18 August 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The city of Wichita has a strong art community, and one of the best places to see art sculptures is in Old Town. However, some pieces are starting to go away.
The “Sculpture Walk About” has been downtown since 2008. It was intended as a way to see artists collaborate to bring in more ideas and art to display for the community, but with limited funding, the committee has not been able to keep the program competitive and sustainable.
Organizers hope that in the future, there can be an expansion of the arts.
“We have a limited scope of what art is. I’d like to see more experimental art. More mixed media. It would be cool to see a mural that goes into a sculpture or other ways to collaborate as artists and cross-pollinate between different medias, so I would hope the future of Wichita’s art is more collaboration,” President of the Wichita Arts Council Malissa Long said.
The Sculpture Walk About project flourished initially and has been funded through generous donations.
There have been difficulties with the SWA attracting new artists to display their sculptures on concrete pedestals throughout Old Town. One of the few ideas that has been suggested is to try and work with local students.
“The art council is looking to partner with USD 259 to give students public art skills and partner with them to look for ways to activate the pedestals because there are 15 pedestals in total,” Long said.
Planning will continue to take place to come up with more funding options and to find more artists. Donations can be made at https://wichitaarts.com/.