Past Exhibits

Experience our sonic world and the sensation of being surrounded by everyday sounds in this interactive exhibition. Experiment with pitch, test your own hearing, make a movie soundtrack, and step into the ever-popular Scream Chamber!

In a lively, engaging manner, Sonic Sensation presents a fun and informative opportunity to explore sound in our environment. Learn about the anatomy and physics of how we hear, find out about decibels, amplitude, frequency, pitch, sound waves, and what you can do to protect your hearing.

A proud tradition since 1976, the Hansen Museum has partnered with art instructors to provide a professional gallery experience for their high school art students. In allowing these student artists to display their work in the Museum, our hope is to inspire them; to fuel their passion for art, and to encourage them to continue creating past their high school years. Schools participating in this year’s show are as follows:  Brewster, Cornerstone Classical, Hill City, Phillipsburg, Pike Valley, Norton Community, Republic County, & Smith Center.

Our current exhibition NOTORIOUS explores some colorful characters that called Kansas home between 1850 – 1950.  These men and women have been given the title NOTORIOUS, but has it rightly been bestowed?  Through the passage of time, perspectives change and reality can give way to legend. Lines begin to blur just exactly who is truly deserving of the title NOTORIOUS.  From naughty to nervy, noble to nefarious, the NOTORIOUS traveling exhibit introduces visitors to some unforgettable Kansas characters.

NOTORIOUS offers three hands-on activities to spur engagement. Test your skill as an eyewitness with a touch screen-based puzzle. Then, get your hands on a set of dowsing rods and decide for yourself if they work. There’s also a scavenger hunt to help visitors explore the exhibit. The interactive components are designed for all ages, deepen the experience, challenge visitors, and offer loads of fun.  Come prepared for a picture, the exhibit includes a very amusing photo opportunity.

NOTORIOUS was on view at the Hansen Museum through November 10, 2023 – January 28, 2024.

47th Annual 2022 Birds in Art Exhibition

Majestic yet fragile, birds connect us with the natural world. Heralding each sunrise and gathering at dusk, these harbingers of seasonal and environmental change endlessly fascinate and inspire. All-new work by the world’s most talented artists provide a splendid array of perspectives and insights. Artwork created by 118 artists from throughout the world comprises the 47th annual 2022 Birds in Art exhibition.

Organized annually since 1976 by the world-renown Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin, the juried exhibition has featured thousands of artists from around the world and is widely recognized as one of the best showcasing avian art. More than 500 artists submitted works for the 2022 show, with 118 selected for inclusion, 50 of which made the trip to the Hansen Museum as part of the traveling exhibition. A fully illustrated, color catalog accompanies each Birds in Art exhibition and is available upon request.

Birds in Art was on view from September 10 –  November 5, 2023 at the Hansen Museum.

Sean Kenney’s Animal Super Powers, a brand new exhibition featuring awe-inspiring sculptures made from LEGO® bricks, will be on view at the Hansen Museum from July 1, 2023 to September 10, 2023. From the mind of acclaimed artist, Sean Kenney, Animal Super Powers showcases larger-than-life sculptures of creatures who have evolved to possess their very own “super powers” and invites guests to learn the science behind them.

Produced by Imagine Exhibitions, Inc., Animal Super Powers is chock-full of STEAM content and will inspire budding artists, engineers, zoologists, and biologists to expand their imaginations, get curious and explore in an experience that both educates and excites.

The sculptures and exhibits in Animal Super Powers explore the evolutionary, biological, and environmental reasons for amazing animal adaptations such as shapeshifting, super-strength, echolocation, and limb regeneration and asks guests to imagine themselves with the same abilities.

Combining the world’s most beloved toy brick with the mythology of super heroes, Animal Super Powers provides an entertaining platform through which visitors can appreciate the wonders of the natural world.    

Tom Zaller, CEO of Imagine Exhibitions shared, “Imagine Exhibitions is proud to partner with Sean Kenney to bring the creative vision of Animal Super Powers to the Hansen Museum. Sean’s art is gravity-defying, and inspires us to look at ourselves and the world around us with from an incredible new perspective.”

Come explore the joy and wonder of Sean Kenney’s Animal Super Powers Made with LEGO® Bricks, open week days to the public from 9:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m., Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Admission is free!

The Hansen Museum in Logan, KS is pleased to announce Handstitched Worlds: The Cartography of Quilts, on view from February 24 through May 14, 2023.

Like many objects rooted in the everyday, quilts have the capacity to communicate stories about the context in which they were made and used. They represent maps of the quilters’ lives—living records of cultural traditions, rites of passage, relationships, political and spiritual beliefs, landmark events, and future aspirations. In the same way, a map is a pocket-sized abstraction of the world beyond what can be seen; in a quilt, a maker’s choice of fabric and design reveals insights into the topography of her world and place within it.

Handstitched Worlds: The Cartography of Quilts invites viewers to read quilts as maps, tracing the paths of individual stories and experiences that illuminate larger historic events and cultural trends. Spanning the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries, the exhibition brings together 18 quilts from the collection of the American Folk Art Museum, New York, representing a range of materials, motifs, and techniques—from traditional early American quilts to more contemporary sculptural assemblage. The quilts in Handstitched Worlds show us how this too-often overlooked medium balances creativity with tradition, individuality with collective zeitgeist.

Scheduled U.S. tour dates for Handstitched Worlds include: The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI (June 12 – August 29, 2021); Washington State Historical Society, Tacoma, WA (September 17, 2021 – January 23, 2022); Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT (February 19 – May 14, 2022); Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN (June 18, 2022 – September 11, 2022); The Hansen Museum, Logan, KS (February 24, 2023 – May 14, 2023); Haggin Museum, Stockton, CA (June 15, 2023 – August 15, 2023); and Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel, MS (January 30, 2024 – April 21, 2024).

Handstitched Worlds: The Cartography of Quilts was organized by the American Folk Art Museum, New York and is toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC.  Since 1961, the American Folk Art Museum has been the leading institution shaping the understanding of art by the self-taught through its exhibitions, publications, and educational programs. As a center of scholarship, it showcases the creativity of individuals whose singular talents have been refined through personal experience rather than formal artistic training. Its collection includes works of art from four centuries and nearly every continent—from compelling portraits and dazzling quilts to powerful works by living artists in a variety of mediums.  International Arts & Artists in Washington, DC, is a non-profit arts service organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally, through exhibitions, programs and services to artists, arts institutions, and the public. Visit www.artsandartists.org.

A proud tradition since 1976, the Hansen Museum has partnered with art instructors to provide a professional gallery experience for their high school art students. In allowing these student artists to display their work in the Museum, our hope is to inspire them; to fuel their passion for art, and to encourage them to continue creating past their high school years.

A special exhibit, Life in the Trenches, from the Smoky Hill Museum is now on display at the Hansen Museum, 110 W Main St., Logan, Kansas from November 11, 2022, to January 29, 2023. This exhibit explores the human face of World War I and the miserable nature of trench warfare.

WWI is known as the Great War and the ‘war to end all wars.’ America joined the fray in 1917.  Out of more than two million Americans who served in World War I, more than 80,000 were from Kansas. This unique exhibit focuses on the harrowing experiences of Kansas soldiers by using vivid, first-hand accounts of their ordeals, trials, and tribulations. Visitors learn the reasoning behind using trenches in the war; what the trenches looked like; and what life was like in the trenches.

There are also three interactive elements in the display including:

  • Vet Vignettes – With information and accounts of Kansas, American, Allied, and Central Power troops in a simple to navigate touch-screen format
  • Gas Attack – Where users are challenged to respond quickly and prepare themselves for a gas attack before it is too late
  • Not Five Star Food – Which explores a WWI era mess kit and the recipes they might have used on the battlefield

A very special thanks goes to the Earl Bane Foundation, City of Salina Kansas, and the Friends of the Smoky Hill Museum for helping make this exhibit possible. The Smoky Hill Museum also gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the many individuals who shaped the thinking during exhibition development, including Doran Cart, Senior Curator at the National WWI Museum and Memorial, in Kansas City.

The Museum is open Monday through Friday 9-12 and 1-4; Saturdays 9-12 & 1-5; Sundays and holidays 1-5. We are closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. We are handicapped accessible, and admission is always free thanks to the generous support of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation.

September 23 – November 6, 2022, the Hansen Museum is proud to host the exhibition of Jerry and Cat Nibarger’s Collection of Bob Ross Memorabilia.  Jerry, a Coca-Cola diesel mechanic and wife Cat, a stay-at-home mom and certified Bob Ross painting instructor, have graciously agreed to debut their personal collection of Ross artifacts at the Hansen Museum.

Interest in Bob Ross began when a friend showed Jerry a Ross original painting leaning against a wall in his spare bedroom. Viewing that painting sparked their interest and when another friend presented Jerry and Cat with the opportunity to purchase a Ross original painting, the fire was ignited. Unknowingly, owning a Bob Ross original painting—a beautiful seascape—was all the fuel needed to turn Jerry and Cat into full blown Bob Ross collectors.  In the process of authenticating artifacts, the Nibargers encountered Dana Jester.  Jester, one of the late Bob Ross’ closest friends and colleagues, became a wonderful resource and close friend.   Through the years the Nibargers have widened the scope of their collection far beyond paintings. This exhibition includes all manner of artifacts and relics. We invite viewers to join us this fall in celebrating one of pop culture’s most celebrated artists at the Hansen Museum.

Rodney Zimmerman Pottery

On View from July 22 – September 18, 2022

Rodney Zimmerman is a Hobby Potter and Ceramic Artist living in Colby, Kansas.  His recent practice has focused most on researching and exploring the alternative finishing techniques of Pit Firing, Raku Firing, and associated techniques used to manipulate and decorate pieces while at temperatures between 800- and 1600-degrees Fahrenheit. Creating artwork in this volatile way causes a high percentage of breakage in pieces yet creates unique and intricate patterns that can never be predicted or re-created.

Naked Raku

Rodney was first exposed to ceramics and pottery while attending elementary school in Hoxie, Kansas. Creating with clay instantly grabbed his attention as he was encouraged to experiment and create throughout the duration of his elementary and secondary education.

Zimmerman’s interest in Horticulture and Landscape Design led him to Nebraska to attend college where he completed his degrees before returning to Kansas to begin his Landscaping career.

Rodney rediscovered his love for clay in 2014 after being invited to join a community outreach ceramics course at Colby Community College. The excitement and inspiration instantly returned and led Zimmerman to begin to meld his two greatest interests:  Plants and Art!

Dragon Scaling

Nature serves as inspiration for many of Zimmerman’s pieces.  His talent for creating unique, decorative and functional pottery alongside intricate decorative pieces inspires fellow potters and artists alike.  He is always quick to teach and assist others in their own artistic journey. Rodney also enjoys creating ceramic growing environments for interesting plant species he has collected.  “I always try to bring memories home in a physical, tactile form. Caring for a plant I’ve collected, or working on a piece of pottery to house a specific plant, instantly brings me back to memories created while out exploring, ” said Zimmerman.

Rodney can be found expanding his education and experiences while continuing to take ceramics classes at Colby Community College as well as experimenting in his home studio.  He continues to find inspiration from nature while researching alternative firing and finishing techniques online.

 

                                                                                                             Cultivating the Dutch Tradition in the 21st Century:   Jane Jones’ Hyperrealist Floral Paintings

On View from May 27 – July 17, 2022

Jane Jones, Rose Duet, 35 x 32 inches, 2018, oil on board

CULTIVATING THE DUTCH TRADITION IN THE 21st CENTURY, Jane Jones’ Floral Paintings is an exhibition that consists of twenty-five floral paintings produced by the artist from 2012 through 2021.  The emergence of the Dutch school of painting in the early seventeenth century is one of the most extraordinary phenomena in the history of the visual arts.  Jane Jones works within the context of 17th-century Dutch floral painters such as Maria van Oosterwyck (1630 – 1693), Maria Sibylla Merian (1647 – 1717), and Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750).  But while Jones has been a life-long student of 17th-century Dutch floral painting, she takes a contemporary stylistic approach to her own work, producing compositions which are spare and elegant.

Jane Jones, On the Edge, 34 x 40 inches, 2020, oil on canvas

Peter Trippi, Editor-in-Chief, Fine Art Connoisseur, New York explains it this way:  “Jones has an admirable gift for banishing extraneous details in order to focus on the elegance of flowers, juxtaposing their organic forms with the geometric rigidity of their vases, and the stones she sometimes includes, and even of the square or rectangular canvas itself. Her still life paintings highlight what Jones calls the ‘everyday triumphs of nature’ and the ‘power, beauty, and fragility of life,’ none of which should ever be taken for granted.”

While Jones’ paintings respond to works from the Dutch Golden Age, they also take cues from science.  Having earned degrees in biology as well as art history, the artist says, “The most important things I took away from my science education were a deep respect for living systems and ecology, their inherent homeostasis, and the importance of precision when observing nature.”  Jane Jones also possesses a deep and un-abiding concern, an ethic if you will, about the disruption of the balance of nature that is caused by climate change.

Jane Jones Cover image Circle of Light

Of Jane Jones’ work, Michael Charles Tobias, Ph.D., President, Dancing Star Foundation, Sante Fe, NM, says:  “From Genesis 2:8-9 where God ‘planted a garden eastwards in Eden’ to 17th century Jan Van Kessel the Elder’s exquisitely detailed portrayal of Vertumnus—guardian of gardens, to early 20th century works like Odilon Redon’s Flowers in a Turquoise Vase (1905), human aesthetic rapture has found its myriad safe havens and perennial longing in botany. Jane Jones, like few contemporary American painters, has invented a most elegant way of communicating the rapture and metaphysics of a flower. She does so with a technically photorealistic honesty and fluency that is poignant and astonishing. Jones’ work is both stark and lush; a vivid wake-up call. It declares the innocence, vulnerability and gorgeous allure of the more than 370,000 flowering plant species on Earth. Her work will stand as a unique rallying cry, an open and perfumed invitation to be re-enchanted by all that grows and co-evolves with us.”

Jane Jones Indoor 1 Garden of Joy

Jane Jones is a Denver native and continues to live near there at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, where the light that she loves is bright and clear, and the seasons, which influence her work, are definite in their character and moods.  Though she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Jane Jones chose not to work in that field.  Of her science education she says it enabled her to look “into the lives of cells, plants, animals and ecosystems gave me a glimpse into the awesome power of living things and an incredible respect for them.”  Her hyper-realistic style includes many layers of glazing to create the colors that best represent the glorious expression of color in sunlit flowers.  Symbols are used to communicate her love of nature, and the threats that nature faces, while presenting their need to be protected and nurtured.

Jones exhibits her work in museums and galleries across the United States.  Her paintings have won numerous national awards including the Award of Excellence in\ Blossom ~ Art of Flowers which premiered at the Naples Museum of Art and was toured nationally by David J. Wagner, L.L.C.; and the Floral Award in the Annual Exhibition of the International Guild of Realism in 2013 and 2018.  She is the author of Classic Still Life Painting and is represented by galleries in Denver, New York, Santa Fe, and Scottsdale.

Jane Jones, Party of Two, 59 x 78 inches, 2019, oil on canvas

CULTIVATING THE DUTCH TRADITION IN THE 21st CENTURY, Jane Jones’ Floral Paintings is sponsored by Culture Trove – A Traveling Exhibitions Database for Museum Professionals based on Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  The Curator of the exhibition is David J. Wagner, who earned his Ph.D. in American Studies and served as a museum director for 20 years.  He also serves as President of David J. Wagner, L.L.C., a Wisconsin-based company that produces and manages traveling museum exhibitions.   For further information, contact:   David J. Wagner, Ph.D., Curator/Tour Director, Office Phone: (414) 221-6878, Email: davidjwagnerllc@yahoo.com, Website: davidjwagnerllc.com.

 “I have loved and been influenced by the flowers and symbolism of17th-Century Dutch Still Life painting for many years and have worked to figure out and incorporate symbolism into my paintings for a long time.  In the paintings made specifically for this exhibit, that symbolism has become more pointed and direct. This exhibit presents paintings with the ideas of risk and protection but goes further to express my concern and fear about the changes and destruction of this planet due to Climate Change.”  Jane Jones

Jane Jones, Party of Two, 59 x 78 inches, 2019, oil on canvas

Under Pressure – A Survey of Contemporary Airbrush Realism

UNDER PRESSURE – PAINTING WITH AIR (A Survey of Contemporary Airbrush Realism) is on view at the Hansen Museum now through May 22, 2022.  This exhibition is comprised of 45 works, wide-ranging in theme, by noteworthy, working artists who have chosen airbrush as their principal medium of expression. According to the exhibit’s Curator, David J. Wagner, UNDER PRESSURE – PAINTING WITH AIR has been a long time in coming: “The earliest, and perhaps the last exhibition to broadly survey airbrushed fine art that I am aware of was The Artist and The Airbrush, curated by Barbara Rogers, herself an accomplished artist, 40 years ago at the Art Department of San Jose State University in California where she served on the faculty.”  Two of the artists whose work was featured in that seminal exhibition who are still active today, have current work in UNDER PRESSURE – PAINTING WITH AIR — Don Eddy (b. 1944) and Jerry Ott (b. 1947) — as does another, George Green (1943-2020), though he passed away unexpectedly during the organization of UNDER PRESSURE – PAINTING WITH AIR.  This exhibition is comprised of works by these and the artists who followed in their footsteps including several of today’s younger generation of accomplished airbrush masters.

Airbrush as a medium may be known to most people as a go-to medium for commercial artists who decorate a broad range of material culture beyond fine art, such as t-shirts, sporting equipment and vehicles ranging from boats to pickup trucks, semis, cars and motorcycles, etc.  In the ‘50’s and ‘60’s, it became a go-to medium for the so-called Kustom Kulture, a neologism that refers to styles and fashions associated with custom cars and motorcycles in the United States particularly the hot rod culture of Southern California. Then there is animation, the culinary arts, body art, make up, and tattoos.  You name it, and airbrush artists seem to have covered it in one form or another. As would be expected, many commercially successful airbrush artists possess incredible skill, but many lack true artistry, which may be the reason the medium has been unfairly maligned or ignored by highbrow aesthetes over the years.

Though a hip medium in the world of commercial art today, airbrush is actually a nineteenth-century invention.  Francis Stanley, who with his twin brother became famous for the Stanley Steamer, patented a simple “atomizer” airbrush to colorize photographs in 1876.  An instrument called the “paint distributor,” which relied on a hand-operated compressor to supply continuous air, was developed in 1879 by Abner Peeler “for the painting of watercolors and other artistic purposes.”  A commercial prototype was developed by Liberty Walkup who re-patented it under a name suggested by his wife: “air-brush.” She would go on to establish the Illinois Art School in Rockford where airbrushing would be taught. Seventy-five miles north and a decade later, Charles Burdick revolutionized the air brush in Madison, Wisconsin. Patented in 1892, his airbrush was a double-action, internal-mix airbrush similar to those used today. It contained paint somewhat like a fountain pen and featured an index finger trigger with the air supply re-positioned through the bottom, which improved balance and control. Burdick’s invention was promoted by Thayer and Chandler, a Chicago mail order arts and crafts retailer, which also showcased it at the 1892 World Columbian Exposition. As other improvements ensued the medium took off. Today, airbrushes are used for countless commercial applications, as well as fine art.

In the world of fine art, Man Ray (1890–1977), remembered to many as a force of the Dada and Surrealism art movements, was among the first to employ airbrush in the production of fine art. Alberto Vargas (1896–1992), the pioneering artist who had emigrated from Peru to the U.S. after studying art in Europe, used airbrush in combination with watercolors, to produce his signature pin-ups, which associated airbrush with so-called girlie pictures, an association that has trended to this day.  With the emergence of Photorealism in the mid and late 1960’s, the airbrush assumed a special place of distinction as a favorite medium among the first generation of artists practicing that style in America, e.g., Paul Sarkisian (1928-2019) and Ben Schonzeit (b. 1942) though he stopped airbrushing about a decade ago and no longer works in airbrush today.  Interestingly, this phenomenon hasn’t just been male dominated.  In addition to Barbara Rogers (b. 1937), Audrey Flack (b. 1931), for example, projected images onto canvas instead of making preliminary drawings, and developed a method of applying paint in layers with an airbrush. Others followed.  After the first wave of Photorealists in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, younger artists produced work that extended the medium of airbrush in new and interesting ways, notably, in the stylistic realm of what has become known as, Hyperrealism.  Today, work by artists who use airbrush embodies a diverse range of style, subject matter, and technique.

Of the artists exhibiting in UNDER PRESSURE – PAINTING WITH AIR, Southerner, Dru Blair (Charleston, SC), is widely known as much for his art as he is an educator having founded his Blair School of Art in the ‘90’s in Raleigh, NC which he operates today in Charleston.  To demonstrate his impact, examples of work by several former students now having their own successful careers are also featured: Silvia Belviso (from Italy, now residing in Charleston), David Evanoff (Cleveland, GA), and Joshua Zarambo (Richmond, VA).  In addition to this younger generation, and the older masters previously mentioned — Don Eddy (New York, NY), George Green, and Jerry Ott (Duluth, MN) – others exhibiting in UNDER PRESSURE – PAINTING WITH AIR, include some of the very best who have ever worked with the medium: Bruce Evans (Philadelphia, PA), Kirk Lybecker (Portland, OR), Alan Pastrana (Queens, NY; with studio in Plainville, CT), Cesar Santander (New York, NY), and Hisaya Taira (Tokyo, Japan).  PAINTING WITH AIR features a diverse selection of works by each of these artists to share with viewers the breadth and depth of each artist’s oeuvre and their artistic prowess.  As such, the exhibit is a celebration of artistic virtuosity and achievement through a unique, American medium: airbrush.  Serving as Curator for UNDER PRESSURE – PAINTING WITH AIR, is David J. Wagner, who earned his Ph.D. in American Studies and served as a museum director for 20 years.  For booking information, contact:  DAVID J. WAGNER, L.L.C., EXHIBITION TOUR OFFICE (414) 221-6878; davidjwagnerllc@yahoo.com; davidjwagnerllc.com

A proud tradition since 1976, the Hansen Museum has partnered with art instructors to provide a professional gallery experience for their high school art students. In allowing these student artists to display their work in the Museum, our hope is to inspire them; to fuel their passion for art, and to encourage them to continue creating past their high school years.  The 2022 show featured student artists from Hill City, Phillipsburg, Pike Valley, Community, TMP-Marian, Trego Community, Brewster, and Smith Center High Schools.  The 45th Annual High School Art Show was on display from January 28 to February 27, 2022.

The Hansen Museum in Logan, KS, was pleased to host Ubuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence, a spectacular overview of a new form of bead art, the ndwango (“cloth”), developed by a community of women living and working together in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The plain black fabric that serves as a foundation for the Ubuhle women’s exquisite beadwork is reminiscent of the Xhosa headscarves and skirts that many of them wore growing up. By stretching this textile like a canvas, the artists use colored Czech glass beads to transform the flat cloth into a contemporary art form of remarkable visual depth. Using skills handed down through generations and working in their own unique style “directly from the soul” (in the words of artist Ntombephi Ntobela), the women create abstract as well as figurative subjects for their ndwangos. Ubuhle Women was on view at the Hansen Museum from October 29, 2021 through January 23, 2022.

Ubuhle means “beauty” in the Xhosa and Zulu languages and well describes the shimmering quality of light on glass that for the Xhosa people has a special spiritual significance. From a distance, each panel of the ndwango seems to present a continuous surface; but as the viewer moves closer and each tiny individual bead catches the light, the meticulous skill and labor that went into each work—the sheer scale of ambition—becomes stunningly apparent. A single panel can take more than 10 months to complete.

Migration has defined the history of modern South Africa. The late-19th-century discovery of gold and diamonds—and, to a lesser extent, the cultivation of sugar cane—transfigured South African society with its demands for a large, flexible workforce of able men. As workers left their homesteads in rural areas to earn cash salaries, traditional social systems based on direct production from the land began to change. Low pay and harsh working conditions forced many cane cutters to live apart from their wives and families for up to nine months of the year, which led to a breakdown of family life and traditional values.  Ubuhle was conceived in response to this social and cultural transformation. Established in 1999 by two women—Ntombephi “Induna” Ntobela and Bev Gibson—on a former sugar plantation in KwaZulu-Natal, Ubuhle began as a way of creating employment for rural women by combining traditional skills and making them profitable. By incorporating a skill that many local women already had—beadwork, a customary form of artistic expression for generations of South African women—and teaching it to those who did not, they began to provide women with a private source of income and a route to financial independence.

Since 2006, the Ubuhle community has lost five artists to HIV/AIDS and other illnesses, nearly halving the number of active artists. Many of the ndwangos thus function as memorials to Ubuhle sisters who have lost their lives. Remembering the dead is a key motivation for the creation of many of these artworks, and it imbues them with a spiritual significance.

Due to the slow, meticulous process of creating a ndwango, the act of beading itself becomes a form of therapy: a way of setting down the issues that are closest to the artists’ hearts; a way of grieving; and a place to encode feelings and memories. In a sense—through their presence in the artist’s thoughts during the act of creation—the deceased enter the very fabric of the work, and so the ndwango becomes a site of memory.

Ubuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence was developed by the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, Washington, DC, in cooperation with Curators Bev Gibson, Ubuhle Beads, and James Green, and is organized for tour by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC.

The Ubuhle community exists today due mainly to the determination of two women, Bev Gibson and Ntombephi Ntobela, who co-founded Ubuhle in 1999. Ntombephi is a master beader from the Eastern Cape whose tremendous skill, both as artist and teacher, has been the foundation block of this community. Ntombephi is known as “Induna,” which means “leader,” a term of great respect in South Africa. The title also suggests the responsibility she feels for the community as guardian of its future. Bev herself does not bead, but she has created the space for Ubuhle artists to explore, experiment, and transform the traditional art form. Bev has also been an indomitable source of energy and persistence in the emergence of Ubuhle’s growing vision. She and Ntombephi each bring their own unique skills to the establishment of the community, and it is largely thanks to them that these works exist at all.

International Arts & Artists in Washington, DC, is a non-profit arts service organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally, through exhibitions, programs and services to artists, arts institutions and the public. Visit www.artsandartists.org

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September 10 - October 24, 2021

Climate & Energy Central is a traveling exhibition that features Kansas scientists who are working together to address the grand challenges of renewable energy and potential climate change. This exhibition features large scale graphics, photo murals, and a real section of a center pivot irrigation system. Set up in modular displays this STEM exhibition creates an immersive environment that brings to life scientists and the work they are doing.
Climate & Energy Central greets viewers with challenges facing our planet and then leads them through four modules introducing research to address these complex and interconnected issues: Farmscapes examines how land is used and the complex choices Kansas farmers make. Climate Science focuses on collecting local data and then looking for broad climate trends, what the trends mean, and their impact on future decisions. Energy presents research to find better ways to harvest the sun’s energy, exploring protein based solar cells and nanotechnology. Pathways explores how Native American traditions can be used to return us to a balanced relationship with nature. This exhibition was developed, designed, and produced by Kansas based Flint Hills Design in collaboration with the Kauffman Museum. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. EPS-0903806 and matching support from the State of Kansas through the Kansas Board of Regents. The Kansas Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research is a partnership of University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita State University, and Haskell Indian Nations University.

The exhibition, ANIMAL GROUPS, will be displayed from July 2 to September 5, 2021.  This exhibition is an edition of ANIMALS IN ART, which was originally produced to celebrate the holidays some years ago at The Miami Metro Zoo.  This edition has been custom curated by Dr. David J. Wagner for the Hansen Museum in Logan, Kansas to celebrate re-opening after renovating.  Instead of featuring just one work per artist, this edition features 9 groups by 9 artists, each represented by five thematically-related works to afford visitors the opportunity to experience the breadth and depth of each artist’s specialized subject matter, treatment, and expression.

Portrayed in acrylics, oil, and bronze, the menagerie includes favorites such as horses, cows, cats, dogs, goats, and chickens.  More exotic species such as lions, elephants, monkeys, lizards, and striking avian species are also included.  Animal Groups features 46 masterpieces by well-known and admired artists who focus and specialize in capturing the essence and personalities of animals.

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Bison
Exhibit displayed April 23 - June 27, 2021

Ancient. Massive. Wild.

This exhibit explores the significance of bison in the cultures of Plains Indian peoples–particularly as a resource for food, clothing, shelter and tools. That co-existence changed dramatically with the closing of the frontier that brought new settlers with livestock to compete for grass and water during a time of climate and habitat change. These developments were exacerbated by the commodification of the bison as hide and bone in late nineteenth century industrialization.

The most recent chapter of the bison story is both significant and complex: the romance of rescuing and preserving bison; the science of genetic diversity within the species; the dynamics of poachers, profiteers, and producers both industrial and small-scale; marketing bison fiber and meat to the 21st century customer. This exhibit highlights the role of the National Buffalo Foundation in bringing together a community of stakeholders to celebrate and promote the bison’s heritage and to raise awareness of that story.

44th Annual High School Art Show

Hill City, Phillipsburg, Pike Valley, TMP-Marian, Trego Community, & Smith Center

A proud tradition since 1976, the Hansen Museum has partnered with art instructors to provide a professional gallery experience for their high school art students. In allowing these student artists to display their work in the Museum, our hope is to inspire them; to fuel their passion for art, and to encourage them to continue creating past their high school years. Continuing a new tradition begun in 2018, the students’ instructors have included a few of their own pieces in the show.

NW Kansas Artists Exhibition

© Photo by GRAHM S. JONES, COLUMBUS ZOO AND AQUARIUM
After a photo shoot at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio, a clouded leopard cub climbs on Sartore’s head. The leopards, which live in Asian tropical forests, are illegally hunted for their spotted pelts.

National Geographic Photo Ark is an ambitious project founded by Joel Sartore, who has made it his life’s mission is to photograph every species living in captivity.  To-date, Sartore has visited zoos, aquamarines, and sanctuaries in over 40 countries to create the largest single archive of studio-quality photographs of biodiversity ever.  National Geographic Photo Ark continues to move toward its goal of documenting these 15,000 species in captivity, thanks in part to Sartore’s enduring relationships with many of the world’s zoos and aquariums. 

From cute and cuddly to fierce and protective, the Hansen Museum proudly presents 45 captivating animal portraits from Sartore’s Photo Ark.  An incredible opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the Earth’s most amazing  and endangered animals.  Sartore captures more than their image, he gives us a rare glimpse of the essence of these creatures moving us to compassion and calling us to action.  For some of these animals, this photo does not have to be the world’s last chance to see them.

Featuring the work of National Geographic photographer and Fellow Joel Sartore, the exhibition will be on display at the Hansen Museum from June 19th until August 16th. This exhibition is organized by the National Geographic Society and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.

Open Call Barn Quilt Exhibition

The Hansen Museum is proud to present its first Open Call Barn Quilt Exhibit. One of the more accessible forms of art, barn quilts originated sometime in the 1800s as a way to show off a particularly pretty quilting square. Today, barn quilters are more numerous than ever, as the masses discover this enjoyable form of art.  Barn quilts began as quilt square designs painted to a board then affixed to a barn.

This art form has grown wildly in popularity, with budding artists of all kinds adding their friendly pops of color to the sides of barns, garages, or houses; becoming so popular that there are hundreds of “trails” to follow across the United States. Stroll through the exhibit and admire the variety in patterns, textures, and colors.  Displayed March 13,  – June 12, 2020.

43rd Annual High School Art Show

A proud tradition since 1976, the Dane G. Hansen Museum has partnered with several art instructors to provide a professional gallery experience for their high school art students.  In allowing these student artists to display their work in the Museum, our hope is to inspire them; to fuel their passion for art and to encourage them to continue creating past their high school years.  High Schools on display include Norton Community, Trego Community, Hill City, Smith Center, Phillipsburg, and TMP-Marian.   Artwork will be on view from February 7 to March 8, 2020.

43rd Annual High School Art Show

A proud tradition since 1976, the Dane G. Hansen Museum has partnered with several art instructors to provide a professional gallery experience for their high school art students.  In allowing these student artists to display their work in the Museum, our hope is to inspire them; to fuel their passion for art and to encourage them to continue creating past their high school years.  High Schools on display include Norton Community, Trego Community, Hill City, Smith Center, Phillipsburg, and TMP-Marian.   Artwork will be on view from February 7 to March 8, 2020.

Farmin Artist Logo

With distinct pleasure, the Dane G. Hansen Museum is honored to hold the inaugural museum exhibition of The Farmin Artist, Thomas Zimmerman.  If you are not familiar with this phenomenal photographer, you most rectify this at once.  God paints the sky and The Farmin Artist photographs His handiwork.  This  exhibition is a breath-taking collection of mostly Kansas landscapes that pays homage to the beautiful state in which we are honored to live.

Ablaze
Ablaze

Thomas, an award-winning photographer and Kansas native, began as a portrait photographer.  Wanting to grow as an artist, he began experimenting and made the outdoors his studio, capturing the countryside and the country sky. Based in Gove County, Thomas is a farmer/rancher giving him wide access to the subject he loves.  He was a finalist in the USA National Landscape Photographer of the Year competition in the color view category and has sold prints to 19 different countries on 5 continents.

The magnificent photographs of our newest exhibit, The Farmin Artist on display until February 2, 2020, has visitors awestruck from the moment they step through the door.  Rusty tractors, shabby farm sheds, and chilly Angus bulls become powerfully vibrant through the lens of Thomas Zimmerman, The Farmin Artist. Thomas’ intense style of photography creates a feeling of total immersion for his viewers, allowing you to wrap yourself up in a warm Kansas sunset, or shiver in the crusty snow as three bulls study you curiously. Each scene that Thomas captures is as unique as it is fascinating.  Vivid colors and striking contrasts in a sea of agricultural scenes await you at the Dane G. Hansen Museum.

 
The Cold is Bull
The Cold is Bull
Tr & Sand Web Title

 

_Edited-TR&Sandy_Press ReleaseFor more than 27 years, artist duo T.R. Mathews and Sandy Seamone have been traveling the United States as they teach aspiring artists how to paint using Bob Ross’ easy-to-learn Joy of Painting method.

Over the years, T.R. and Sandy have saved some of their favorite painted works, which are displayed in this “eclectic” collection, and added some art from other artists, including TV artist Bob Ross himself, western painter Carl Cassler (who produced cover art for Louis L’Amour’s books and Reader’s Digest); and muralist Jan Vriesen (who created murals in high-traffic places such as the Smithsonian Institute and Denver Museum of Nature & Science).

The majority of this exhibit is focused on natural subjects: snowy mountain scenery, flowers in bloom, a tiger drinking from a stream, or a wooden cabin tucked into a forest; but a portion of the display is dedicated to Native American culture, and there is an entire wall featuring cosmic scenes of Earth.

The Eclectic Collection of T.R. and Sandy is on display until November 10.

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The Dane G. Hansen Museum is pleased to host Thomas D. Mangelsen’s – A Life In The Wild.  Forty classic photographs by Thomas D. Mangelsen, photographs which the world-renowned photographer himself refers to as his legacy photographs.  Personally selected by Mangelsen, these photographs make up a retrospective nationally traveling museum exhibition scheduled to show at the Dane G. Hansen Museum from June 7 to September 8, 2019.   

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Among photographs which members of the public will certainly be familiar with are “Polar Dance” from 1989 of polar bears appearing to dance, “Mountain Outlaw,” from 2014 of a grizzly bear charging head on through the snow, and from 1988, “Catch of the Day” which captures the exact moment that a spawning salmon, trying to leap over a waterfall along Alaska’s Brooks River, soars right into the waiting jaws of a massive brown bear. About “Catch of the Day,” Todd Wilkinson (author, The Last Great Wild Places: Forty Years of Wildlife Photography by Thomas D. Mangelsen), has written that it is not only one of the most widely circulated wildlife photographs in history, but also a monumental achievement in photography because it occurred before the advent of digital cameras and involves no digital manipulation,Not all photographs in this exhibit, some of which measure 10 feet across, are of bears. Far from it, exhibition subjects also include American bison, bald eagles, flowers, and so much more.

One of the most prolific nature photographers of our time, Thomas Mangelsen has been described as a spiritual descendant of pioneering American nature photographers Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter, and Edward Weston. Bill Allen, the now retired Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic, considers Mangelsen to be one of the most important nature photographers of his generation. In addition, Thomas Mangelsen is as much a conservationist as he is an artist.

Thomas Mangelsen was named the 2011 Conservation Photographer of the Year by Nature’s Best Photography, placing his work in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. He was named one of the 40 Most Influential Nature Photographers by Outdoor Photography, and one of the 100 Most Important People in Photography by American Photo magazine. The North American Nature Photography Association has named him Outstanding Nature Photographer of the Year; while the British Broadcasting Corporation gave him its coveted, prestigious award, Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

Thomas Mangelsen has traveled to the wildest corners of North America, Africa, and beyond, for more than 40 years and produced a body of work second to none. At a time when digital technology is, notoriously, conditioning users to have shorter attention spans, A Life In The Wild stands as a testament by Thomas Mangelsen and the rewards that can come to those, like him, who get close to nature.

Mangelsen web

The Thomas D. Mangelsen – A Life In The Wild Tour is produced by David J. Wagner, L.L.C. (davidjwagnerllc.com) in partnership with Thomas D. Mangelsen, Inc. (mangelsen.com).

Cast Paper Sculptures by Eckman Fine Art

The Dane G. Hansen Museum is pleased to host an exhibit featuring Eckman Fine Art’s collection of cast paper sculptures. Cast paper sculpture, (not to be confused with papier mâché), was invented as late as the 1950’s. The two Eckmans have developed a careful process that is now trademarked by them. Accordingly, Allen and Patty Eckman of Eckman Fine Art are internationally recognized as masters in this intricate, time-consuming medium.

Sculpting from their home in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Marine veteran Allen Eckman’s Cherokee heritage originally spurred him to greatly broaden his knowledge of Native American history, especially beginning with the Westward Expansion in the early 1800’s.

Allen Eckman touching up "Sitting Bulls Vision"
Allen Eckman touching up “Sitting Bulls Vision”

This exhibit not only pays tribute to several aspects of Native American culture, but ties in another special focus, closely related: nature itself.

Patty Eckman telling Shari Buss about "Learning to Pray"
Patty Eckman discussing the exhibition with Museum Director Shari Buss

Complementing Allen’s attention to Native American history, Patty has a detailed awareness of natural beauty, especially wildlife and flowers, and has remarked that color is sometimes a distraction to the underlying intricate forms in nature. As Allen and Patty’s sculptures are typically unpainted, this purity lends itself wholly to the detail of these exquisite pieces.

Eckman Fine Art – Cast Paper Sculptures will be on display from March 8 through June 2, 2019, at the Dane G. Hansen Museum located at 110 W. Main Street, Logan, Kansas. Museum hours are Monday through Friday 9-12 & 1-4; Saturdays 9-12 & 1-5; Sundays & Holidays 1-5. We are handicapped accessible and thanks to the generosity of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, there is never an admission fee. For more information, please contact us at 785-689-4846.

Taking the Bull with the Bow
42nd Annual High School Art Show

Since 1976 the Dane G. Hansen Museum has proudly hosted the High School Art Show.  It is our pleasure to partner with several schools’ art instructors to provide a professional gallery atmosphere for these students.

It is our hope that the prospect of showcasing their artistic work in our gallery will inspire these students to continue to grow their talent and persevere on their creative journey.

We greatly admire these instructors and their dedication to cultivating students’ creative talents.  After the success of last year’s new twist, the students’ instructors will again be adding a few of their own pieces to the show.

As you stroll through the exhibit, enjoy the fresh view created by the imagination and skill of these young artists and their instructors.

Participating schools:  Smith Center, Norton, Thomas More Prep-Marian, Trego Community, Phillipsburg, and Hill City.

Smith Center High School
Smith Center High School
"Neon Lights" by Emily Schulte, TMP-Marian
“Neon Lights” by Emily Schulte, TMP-Marian
Hill City High School Free Standing Art
Hill City High School Free Standing Art
BrochureQuilt Web

Red & Green Quilts

This collection of Red and Green Quilts from the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum of Golden, CO contains twenty-five quilts. Dating from 1835 through the early 20th century, these quilts are stitched with red and green fabrics, a popular color combination of the era.
The collection includes some applique quilts of the 19th century, which were often made to signify great events or reserved for the most careful designs, more expensive fabrics, and best stitches.  These quilts were often made before or immediately after marriage, as crib quilts, or after all children were grown.  A woman’s best quilts, made with the most expensive fabrics or intricate applique designs, were proudly displayed in the front room of her home or on a guest bed.
These Red and Green Quilts show a beautiful variety of decorative motifs from the mid-to-late-1800s.  This collection from the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum holds prime examples of this beautiful era in our quilting history.

Brochure page 1Albin Studio Exhibition

The Dane G. Hansen Museum is pleased to present Albin Studio Exhibition, a solo exhibition of paintings by Laurie Albin.  Laurie, a 38-year painting veteran, has spent a significant amount of her career painting commissions in portraiture and landscapes.  She is recognized as a prolific artist in multiple mediums, with an emphasis in watercolor, which is her favorite medium.  Of all the painting processes, watercolor painting is known for its inherent delicacy and subtlety.  Laurie’s watercolors fully embody these characteristics.  The Hansen Museum is delighted to host 52 of Albin Studio’s best works from October 26 – December 2, 2018.  Laurie is the recipient of numerous awards of recognition and has participated in many Midwest exhibits and gallery shows. Laurie is also a member of the Kansas Watercolor Society. Presently, Laurie teaches art (grades 7-12) in Hill City, Kansas, and works in her home studio in WaKeeney.

Apron Strings WebAlthough taken for granted by many social and art historians, the apron is the subject of a fascinating reevaluation in this exhibition. Apron Strings: Ties to the Past, features fifty-one vintage and contemporary examples that review the apron’s role as an emotionally charged vehicle for expression with a rich and varied craft history that is still viable today.  Using aprons dating from the late 1930s through the present, the exhibition chronicles changing attitudes toward women and domestic work. It also surveys the wide range of design and craft techniques apron-makers have used to express themselves, while still working within creative venues traditionally available to women. Today, artists continue using aprons to explore cultural myths and realities as well as their individual experiences with American domesticity. Apron Strings is organized into several thematic groups addressing design, historical context, use, and cultural message. The exhibition serves as an excellent tool to bring together diverse parts of the community through shared experiences with, and memories of, a common, everyday textile. Apron Strings: Ties to the Past reevaluates the apron’s varying roles over time in an artistic and cultural manner. The exhibition is toured by ExhibitsUSA, anational program of Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Head LineAn exhibition of over 50 paintings by 15 different artists who specialize in automobiles and motorcycles as their primary subjects of choice.  Their work exemplifies the very best of today’s automotive painting and builds on the first wave of photo-realists in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s.  LUSTER encompasses a broad range of cars and motorcycles from vintage vehicles from the 1940’s and before to more recent classics. During the post-World War II boom years, cheap gas and the advent of the Interstate Highway System in 1956 propelled automotive design and sales.  In the 1950s, the industry reached new heights by offering consumers increased horse power for thrust and speed, and more artfully, integrated design which was dramatized in the 1960’s with features such as tail fins.  LUSTER features paintings of passenger automobiles from those boom years and since, plus a range of motorcycles and racing vehicles while paying tribute to America’s love affair with cars and motorcycles.
Photo array

Recollections of Nature – David Vollbracht

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Chisholm Trail

Work, Fight, Give Brochure


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The Art of Jessie Montes

Jessie Montes (1935 – 2013)

Over 40 years ago, Jessie Montes, sole survivor of five sets of twins, immigrated to the United States from Mexico. After settling in Dodge City, Kansas, Montes became a naturalized citizen in 1972. In 1990, to free his mind from worry (Montes’ two children were called to active duty in the Gulf War), he began making frames out of corrugated cardboard. “One day I just started cutting cardboard,” said Montes. Soon Montes began to fill his frames with landscapes, abstract designs, and portraits. Three dimensional sculptures came soon thereafter.  Thus, his artistic journey in this unique medium began. Using discarded boxes (cardboard cut in quarter-inch strips), tweezers, a sharp razor blade, acrylic paint, and paste, Montes created unique and entertaining works of art.  One man’s trash is another’s treasure!

 The Art of Jessie Montes in the gallery

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“I have always been interested in art. Growing up impoverished in Northern Mexico,

I had to create my own toys and items of amusement. This was the beginning of my creative bent.” 

Jessie Montes

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Through My Eyes

by Rhea Grandon

"Through My Eyes" at the Dane G. Hansen Museum

“Through My Eyes” at the Dane G. Hansen Museum

The Dane G. Hansen Museum is pleased to present Through My Eyes, the first solo museum exhibition of paintings by Rhea Grandon of Ellinwood, KS.

Rhea Grandon, Artist of "Through My Eyes"

Rhea Grandon, Artist of “Through My Eyes”

Grandon, a 57-year painting veteran, began her love affair with painting at the tender age of 20. Over time, she discovered her favorite medium to be acrylic and people became her preferred subject matter.  Her love of people rivals her love of painting and when Grandon combines these two passions, the result is soulful; mystery and pretense dissolve allowing simple childlike faith to lead viewers on a journey of discovery.

Grandon’s penchant for the Southwest is strongly observed through subject matter and color choices. Warm sun baked earth tones, appropriately muted, seem welcoming and comforting, inviting viewers to relax and stay awhile.  Common, yet not, Through My Eyes does not put on airs.  It simply exists to be enjoyed.

Currently, this prolific artist has work in twenty-eight countries. Several of Grandon’s canvases have found permanent homes in the collections of noted people such as Goldie Hawn (custom portrait), George Segal, Wayne Newton, Dame Peggy Ashcroft (a member of the famous Studebaker family), a United States Senator, and three Kansas Governors. Two of Grandon’s paintings have been considered for purchase at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.  Through My Eyes was on display at the Dane G. Hansen Museum October 6, 2017, through December 3, 2017.

Dad 11" x 14" acrylic

Dad 11″ x 14″ acrylic

Esther Lupe 11"x 14" acrylic

Esther Lupe 11″x 14″ acrylic

Tonita Standing 9" x 12" acrylic

Tonita Standing 9″ x 12″ acrylic

Ultra Releastic Sculptures by Marc Sijan

Paint & Palette  

by Kansas Artist, Staci Hartman

Staci Hartman
Staci Hartman

The Dane G. Hansen Museum is pleased to present Paint & Palette, a solo exhibition of oils and pastels by Kansas artist, Staci Hartman. The Hansen Museum is delighted to host this emerging Kansas artist’s first solo exhibition from May 19 – July 16, 2017.

Staci Hartman

Paint & Palette features landscapes, florals, animals, and still life pieces. Fifty canvases depicting Hartman’s appreciation of the beauty, serenity, and vitality of our world will be on display. Light and color accentuate the visual paths in these pieces.  Hartman, a member of Oil Painters of America, began painting as an adult. She has been privileged to study with nationally recognized artists Kaye Franklin, Howard Friedland, and David Vollbracht. Although Hartman did not start painting until adulthood, her mother began developing her eye much earlier. Hartman’s mother, a painter, would set paintings up to dry in the family home. After studying a painting, young Hartman would offer suggestions. Finding the feedback on point, Hartman’s mother continued this practice throughout Hartman’s formative years. Hartman feels this informal training was foundational to the development of her artistic perspective.

Freedom by Staci Hartman
Freedom, Oil

Into the Arctic

by Cory Trépanier

Cory Trépanier’s Into the Arctic
Into the Arctic

Over a decade in the making, Cory Trépanier’s INTO THE ARCTIC Exhibition Tour presents the most ambitious body of artwork ever created from the Canadian Arctic. Adding to his majestic paintings are a series of Arctic films, which cinematically convey the wonder, awe, and challenges of his northern painting expeditions.

The INTO THE ARCTIC Exhibition Tour showcases an unprecedented collection of over 60 Arctic oil paintings and 3 films from Trepanier’s 4 Arctic expeditions to the furthest reaches of the Canadian North, a wilderness so remote and untouched, that many of its landscapes have never been documented before.

Theatre
Theatre to view Corey’s films.

From these journeys, he has also produced two feature films, Into The Arctic, and Canadian Screen Award Nominated Into The Arctic II, with the final film in the trilogy set to be released summer of 2017.

The tour premiered on January 10, 2017 at the Embassy of Canada in Washington D.C. The Dane G. Hansen Museum, Logan, KS is the first stop on its two year, six-museum journey across the U.S.A designed to passionately engage audiences through the beauty of the Canadian Arctic, and instill concern for careful stewardship of one of the most fragile regions of our planet.

Highlighting the collection is Trépanier’s 15 feet wide “Great Glacier,” quite possibly the largest Arctic landscape painting in Canada’s history. About his work, the artist has said,

Cory Trépanier’s Great Glacier - All Rights Reserved
Cory Trépanier’s Great Glacier – All Rights Reserved

“Exploring and painting the Arctic intimately – by hiking, canoeing, camping, traveling with the Inuit – all this prepares me to experience nature’s wonder on a visceral and emotional level. Through this approach, I experience firsthand the awe and overwhelming sense of humility that is brought on from the realization of how tiny I am in these expansive landscapes.”

Cory Trépanier is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Living Explorers by Canadian Geographic magazine in 2015. He is also a member of the Explorers Club of Canada and was recently honored with its highest award, the 2015 Stefansson Medal.

Cory Trépanier’s Into the Ar
Into the Arctic display in the Dane G. Hansen Museum Gallery

Ultra Releastic Sculptures by Marc Sijan

Paint & Palette  

by Kansas Artist, Staci Hartman

Staci Hartman
Staci Hartman

The Dane G. Hansen Museum is pleased to present Paint & Palette, a solo exhibition of oils and pastels by Kansas artist, Staci Hartman. The Hansen Museum is delighted to host this emerging Kansas artist’s first solo exhibition from May 19 – July 16, 2017.

Staci Hartman

Paint & Palette features landscapes, florals, animals, and still life pieces. Fifty canvases depicting Hartman’s appreciation of the beauty, serenity, and vitality of our world will be on display. Light and color accentuate the visual paths in these pieces.  Hartman, a member of Oil Painters of America, began painting as an adult. She has been privileged to study with nationally recognized artists Kaye Franklin, Howard Friedland, and David Vollbracht. Although Hartman did not start painting until adulthood, her mother began developing her eye much earlier. Hartman’s mother, a painter, would set paintings up to dry in the family home. After studying a painting, young Hartman would offer suggestions. Finding the feedback on point, Hartman’s mother continued this practice throughout Hartman’s formative years. Hartman feels this informal training was foundational to the development of her artistic perspective.

Freedom by Staci Hartman
Freedom, Oil

Into the Arctic

by Cory Trépanier

Cory Trépanier’s Into the Arctic
Into the Arctic

Over a decade in the making, Cory Trépanier’s INTO THE ARCTIC Exhibition Tour presents the most ambitious body of artwork ever created from the Canadian Arctic. Adding to his majestic paintings are a series of Arctic films, which cinematically convey the wonder, awe, and challenges of his northern painting expeditions.

The INTO THE ARCTIC Exhibition Tour showcases an unprecedented collection of over 60 Arctic oil paintings and 3 films from Trepanier’s 4 Arctic expeditions to the furthest reaches of the Canadian North, a wilderness so remote and untouched, that many of its landscapes have never been documented before.

Theatre
Theatre to view Corey’s films.

From these journeys, he has also produced two feature films, Into The Arctic, and Canadian Screen Award Nominated Into The Arctic II, with the final film in the trilogy set to be released summer of 2017.

The tour premiered on January 10, 2017 at the Embassy of Canada in Washington D.C. The Dane G. Hansen Museum, Logan, KS is the first stop on its two year, six-museum journey across the U.S.A designed to passionately engage audiences through the beauty of the Canadian Arctic, and instill concern for careful stewardship of one of the most fragile regions of our planet.

Highlighting the collection is Trépanier’s 15 feet wide “Great Glacier,” quite possibly the largest Arctic landscape painting in Canada’s history. About his work, the artist has said,

Cory Trépanier’s Great Glacier - All Rights Reserved
Cory Trépanier’s Great Glacier – All Rights Reserved

“Exploring and painting the Arctic intimately – by hiking, canoeing, camping, traveling with the Inuit – all this prepares me to experience nature’s wonder on a visceral and emotional level. Through this approach, I experience firsthand the awe and overwhelming sense of humility that is brought on from the realization of how tiny I am in these expansive landscapes.”

Cory Trépanier is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Living Explorers by Canadian Geographic magazine in 2015. He is also a member of the Explorers Club of Canada and was recently honored with its highest award, the 2015 Stefansson Medal.

Cory Trépanier’s Into the Ar
Into the Arctic display in the Dane G. Hansen Museum Gallery

High School Art
February 5 – March 6, 2016

The Dane G. Hansen Memorial Museum is proud to present the “39th Annual High School Art Exhibit”.  Art students from area schools look forward to showing off their unique artistic talents in the Hansen Museum gallery and we look forward to displaying their fabulous works.  This year’s exhibition will be February 5,

2016, to March 6, 2016, and consists of a variety of art forms.  Displayed by school, the categories are: painting acrylics/oils, watercolor/tempera, pencil, ink/scratch board, printmaking, colored pencil, ceramics, jewelry, graphic design, pastel/crayon, sculpture/3D design, charcoal/conte crayon, and mixed media.

Students strive to create a piece of art that represents him or her as an artist, whether by personality, creativity, excellence of quality, or even their mood.  Some pieces may be a whimsical creation from the artist’s own imagination, while others are reproductions of a given lesson.  Whatever the case, these students put on a show for all to see.

This annual exhibition speaks highly for our area high school students and the instructors who sharpen the skills and expand the minds of our youth.  Schools invited to participate in this year’s exhibit are Hill City, Plainville, Norton, Phillipsburg, TMP, Wakeeney, Smith Center, Ellis, Oakley, and Stockton.

An Abundance of Riches
March 11 – May 8, 2016

Explore the worlds of art and nature through Andrea Rich’s technically complex and creatively elegant woodcuts. An internationally recognized artist, Rich draws on print traditions as diverse as Albrecht Dürer and the Japanese Ukiyo-e to yield a body of work distinctly her own.

During three decades of travel, Rich has observed common and exotic species of birds and animals and used her firsthand experiences to depict subjects in their natural habitats. Her rich palette captures the simple beauty of landscapes and the humor and drama of nature. An Abundance of Riches — 40 woodcuts from the Woodson Art Museum’s collection — is a global nature tour without travel delays!

Andrea Rich’s intricately designed, carved, and printed woodcuts draw viewers in for an up-close look. Some of the artist’s earliest memories are of drawing animals. Childhood encounters with pets, livestock, and wildlife, including birds, deer, and toads, created a lasting connection to the natural world. Through encounters with

creatures both tame and wild, Rich developed a fascination and a compassion for animals integral to her art.  “My prints are a visual record of the intriguing creatures that have enriched my life. The woodcut process challenges me to focus on the essence of my subjects. At the same time, I am drawn to the smell of the wood, its texture and grain, and the pleasure I experience while carving. I begin working on a block of wood and realize later that hours have passed without notice.”

Rich uses a centuries-old medium that requires one carved wood panel for each color– varying from one to sixteen – necessary to develop the composition. These panels are painstakingly aligned one atop another sequentially and pulled through a printing press to create the final woodcut.

The subjects of Rich’s woodcuts range from the wilderness of the Australian outback and the lush tropical Amazon forests to the roaring rivers of Yellowstone Park. Rich has traveled worldwide to study wildlife habitats and these varied firsthand experiences are reflected in her work.

Among Rich’s many achievements are international recognition for her woodcut prints, including a 2009 Award of Excellence from the Society of Animal Artists and a 2009 Medal of Excellence from the Artists for Conservation Foundation. She was named Master Artist by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in 2006. In 2010 her work was featured in a solo exhibition at the Mass Audubon Visual Arts Center, Canton,

Massachusetts. Rich is a member of the California Society of Printmakers, Artists for Nature Foundation, the Society of Animal Artists, and Society of Wildlife Artists.

In 2000 Rich designated the Woodson Art Museum as the repository for her artistic

oeuvre. An Abundance of Riches is drawn from these holdings, which include an example of each of her woodcuts created since the mid-1980s.

Kent Ullberg: a Retrospective
May 13 – June 26, 2016

Kent Ullberg’s Sculptures will be at the Dane G. Hansen Memorial Museum on Logan, KS, May 13 through June 26, 2016.  A native of Sweden, Kent Ullberg is recognized as one of the world’s foremost wildlife sculptors. He studied at the Swedish University College of Art in Stockholm and has worked at museums in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Africa, and Denver, CO.  He now lives on Padre Island, Corpus Christi, TX. He also maintains a studio in Loveland, CO.

Ullberg is best known for his monumental works executed for museums and municipalities across the globe.  His Fort Lauderdale, FL, and his Omaha, NE installations are the largest bronze wildlife compositions ever done.  Both span several city blocks and earned him the coveted Henry Hering Medal Award from the National Sculpture Society.

Ullberg’s most recent monumental installation is “Snow-Mastodon,” a life-size bronze mastodon placed outside the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.