'Upon a Time' exhibition encourages Beach Museum of Art visitors to create adventure stories
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
"Upon A Time," a new exhibition at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, encourages visitors to create adventures using pieces of art such as "Home, Home on the Range," a 1981 aquatint and etching by Randall J. Kust. | Download this photo.
MANHATTAN — A new exhibition at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art invites visitors young and old to find and create their own adventure stories through works in the museum's collection.
The exhibition, "Upon A Time: Create Your Own Adventure," is a part of the museum's annual effort to organize an exhibition and related events and programming in conjunction with the American Library Association’s summer reading themes. This year's theme is "Adventure Begins at Your Library."
"This exhibition is a wonderful opportunity to inspire creative visual storytelling through a selection of works from the museum’s collection," said Director Kent Michael Smith. "An undeniable strength of art is that it is interpreted through each individual’s unique personal experiences — no two visitors will share the same inspired adventure."
The highlighted works in the exhibition are meant to inspire creative thinking, while representing a variety of cultures. Examples of the works include Uruguayan-American illustrator Antonio Frasconi’s "The Dog and the Crocodile" and "Dorothy Questions The Universe" by Neal Ambrose-Smith — a member of Salish-Kootenai, Métis-Cree and Sho-Ban people.
The exhibition is co-curated by Kathrine Schlageck, associate curator of education, and Sarah Morgan, a second-year master's student in English.
Both curators said they were excited to see the adventures that visitors will build at the museum this summer.
"My hope is that through learning about and interacting with this art, visitors will have an increased interest in creating their own stories to share with others," Morgan said.
Summer activities at the Beach Museum of Art will integrate storytelling, bookmaking, drama, puppetry and music. A full schedule is available at beach.k-state.edu.
One related event includes the Young Artist Reception and Storytelling Festival — an opportunity to view works created by the 2024 Young Artists participants and celebrate storybooks through art and activities. The event will also feature a book signing and demonstration by author and illustrator Holly Friesen, author of "Janey Olsen, Famous Artist of the Beach." The free open house is from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 20, at the museum.
"Upon A Time: Create Your Own Adventure" is at the Beach Museum of Art from May 28 through Dec. 21, 2024. The exhibition is sponsored by the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation's Lincoln and Dorothy I. Deihl Community Grants Program.
The Beach Museum of Art, 701 Beach Lane, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission to the museum is free, and free parking is available adjacent to the building.
