Wichita banker, art collector buys gallery specializing in regional and local artists

Wichita’s most influential art gallery is changing hands.

Reuben Saunders, who turned 72 on the first day of December, is retiring after operating his gallery for 43 years. Banker Mike Michaelis, a well-known art collector, assumes ownership of Reuben Saunders Gallery on Jan. 1.

Trisha VanOsdel will run the gallery at 3215 E. Douglas. A professional artist, VanOsdel holds a master of fine arts degree in sculpture and operates an estate sale business that helps people and organizations redistribute their art collections. She is also an appraiser of fine art, antiques, jewelry and collectibles.

Saunders calls the sale “great news for the art community in Wichita.

“Mike knows and appreciates the quality and value of Kansas artists and Wichita artists,” he said. “Trisha VanOsdel could not be a better manager” for the gallery.

Michaelis said his main objective is to simply keep the gallery going.

“Our community needs it,” said Michaelis, chairman of Emprise Financial Corporation. “Reuben has done a fabulous job in creating an enterprise that’s become an integral part of the region’s art scene. That legacy is worth preserving and perpetuating.”

Over the past five decades, Michaelis has amassed a large collection of Kansas art. Much of it is displayed at Emprise banks around the state.

His first purchases were three watercolors he and his wife, Dee, bought for $25 at the 1970 Wichita River Festival.

“We still have them,” Michaelis said, “and I still like them.”

He started becoming a serious collector in 1997, when the bank moved into a new headquarters in downtown Wichita and had lots of wall space to fill. He wanted a focus for collecting art and wanted to help support Kansas artists.

He thought there might be about 100 artists whose work would be worthy of collecting. Today, the collection includes more than 3,000 art pieces and more than 800 Kansas artists. Michaelis personally chose all of them.

“I am not an artist myself, but it has been a wonderful journey of getting to know many Kansas artists and developing an appreciation for the rich variety of work they create,” he said.

Saunders said he was “overwhelmed” when he learned of Michaelis’ interest in his gallery.

“The original mission of the gallery was to promote local and regional artists and that mission continues to this day,” Saunders said. “Mike’s collection embodies that spirit.”

Local art patron Sonia Greteman said she is “over-the-moon thrilled that Reuben Saunders Gallery will live on.

“This highly respected regional powerhouse is not only a fabulous source for Wichita’s vibrant art community, but also provides a global reach for Kansas artists,” Greteman said. “The dream team of Mike Michaelis and Trish VanOsdel combines a deep passion for Kansas artists, proven business acumen, important connections and an unwavering commitment. It would have been a sad day if this gallery ceased to exist.”

VanOsdel said she and her husband, a fellow artist, have dreamed of owning a gallery one day. When Saunders and Michaelis approached her to take over the gallery, she didn’t hesitate.

“I kind of feel like I won the lottery,” VanOsdel said. “I’m very excited about it. The timing’s right. Reuben’s great. Mike’s great. I couldn’t ask for a better partner in the whole process, so I’m really excited about it.”

Saunders plans to retire to his native North Carolina, but not before helping Michaelis and VanOsdel with the transition for a while.

“Forty-three years is a long time,” he said. “It’s kind of an anomaly in the art world for any gallery to last that long.”

One of the features of the gallery he likes the most, Michaelis said, is that “it represents artists that probably aren’t represented other places.”

Saunders has become known for “estate art” – finding older pieces at private estate sales and accepting long-held pieces in trade for newer art. That approach, Michaelis said, helps set him apart from other galleries.

“I love the art of the ‘30s, the ‘40s, the ‘50s and ‘60s and most galleries are working with current artists,” Michaelis said. “It’s nice to have someone in town that is working with art that has some age on it. The artists may no longer be alive. But it’s just interesting.”

While he’s always had an eye for older art, Saunders has never been afraid to keep up with the times. In 2008, the gallery added the Prairie Print Makers to its diverse offerings of Kansas artists, representing multiple genres and media types.

Five years ago, the gallery moved to a vintage brick storefront at 3215 E. Douglas, where it is part of the Douglas Design District. It has long been a key venue for First Fridays and art openings.

While other businesses have struggled under the pandemic, the gallery has never been busier, Saunders said.

“People have been staying home, looking around and deciding it’s time to add some meaningful, beautiful art,” he said. “Art nourishes the soul. I find it notable that many are choosing art during these trying times.”

Michaelis and VanOsdel said they have no immediate plans to change the gallery, though they’re exploring ideas. Last month, the gallery underwent a renovation that included removing a wall to open up the showroom’s footprint.

Following the renovation, “it really has a new and contemporary feel to it,” VanOsdel said. “When you put works of art in that space, they can really breathe and really come to life.”

Following strict COVID protocols has enabled the gallery to stay open. For Saunders’ final First Friday earlier this month, he personally curated a show that includes some of its stable of gallery artists as well as special guest work. The show runs through Dec. 26.

“I have loved my role within Wichita’s unrivaled art community,” Saunders said. “I always ran the gallery planning for the next change, which drove me and kept the business fresh. I am truly excited to see what new energy and vision brings. I leave knowing the gallery is in good hands.”