Art is a wonderful way to share the history and culture of a town and add beauty at the same time. Public art brings visitors to towns and cities for the art itself, as well as those following certain trails, (chocolate trails, donut trails, sculpture trails). Several Kansas towns offer fun art through their murals, sculptures, and even stationary items that bring attention to the town’s story.
Wichita is a lovely city located at the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers. By 1895 Wichita was the 3rd largest city in Kansas. Native nomadic people were in the area up to 11,000 years ago! The history of Western visitors goes back to as early as 1541 when Francisco Vaquez de Coronado was searching for his cities of gold. He met the Wichita Indians, that later moved to Oklahoma until they returned during the Civil War.
One way Wichita honors their original citizens is through the 44-foot, 5-ton sculpture, “Keeper of the Plains”. Created by Blackbear Bosin, a Kiowa-Commanche artist, Keeper of the Plains is an awe-inspiring sculpture. Located in the Keeper Plaza, the sculpture incorporates the history of the Native Americans and embodies a “sacred hoop” and the four elements that make up life (earth, air, fire, and water).
Wichita’s Mark’s Art is a vibrant regional arts hub that offers an unusual piece of art. Artist Patrick Dougherty created stick artwork and in front of Mark’s Art, visitors can enjoy the fascinating piece that you can walk through “Oh Give Me A Home”.
Crawford County Kansas was once home to the Osage and Cherokee tribes. They lived in an area referred to as “Neutral Territory” where the land was supposed to be set aside. However, as often happens settlers moved in and took over.
One beautiful mural represents the native American population in the town of Pittsburg a city within Crawford County. The mural is in the west alley behind the shops owned by a brother and sister. The shops are Books & Burro and Miners and Monroe. The mural titled “Lenaswa Waayaahtanoki” means, Bison of the Whirlpool from the place of the Wea.
In Crawford County’s town of Pittsburg, the mascot for Pittsburg University is a gorilla. This copyrighted mascot can be found in gorilla statues and visages all over town. Perhaps the most stunning example is at Gorilla Village: Champion’s Plaza where artist Tim Corbin created a 2,000 lb. hand-crafted bronze sculpture that was unveiled in 2004. The sculpture sits opposite the stadium where a HUGE split faced gorilla painting is on display.
Atchison, Kansas is known for the famous aviatrix, Amelia Earhart. The first woman to make a solo flight across the Atlantic, she also set the women’s altitude record and the women’s speed record. Amelia made the first solo round trip of the United States, then, on July 2, 1937, she and navigator, Fred Noonan, during her around the world flight, disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. In Atchison besides the birthplace home and museum, there is the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum. In front of the museum which opened in 2023, is a bronze statue of Amelia Earhart. This is the twin statue to one housed at the National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Downtown Salina has beautiful art, with a self-guided Mural trail of 30 murals. One of the most amazing is the Mural at the Mill by Guido van Helten. There are cool working man murals like Chris Stain’s the Lineman, and his Pastures of Plenty referencing Salina’s agricultural past.
Besides the mural trail, there is a sculpture tour and a walking tour downtown. The trail changes each spring as artists from across the country submit work to be considered. One of the more unusual sculptures this year was Engine Failure.
Across the street from the amazing Smokey Hill Museum is the Sacred Heart Cathedral Catholic Church with amazing classical Greek architecture mixing with the functional forms of the Kansas Grain elevator and silo. This church is a combination of classical and modern eclectic art. The art story combines both faith and the local rural lifestyle. On their website in an article about the architecture they share, “Therefore, here in rural Kansas the Holy Bread of the Eucharist and the spiritual bread of God’s holy word is fittingly shared in a Cathedral that belongs to the contemporary Kansas landscape.” At the Cathedrals south front door is a large carved crucifix of Jesus on the cross. Composed of Silverdale limestone, the sculpture is near an engaging processional group.
A stop in Manhattan, Kansas at the Flint Hills Discovery Center shares the story of the tall grass prairie. The grass brought the cattle and cowboys. Like the cattle drives that arrived after the Civil War, so did the Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments of Black Americans. In Junction City, there is a nine-foot-tall bronze sculpture of a Buffalo Soldier. The memorial is located near a government housing area that was built in the 1940s for these soldiers and their families.
Cattle drives made the town of Abilene famous. They began in 1867 when the Kansas Pacific Railroad was built. With the cattle drives, Abilene’s population surged to around 3,000 residents and eleven saloons! For three years the drives took place along the Chisolm Trail, bringing a whopping 1.5 million plus head of cattle to town. While this might have been a great economic boom, it wasn’t long before Abilene was known as the wildest place in the West! Various law enforcement efforts were made to rein the wild cowboys in until eventually, Wild Bill Hickok came to town. Today, there is a cowboy trail offering fun art that shares this unique history like the mural of Wild Bill! Along with the murals, there is also a cowboy boot trail and the World’s Largest Belt Buckle!
Besides its cowboy past, Abilene is also the home of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home. The museum shares Ike’s life. He was a President who served during wartime as a General, then moved us through the Cold War. Along with the museum, there are statues and murals all over town to enjoy the “Ike” trail.
All through stops in Kansas visitors can enjoy art that shares history, culture and adds beauty to their communities. Make your own plans to enjoy the beautiful state of Kansas and learn about public art along the way.
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