On June 25th, 2010 an art exhibition opened at the old Wichita Center For the Arts. The show “What Wichita Collects” featured 120 pieces of art from the private collections of 36 Wichita-area people. Also featured were about 100 works from the center’s permanent collection. That show was on fire. The parking lot was packed on opening night. The curious came out in droves to see it. There were works by Picasso, Alex Katz, Soutine, and many others. It’s no secret that there is a plethora of amazing art owned by folks in this town. That show drew many visitors throughout its run time and I imagine broke attendance records at the center.
Another fabulous show involved the Wichita Art Museum inviting a number of local artists to choose works from the vast collection in the vault for display in one big show. Each artist wrote a statement on why they chose each piece. Those statements were presented along- side each work. Most of the work chosen were pieces that are rarely seen by the public. That show was also well attended.
Exhibitions like this are great fun and a huge departure from the norm. They are somewhat voyeuristic in that they allow one to see what people choose to live with, or what’s rolling around inside an artist’s brain. They are inexpensive to put on. I would love to see the art institutions in the city offer more shows like this.
I think everyone is curious about what masterpieces might be hiding behind closed doors.
