Community Calendar

Children ages 2 and under will develop a love of learning as they sing, dance, and enjoy simple stories. Caregivers will learn tips to encourage their child's early learning development. Please note, this program will not be held on 07/04.

The urge to create or possess a visual representation of a specific person – a portrait – is present throughout history. Portraits are created for many reasons: from sentimental to celebratory, for public or private viewing, as memorials, and as icons. .

Until the introduction of photography in the 1840s, portraits were rendered by artists in both two and three-dimensional mediums such as paintings and sculptures.

The Museum’s collection includes a variety of portraits, most of which depict local people. In this exhibition, we learn of portraiture and the people portrayed.

On view during regular Museum hours

March 2025 - March 2026

Tues-Fri 11am-4pm, Sat & Sun 1-5pm

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum - 204 S Main

Located in the Musem's Lois Kay Walls Gallery - 3rd Floor

Since 1939, the Historical Museum has been actively collecting and preserving artifacts central to telling our local history’s stories. These artifacts are acquired in many ways, including purchases from local thrift shops.

Thrift Finds in the Museum Collection features objects fortunately discovered by Museum staff at local thrift stores. These items, no longer of use to their original owner, can help us to tell the story of our community.

Some of these notable finds include designs by Halston and Victor Costa, a Nehru jacket retailed by Henry’s department store, and a 1950s Shocker Lounge bowling shirt.

Collection artifacts not previously seen are revealed and interpreted in this exhibition.

Produced by the Museum, this exhibition was made possible through funding from Stev Overstreet, Alice Smith, the family of Kenneth E Gerhardt, and Goodwill Industries of Kansas

Located in the 2nd Floor West Gallery - Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum

On view during Museum Hours

February 25th - October 31st

Tues-Fri 11am-4pm; Sat & Sun 1-5pm

204 S Main St; Wichita, KS 67202

$2 Children, $5 Adults, Free on Sundays

Kansas’ biggest outdoor party comes to downtown Wichita May 30 through June 7, 2025.

Wichita Riverfest is overflowing with activities, contests, shows, food, and cultural experiences that you can’t find anywhere else.

Come sit back, relax, and listen to some cozy mystery stories perfect for those chilly summer evenings around the campfire. For ages 9-12. Please note, this program will not be held on 7/4.

Each week, teens play a game on the Nex Playground, Nintendo Switch, or PS5. Board games and puzzles are available, too! Please note, this program will not be held on 7/4.

oin us for an evening of creativity, fun and community at the Learning Lab Wichita's Student Art Festival. This exciting, FREE community event is designed to celebrate the artistic talents of local K-12 students while fostering a love for the arts in a supportive and inspiring environment.

We have big things planned, including:
• See of the NEW Learning Lab Wichita mural.
• View the Keepers on Parade addition to Learning Lab Wichita.
• Enjoy viewing student artwork at our K-12 exhibition.
• Participate in free, fun family activities.
• Eat and drink from several food trucks, including Argentina’s Empanadas and Funky Monkey Shaved Ice.

The main gallery space will be featuring a world where color reigns and the familiar feels just a little… different.

Join us for the opening of "Strange Places", featuring vibrant paintings by Nick Gadbois and otherworldly ceramics by Jonathan Fitz.

Expect bold hues, surreal forms, and a visual journey to someplace new and strange.

We hope you will join us for our opening reception on First Friday, June 6th from 5:00pm – 8:00pm!

Envision Arts is honored to present Touched, an exhibition of artwork by the artists and students from the Braille Institute of America. These artworks span multiple artistic mediums—including ceramics, printmaking, and mosaic—created by students from Braille Institute’s Creative Arts Program. The exhibition invites visitors to experience how creativity and personal expression thrive beyond sight, offering an inspiring reflection on resilience, individuality, joy and artistic voice.
The featured works were created in Braille Institute’s Creative Arts Program, which has a long-standing legacy rooted not only in the brilliance of the final artwork but in the creative process itself. Coping with vision loss is a personal and unique journey, and the Creative Arts Program offers students a space to express their individual voices and visions without the need for physical sight. Through artmaking, they reclaim agency over form and function. By providing equitable access to creative disciplines that traditionally rely on visual experience, the program fosters experiential learning, problem-solving, and creative play; the students develop sensory awareness, hand-mind coordination, critical thinking, and self-confidence.
About Braille Institute
Braille Institute is a non-profit organization that has been positively transforming the lives of those with vision loss for 106 years. Braille Institute helps more than 13,000 adults, youth, and children annually, through a broad range of educational, social, and recreational services. Programming is offered at seven Southern California centers and remotely through online delivery across the United States and beyond. All programs are free of charge thanks to the generous support of donors, volunteers, and staff.
BrailleInstitute.org

First Friday, June 6th
5:00 - 8:00 PM
801 E. Douglas Ave, Suite 106
Wichita, Kansas 67202
The Envision Arts Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM (closed for lunch 12:00-1:00 PM).
Free and open to the public
On display June 6th through August 29th in the Dr. Gail Yearick and Family Gallery

The Envision Arts Gallery is excited to present the Cathy G. Hudson Envision Child Development Center’s 4th Annual Youth Art Exhibition Tiny Hands, Timeless Art. Please join us First Friday, June 6th, from 5-8 PM to celebrate the opening of this exhibit.
Step into a world of color, creativity, and imagination at the 4th Annual Youth Arts Exhibition. Our little artists from the Cathy G. Hudson Early Child Development Center have been inspired by the masters — from Monet’s dreamy flower fields to Louise Nevelson’s bold forms. With tiny hands and big hearts, they’ve reimagined iconic works in ways that only young minds can. Come celebrate their playful, powerful interpretations and see the classics through fresh eyes!
The Cathy G. Hudson Envision Child Development Center serves visually impaired and typically developing children in an integrated setting, the mission of the Cathy G. Hudson Envision Child Development Center is to provide comprehensive early intervention services for children birth through age 5. A state-of-the-art childcare facility and preschool, the Cathy G. Hudson Envision Child Development Center offers a quality education with the goal of maximizing each child’s potential.
Cathy G. Hudson Envision Child Development Center for Blind & Visually-Impaired
610 N. Main Street, Wichita, KS 67203
For more information or to schedule a tour, contact Teresa Houston, Director via email or by calling 316-440-1632 .

First Friday, June 6th
5:00 - 8:00 PM
801 E. Douglas Ave, Suite 106
Wichita, Kansas 67202
The Envision Arts Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM (closed for lunch 12:00-1:00 PM).
Free and open to the public
On display June 6th through June 27th in the Patricia A. Peer Window Gallery.

Art House 310 First Friday – Wichita Women Artists 75th Anniversary Group Show
Opening Reception | First Friday June 6th, 2025 | 6-10pm

This event is free to attend and open to the public. Show hangs through June 22nd, 2025. Art House 310 is located at 310 S. Laura. Two blocks SE of Douglas & Washington in downtown Wichita.

WICHITA WOMEN ARTISTS – Join us in celebrating WWA’s diverse talent and their 75th anniversary!!
Wichita Women Artists has been in continuous existence since 1950. The purpose of the group is to promote and encourage each other in our creative growth as artists. We meet monthly and our membership is limited to 40.

We have three to five exhibits during the year in the Wichita area. Our members teach, attend workshops, enter regional and national juried shows and are also active members of other art organizations. We hope you enjoy this diversity that our artists show through the use of watercolor, oil, gouache, paste, pencil, mixed media, photography, mosaics, acrylic and sculpture.

For more information, check out Wichita Women Artists on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ICTWomenArtists

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:

Janet Aiken
Abby Ausherman
Kayann Ausherman
Stephanie Bayliff
Jane Bradfield
Bennie Booth
Jan Butler
Carol Davis
Pam Hayes
Hope Just
Cheryl Lindstrom
Nancy Luttrell
Linda Nollette
Diane Post
Patt Sharpe
Shauna Shelton
Naomi Ullum
Diane Warta
Rita Zaudke

www.ArtHouse310.com
Facebook | @ArtHouse310, Instagram | @ArtHouse310, TikTok | @AngieAwesomePants

Gallery 12 Featured Artists for June are: Gallery Member/Painter Melinda Weis and Consignment Artist/Ceramist Gary Lincoln

The opening reception will be held on First Friday June 6th from 6 - 9 pm. Melinda will be exhibiting her most recent paintings. The title of her show is: "Colour My World."

Artist Statement/Melinda Weis:“

All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players…” I try to tell stories through paintings, small vignettes of life told through a composition of shape and color. It could be an expression on a face or the way the light hits a piece of fruit or the dance of a flame in a glass. It’s a moment in time, captured for others to see; a drama played out on a flat, 2 dimensional surface that, perhaps, speaks to the viewer.

There will be a closing reception on Final Friday June 27th from 6 - 9 pm; Melinda will give a gallery talk  during the reception..The exhibit will be on display until June 28th.Gallery 12's is free and open to the public. Wednesday/Thursday/Saturday 10 am to 4 pm & Friday Noon to 6 pm.

Side Pockets is excited to announce the 3rd Annual "Barks, Brews, & Running Shoes" .5K, a fun-filled,short-distance "run" to benefit the Kansas Humane Society. The event will take place on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at Side Pockets Restaurant and Sports Bar in Wichita, Kansas.

This unique event invites participants of all fitness levels to enjoy a leisurely 0.5k (that's just 1/3 of a mile!) while supporting a great cause. The "Barks, Brews, & Running Shoes" .5K is less about strenuous competition and more about community, camaraderie, and celebrating our furry friends.

"We're thrilled to host this event for the third year," said Elayna Duncan, General Manager at Side Pockets. "It's a fantastic opportunity to bring people together, have a great time, and raise money for the Kansas Humane Society, an organization that does so much for our community."

Participants can expect a day of lighthearted fun, including:
A very manageable 0.5k "run"
A finisher's medal
Refreshing beer (for participants aged 21+)
A limited-edition "Barks, Brews & Running Shoes" t-shirt
Sponsor Spotlight Booths
Photo ops
Giveaways

The event is family-friendly (though the beer is for those 21+), and participants are encouraged to bring their own "running shoes" (or even flip-flops!). Dogs are welcome, but must be leashed.
Registration is open, and participants are encouraged to sign up early, as the event is limited to 300 "runners."

Information on registration, pricing, and event details can be found at runsignup.com/Race/KS/Wichita/SidePocketsBeerRun and sidepocketsbeerrun.com.

Proceeds from the "Barks, Brews, & Running Shoes" .5K will go to the Kansas Humane Society, helping them provide care and find homes for animals in need.

Event Details:
Event: Side Pockets 3rd Annual "Barks, Brews, & Running Shoes" .5K
Date: Saturday, June 7, 2025
Time: 10:30 AM (Packet pickup begins at 9:30)
Location: Side Pockets, 614 S. Tyler Road, Wichita, Kansas, 67209
Registration: https://www.runsignup.com/Race/KS/Wichita/SidePocketsBeerRun and https://www.sidepocketsbeerrun.com.

Sponsored by:
All States Home Improvement
Barks & Brews Dog Park & Bar
BizTopia Partners Marketing
House of Schwan (Kona Brewing Company®, Nutrl Vodka™, Sparkling Ice®
Indian Motorcycles/Dreamworks of Kansas
K. Lanes & Co. Fashion Boutique
Kansas Fence Company
Murfin Media (97.1 BOB FM, Classic Hits 92.7, 100.5 The Twister)
Mel Hambelton Ford
Mid-American Credit Union
Sugar Shak Daylight Donuts
The Brass Taproom at Side Pockets

Let your child find the joy in playing with the open-ended materials provided in the Westlink Library's new outdoor space. This is a come and go event for ages 3-5.