November 17, 2023
Give the gift of art this holiday season
In 1934, Kansas State University's Friends of Art, now Friends of the Beach Museum of Art, issued an original print — K-State art professor John Helm's "Early Settler's House" — as a premium for membership in the new organization.
Intended as a one-time offering, the gift print proved so popular that Salina artist Herschel Logan was asked to produce a subsequent print for members in 1935, beginning a tradition of recognizing Kansas-connected printmakers and photographers that continues today. The Friends of the Beach Museum of Art group commissions a limited-edition print by a recognized Kansas artist for sale to Friends and the public.
The 2023 gift print is a box containing several different prints created by artists Katie Baldwin, Mariko Jesse and Yoonmi Nam of the artist collective "wood+paper+box." It is also the focus of the Beach Museum of Art's current exhibition "wood+paper+box in your hands."
The gift print box leans into the concept of interaction with an invitation to participate in the creative process. Its title, "Mise-en-Scène," is a phrase used to refer to stage design and the arrangement of actors in a theatre or film production. A person interacting with the box can compose a "scene" using the various prints. Furthermore, guests are encouraged to take a picture and upload it to Instagram with the hashtag #woodpaperbox. The exhibition offers the public that experience of interacting with the gift print and engaging in a dialogue on social media with the collective and other viewers.
Gift prints are available to the public for purchase. Friends of the Beach Museum of Art at any level receive a 25% discount on the price. For more information about becoming a friend or purchasing your own gift print, please call 785-532-7718, email beachart@k-state.edu or stop by the museum.
To see available prints, please visit beach.k-state.edu/support/shop/friends.html.