Early January always holds such great optimism. A new year. A fresh start. A clean slate. This fades of course as the daily grind, well, grinds away. But until then, reveling in the newness of the year feels great. And with this excitement, I look to what Wichita has in store for the arts in 2013.
Beginning this week, the Ulrich Museum will open the photography exhibition Berenice Abbott: Changing New York. Abbott’s stunning black-and-white photography captured New York City from 1929-1939 as it transitioned from old Manhattan to a dynamic urban center filled with buildings of dizzying heights.
Opening the following week is the Ulrich’s big spring show, Stocked: Contemporary Art from the Grocery Aisles – a promising show of colorful design and social introspection accompanied by a stellar line-up of Buzz-Worthy Art Talks to take place over the coming months.
The Wichita Art Museum’s first major exhibition of the New Year is Under Pressure: Contemporary Prints from the Collections of Jordan Schnitzer and His Family Foundation. Opening in early February, this show boasts 40 artists, over 100 prints, and spans 50 years. From Jasper Johns to Kiki Smith, this exhibition offers visitors an extensive survey of modern and post-modern printmaking.
Center Gallery has two shows lined up for 2013: the Midwest Center for Photography Juried Exhibition and Developed Work: National Photography Fellowship Competition. Gallery owner Linda Robinson continues her efforts to promote the medium in photography and to bring new artists to Wichita audiences with competitive exhibitions in one the finest gallery spaces in town.
These are just a few exhibitions that are coming our way. If this is Wichita just getting started, I am excited to how see our art scene shapes up for 2013.
Berenice Abbott: Changing New York will be on-view January 12 – April, 21, 2013 and Stocked: Contemporary Art from the Grocery Aisles will be open to the public January 19 – April 14, 2013 at the Ulrich Museum of Art.
At the Wichita Art Museum, Under Pressure: Contemporary Prints from the Collections of Jordan Schnitzer and His Family Foundation can be seen February 2 – May 12, 2013.
Center Gallery hosts Midwest Center for Photography Juried Exhibition from February 22 – March 15, 2013 and Developed Work: National Photography Fellowship Competition from March 29 – April 12, 2013.