as the experience is not just in viewing but in reacting. To expand the engagement, the gallery features stations where visitors of all ages, can experiment with constructing and creating digital art. The third floor gallery, “Lasting Impressions,” feels more familiar. It contains art produced through what we traditionally see as the tools of art: canvases, brushes, oils, pencils, watercolors, clay, metal, cloth, and more. And it includes works by internationally acclaimed artists such as Miro, Chagall, Matisse, Picasso and more. But these works are just a peek at the broader collections of the founders, long-time Manhattan community members Tracey H. and Robert L. DeBruyn, Ronald Bowman and Stanley E. Zukowfsky. The third floor also houses a standard of art galleries—a really good café. Café Azul, operated by Radina’s, offers coffee, pastries and lunch options. Near the café, a terrace offers sweeping views. From here, the city itself feels like a canvas that changes with each passing cloud. Why Digital Art? Why Not Just ‘Normal’ Art? Digital art is much more than a trend. Art is constantly in flux—and digital is an essential part of the future of art. Digital art is something our kids and grandkids may appreciate, understand and engage with more than traditional art. Many new movements in art, from photography to performance art, have initially been dismissed as “not real art.” So, Manhattan is embracing this genre head-on, tremendously and impressively, in an agrarian state that is also an art state—with no contradiction between those two identities. According to the American Alliance of Museums, only 26% of museums in the United States are in rural areas. The Museum of Art + Light defies that statistic—to connect the Flint Hills and fine art in a multimedia experience dramatically different from strolling from one canvas on a wall to another. Visitors may leave this new museum with an improved understanding of how much we do not understand about technology or how it functions in the lives and minds of our children and adolescents. Perhaps the exhibit even offers a taste of what our parents or grandparents felt, about 70 years ago, at the “miracle” of seeing people move on a screen in their living rooms. Or how some of us felt when first trying to understand cyberspace or what it meant when told we needed more cloud storage for our laptop files. And that’s fine. The art will still be there for us when we return to immerse ourselves again. For some, it may take a few visits to comfortably engage with some of the digital exhibits. But it will only take five minutes in Mezmereyz to find your jaw has dropped and your eyes are moving up and down. You’ll want to sit down in order to take it all in. And that, perhaps, is the entire point. In Mezmereyz, you are not just seeing art, you are transported into art.
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WaKeeney
CHRISTMAS CITY OF THE HIGH PLAINS 74th Annual Tree Lighting
JOIN US NOVEMBER 30, 2024 • Christmas Bazaar @ Trego County Fairgrounds 9am - 4pm • Downtown activities for the whole family 4:30pm - 8:30pm
KNOWN AS THE CHRISTMAS CITY OF THE HIGH PLAINS The Largest Light Display Downtown Between Denver And Kansas City.
WHERE? WAKEENEY KANSAS, EXITS 127 & 128 ON I-70
DISPLAY REMAINS LIT UNTIL NEW YEAR’S
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Event dates subject to change, call ahead 913.758.2948
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poems W R I T T E N B Y K A N S A N S A N D C U R A T E D B Y P O E T L A U R E A T E T R A C I B R I M H A L L
Art Walks
Once a month, our quiet town comes alive to feast on craft and talent. We buzz down the sidewalk, stop one another to show off new paintings, earrings, bowls, and bread we bought from the people we know every other day as the babysitter, the banker, the mechanic, the judge. Our hands full of treasures, the natural next step, a nightcap at the pub. The band gives us the soundtrack of the night. We toast to creation, break bread together—tokens of companionship, our communion. Back home, we are full. We hang our new painting, lay our earrings in our heirloom jewelry box, make the bowl the dining room centerpiece. Everything around us—the way we live—art.
LINZI GARCIA loves being a poet and auntie. She is the author of Thank You and co-author of While Away: Travel Poems and Live a Great Story. The publicist and a poetry editor for
Meadowlark Press, she also serves on the board of House of Morrow, an arts and services nonprofit. She lives in Emporia and tends bar at Mulready’s Pub.
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