Ulrich Museum exhibitions offer alternative summer getaway

A new art exhibition at the Ulrich Museum of Art on the Wichita State campus brings a new twist to the concept of a summer getaway.

“On Vacation!” — one of the museum’s two summer exhibitions using works from its collection — consists of seven series of artworks that show different places or activities that could be vacation or summer leisure activities. Each portfolio also has an accompanying Spotify playlist that relates to the theme, era or activity depicted. The playlists are accessed through a QR code on the panels describing each series.

Some, like Harry Sternberg’s prints depicting zoo animals or John Baeder’s images of vintage diners, are easily distinguished as things one might experience on a road trip. The songs that accompany these series feature some fun tunes, like Raffi’s “Going to Zoo,” and classic diner music like Elvis’ “Blue Suede Shoes.”

Another series takes a bit of creative license. Roberto Matta’s “Fog Gog Magog” series depicts creatures on another planet — perhaps a future interplanetary destination — who apparently are observing Earth. David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and the Carpenters’ “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” are among the songs you’ll hear in the accompanying playlist.

Curator Ksenya Gurshtein also included a portfolio that plays a bit of homage to the decades-long Wichita summer activity, Ballet in the Park. “A Ballet: The Life of Stalin” consists of eight sketches by the Russian duo Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid of an imaginary ballet production telling the life of dictator Joseph Stalin. Fittingly, the playlist is “Swan Lake,” one of Russian composer Tchaikovsky’s most famous ballets.

Two series suggest other popular vacation destinations. The bold, vibrant, abstract lithographs of Karel Appel’s “The Sunshine People” are meant to evoke thoughts of a summer day spent on the beach (with songs like “You are the Sunshine of My Life” to accompany it), while the illustrations of German artist George Grosz are a look at life in New York City. The illustrations were part of Grosz’s work for a collection of short stories by writer O. Henry, “The Voice of the City.” Since the stories were set in the turn-of-the-century period of the Big Apple, Scott Joplin’s “Ragtime” is part of the playlist.

A series of circus-related sketches by Alexander Calder, inspired by Calder’s two-week newspaper assignment in 1925 at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey training facility, takes up one small gallery in the Ulrich. A big red circle, evoking a circus ring, has been painted in the center of the gallery’s floor. Calder’s circus assignment became so influential in his work that he also created miniature circus act dioramas. A 60-minute documentary film of Calder operating and performing the acts plays on a monitor in the gallery.

The Ulrich’s second summer exhibition, “Art is a Superpower!,” showcases some of the museum’s acquisitions over the past five years. Curator James Porter has included works that look at identity, patriotism, human rights and democracy.

“There’s just so much power in each of these pieces,” said Porter, on why he used the word superpower in the exhibition title.

One dominating work is a collection of 11 wood sculptures created by prolific (and Wichita-born) artist Tom Otterness that relates to his massive Uberfrau sculpture displayed outside the Munster, Germany, public library. Otterness’ works are likely familiar to locals, with the Millipede sculpture on the WSU campus and Dreamers Awake outside the Wichita Art Museum.

The exhibition also includes a piece by the late printmaker John Boyd, well known in the Wichita art community. Boyd had been on the WSU faculty for more than 35 years. Other pieces in the exhibition include a piece depicting influential women artists and inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” by pioneer feminist artist Mary Beth Edelson, who died earlier this month, and two large-scale prints by Ayana V. Jackson that were inspired by African artistic and cultural practices.

Both exhibitions will remain on view through Saturday, July 31. Admission is free.

Ulrich Museum summer exhibitions: “On Vacation!” & “Art is a Superpower!”

When: now through Saturday, July 31. Hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, except for university and major holidays.

Where: Wichita State campus, 1845 N. Fairmount

Admission: free

More information: ulrich.wichita.edu

This story was originally published May 23, 2021 at 3:27 AM.