Wichita has a diverse mix of museums, all with impressive collections and an ever-changing schedule of exhibitions. From showcasing new acquisitions or curating themed exhibits from their own collections to hosting special exhibitions traveling the country, there’s always something new to see at museums in the Heart of the Country.
Here’s a look at the latest exhibitions among museums in Wichita.
The Kansas African American Museum
Oct. 15 – April 2025: “Defining Black Wichita: Expanding Horizons, 1970s - Today” – This exhibit is the third part of the Defining Black Wichita series and focuses on African Americans in Wichita from the 1970s to today. Empowerment from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s created space for African Americans to fill in government, business, education, arts and culture and athletics. As a result of this, the 1970s became a time of transition and opportunity. African Americans crossed the color-line at Hillside Street that once restricted where people of color could live and moved into neighborhoods that were previously closed to them, beginning a period of exploration of new spaces and new horizons.
Ongoing
Through December 2024: “Sankofa: Tell the Story” – A collaboration between TKAAM, Harvester Arts and artist Aaron Asis, this exhibition showcases the history of TKAAM and the community as the museum transitions into its new space through imagery, statements, symbols and documents in the main gallery. We honor the past, celebrate the present, and look forward to the future by encouraging the entire community to tell the stories that have not been told. Storytelling is a vital part of African and African American culture, and these stories become a conduit of better understanding, thus creating a deeper connection that enhances lives.
Through December 2024: “Collecting Stories” – Following the theme of storytelling in 2024, TKAAM showcases its new acquisitions in “Collecting Stories,” an exhibit that explores the importance of providing context to artifacts, images and documents, reflecting on history’s impact on the past, present and future.
Exploration Place
Exploration Place is open daily.
Oct. 11, 2024-Jan. 12, 2025: "Toytopia" – The fall will usher in a new traveling exhibit, one that celebrates the joy and history of toys. Visitors can marvel at the nearly 8-foot-tall Etch A Sketch, explore a life-size dollhouse and engage with a giant LEGO wall. The exhibit features a vintage arcade area, a robotic arm challenge and a life-size Monopoly car for photo ops. Interactive displays such as the “Big” piano, a giant jack-in-the-box and skill-based toy stations ensure fun for all ages. "Toytopia" also delves into the history of toys, showcasing their evolution and cultural impact over the decades.
Feb. 7-May 4, 2025: “Sharks” – Coming in 2025, “Sharks” will delve into the diversity of sharks, an ancient and fascinating group of fishes. The exhibit will include augmented reality experiences such as getting up close to a whale shark and coming face to face with a Great White shark. There will also be real, touchable shark specimens and life-size shark models ranging from 18-inch epaulette shark to the 26-foot whale shark.
Ongoing: “Kansas: An Immersive Dome Experience” – Don’t miss this 25-minute dome movie produced by the Exploration Place team in partnership with local drone videographers. Filmed completely by drone, consider this a love letter to Kansas showcasing the beauty and wonder of the Sunflower State in a way never seen before. It shows daily in the Digital Dome Theater, along with “The Dark Side of the Moon - Official Planetarium Show,” “The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness,” “Sea Monsters” and “Beautifica.”
Ongoing: “T.Rex - Dome Theater Movie” – This Digital Dome Theater movie provides a journey back millions of years to the badlands of Hell Creek and beyond to explore the ancient world of Tyrannosaurus rex, from its early days to its reign as a formidable predator. Created with top scientists and visual effects artists, this film reimagines our understanding of the T-rex. Featuring famous specimens, landmark discoveries and cinematic magic, “T.REX” blends evidence and speculation to offer a dazzling and scientifically accurate portrayal of this legendary dinosaur.
Check the center’s website for screening times and tickets; attending a dome show does not require a museum admission ticket.
Wichita-Sedgwick Co. Historical Museum
The Wichita-Sedgwick Co. Historical Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday and offers free general admission from 1 to 5 p.m. every Sunday in 2024.
Ongoing
Through October 2024: "Post No Bills" – The "Show Poster" was an essential form of advertising for public events throughout the United States during the 20th century. The overuse of posters led to city ordinances restricting their placement. Ordinances were emphasized by official signs reading "POST NO BILLS." The historical museum recently acquired a collection of these posters which capture the essence of local entertainment during this period. This exhibit is part of the Museum's “Windows on Collections,” which is a frequently changing exhibit of artifacts from the museum’s growing collection. Depending upon any given theme, this exhibit ranges from the topical to the bizarre.
Through December 2024: “Being Modern” – This exhibition follows (and is directly patterned after) the museum’s previous exhibit, “Art Deco on the Plains.” It takes the timeline forward to explore modern design experienced locally in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a feature of the Lois Kay Walls Local Visual Art History Series.
Through December 2024: “The Artistic Life and Work of Genevieve Frickel” – The work of local artist & teacher Genevieve Ingram Frickel (1900-1985) is explored in this exhibit. She was an independent visual artist and remarkable figure in the local art and culture scene of mid-century Wichita. Frickel led the Art Department at the Wichita School of Fine Arts before moving to Tucson, Arizona, in 1953, where she exhibited her work and taught portrait and landscape painting. She returned to Wichita in the late 1950s and opened the Genevieve Frickel Art Studio. An influential teacher, many of Frickel’s students became professional artists.
November-December 2024: "Toy Santa Collection" – In the lobby of the museum, from the Wreath Festival through the New Year, visitors will find the Moore Family Santa Dolls on display. As a yearly tradition that’s continued for the last 17 years, the museum has exhibited a small selection of the Moore's collection — which is about 150 in total — for the public to admire. These antique Santas come in various sizes, colors and expressions. Most of the plush toy Santa figures featured in this exhibit date from the 1950s and 60s. Some figures are made of molded plastic, cast metal, or rubber and date earlier in the 20th century.
November-December 2024: "Miniature Trees" – Starting Nov. 21 and lasting through to the New Year, the museum maintains its holiday decorating tradition with garlands and ornaments strewn over the stairs and through the second floor. There, visitors will find an exhibit of miniature Christmas trees, created by Wichita artist Sylvia Jackson. With incredible detail and creativity, these trees may serve as inspiration for any Christmas enthusiast.
November-December 2024: "Victorian Cottage Christmas" – This exhibit authentically recreates a typical middle-class Wichita home of the late 19th century complete with Victorian adornment and the emerging technology which would soon change domestic life and society in general. Seven individual rooms compose this environmental exhibit. Located on the third floor, starting during the museum's annual Wreath Festival and going through to the New Year, the immersive Victorian Cottage exhibit will be decked out for Christmas jubilation. Visitors will get a glimpse of how people celebrated the season over 100 years ago. All that’s missing is a roaring fire and a cup of hot cocoa!
Through February 2025: "Thrift Finds" – Originally created as a companion to September 2024’s traveling exhibit, "Thrift Style," this exhibit features thrifted treasures from the museum’s permanent collection.
CityArts
Admission is free at CityArts.
Sept. 13-Oct. 27, 2024:
- "Neverwhere: Places You’ve Never Been" by Mary McCoy in the Main Gallery (pictured above)
- "I Am Not Picasso" by Landen Blake Swearingen in the Main Hall Gallery
- "Historia de la Vida: Orar, Amar, Luchar (History of Life: Pray, Love, Fight)" presented by the North End Wichita Historical Society in the Boardroom and Balcony Galleries
Envision Arts Gallery and Community Engagement Center
Admission is free at the Envision Arts Gallery and Community Engagement Center.
July 5-Sept. 27: "Colors of the Wind" – George Mendoza, a world-renowned blind painter, Smithsonian Fellow and Paralympic athlete, opened his latest showcase, "Colors of the Wind," in July at the Envision Arts Gallery. The exhibition features a colorfully vivid collection of 40 paintings that capture the surreal essence of his vision loss experience.
Sept. 6-27: “The Looking Glass” – This exhibition features work by participants of the arts and education day service program for individuals with cognitive disabilities located in Wichita.
Oct. 4-25: “Veteran Art Show in Collaboration with Envision Arts” – This exhibition will debut on First Friday, Oct. 4, and will be in the Patricia A. Peer Window Gallery.
Nov. 30-Dec. 14: “9th Annual Holiday Market” – This is a unique event that the Envision Arts Gallery holds yearly during the holidays as an opportunity for artists with disabilities to sell their artwork exclusively from the Envision Arts Gallery.
Mid-America All Indian Museum
Mid-America All-Indian Museum (MAAIM) is open 10Fr a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Ongoing
“Jerome Tiger” – This exhibition features artwork created by Jerome Richard Tiger (1941-1967), an accomplished Muscogee Creek/Seminole artist from Oklahoma. He left behind a remarkable legacy through his prolific paintings. MAAIM takes great pride in showcasing his delicate, one-of-a-kind style of artwork.
"From the Vault” – Did you know MAAIM has more than 3,000 objects in its collection? Enjoy this curated exhibit consisting of original works of art from the musuem's unique collection and see two newly acquired works donated by the Michaelis family.
"We are the Spirit” – Kachinas are messengers between the human and spirit world. Human impersonators dance in kachina ceremonies from winter solstice through mid-July. The dolls are made by Hopi people to teach children about spiritual beings. Come explore kachinas through their ceremonies and physical representations. Learn about the kachina season while viewing our unique collection on display.
Wichita Art Museum
The Wichita Art Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday. Admission to WAM is free all year to everyone. Only special exhibitions will have a ticket price and those will be noted here.
Sept. 28-Jan. 5, 2025: “Robert Peterson: Somewhere In America” – This is contemporary artist Robert Peterson’s first museum exhibition. It features joyful portraits celebrating African American life and community, with key works and more than 20 new paintings. It reflects Peterson’s deeply personal and collective experiences.
Ongoing:
“THE BEAST, or Self Portrait” by Vanessa German – The artist calls this sculpture a “physical self-portrait” but also a “self-portrait of the soul, of the heart, a self-portrait of my own experience of being myself.”
Through Nov. 17, 2024: “Upside Down, Topsy-Turvy and In-Between: Images of the Carnival and Circus from the Wichita Art Museum” – This exhibition features images of the carnival and circus, what historians have called “the world between” and “the world standing on its head,” from the last century of American art.
Through March 23, 2025: “Coming of Age: Women Growing Older in American Art” – Presenting a sensitive and expansive vision of womanhood in the United States, the works in this exhibition demonstrate the ways that ageism both targets and overlooks women while celebrating the intersectionality of aging – a natural, inevitable part of life – in American art.
Through May 18, 2025: “Pop!” – Combining bold colors and familiar subjects—taken from everyday life and mass-produced goods—with carefully chosen materials, textures and compositions, pop artists challenged traditional definitions of fine art. Whether humorous, celebratory or scathing, pop art immortalizes a key moment in American history. This exhibition features loans from New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art with one additional work from WAM’s collection.
Through Dec. 20, 2025: “(im)permanent collection” – Visit again and again to experience this ever-changing exhibition. It features the museum’s prized collection (more than 10,000 artworks the museum owns) – which is anything but permanent.
Mark Arts
Mark Arts galleries are open and free to explore Tuesday through Saturday.
Through Oct. 26: “Rainbows United: Revealing Masterpieces” – More than 100 unique pieces created by Rainbows United students will be on view in the Youth Gallery. Rainbows United nurtures children to reveal the unique masterpiece within each individual, as seen in the works on display.
Through Oct. 26: “Kaifeng, China: Northern Song Dynasty Art” – This special exhibition is presented in partnership with the Wichita Area Sister Cities Association and the City of Wichita’s Sister City of Kaifeng, in the Henan Province of China. The exhibition features works created by modern Chinese artists in the style of the Northern Song Dynasty, including intricate hand-embroidery, prints and handmade fans.
Coming to the Gladys and Karl T. Weidemann Gallery
Oct. 4-Dec. 21, 2024: “National Watercolor Exhibition” – Juror Matthew Bird has chosen 76 stunning watercolor paintings created by top artists from across the country. Prepare to be amazed by the impressive content and exceptional skill showcased in this exhibition.
Jan. 10-March 15, 2025: “Á La Mode: The Language of Fashion in Art”
Coming to the Youth Gallery
Nov. 15-Dec. 14, 2024: “Wall Ride/Wall Art” – Instructor Jay Jacoby and the 5th graders of Washington Elementary present "Wall Ride/Wall Art," a collection of 60 skateboard decks that the students have transformed into colorful and exuberant art. Along the way, the students have explored and refined their own artistic process.
Coming to the School of Creativity Gallery
Nov. 19-Dec. 14, 2024: “Mickey Shannon: Telling a Story Through Landscape Photography” – Kansas photographer Mickey Shannon is a self-taught nature and landscape photographer specializing in large format museum quality open and limited-edition, fine art nature photography prints. This exhibition will include his images of Europe, including Ireland, the home of his ancestors.
Ulrich Museum
The galleries at the Ulrich Museum of Art offer free admission.
Through Dec. 7, 2024: “Word, Thread and The Magnolia” – This is Ulrich’s first installation in the East Flushing Gallery, also known as the all-gender restroom on the right in the Ulrich Museum lobby. Created in 2023 by LabSynthE, this exhibit is constructed of vinyl, markers and prompts, leaves and resin, embroidered magnolia pods, custom paper towels and embroidered fabric.
Through Dec. 7, 2024: “The Ulrich Co-Lab | Phase 2” – The Ulrich Co-Lab is a visitor-centered curatorial experiment where we encourage our visitors to share their thoughts, feelings and responses to our permanent collection.
Through Dec. 7, 2024: “[RE]POSE: Leisure Bodies and Empowered Postures” – This exhibition reflects on the reinterpretation and transformation of the well-known art historical theme of the reclining figure, across the 20th and 21st centuries. Combining works from the Ulrich permanent collection with special works on loan, the exhibition brings together modern and contemporary works that, in dialogue, examine ideas of rest, leisure and bodies in repose.
Through Dec. 7, 2024: “Dream Machine: Fantasy, Surreality and Play” – As part of Ulrich’s 50th anniversary celebration, explore this exhibition, which brings together works from their collection and special loans from around the U.S., for an exciting, interactive experience of the fantastical.
Visit these pages to discover more about Wichita area museums and galleries. If you’re looking for other things to do in Wichita, check out our calendar of events and download the latest visitor guide for more inspiration.
