Part One Of A Two Part Photo Essay Regarding Public Art In Wichita, Kansas

   Wichita, Kansas has a lot of public art, and the majority of it is good. Extremely, unexpectedly good, at least to me. 

   Before visiting Wichita my knowledge of the place was limited to various docudramas about the psychopath Dennis Rader, that it was the birthplace of Pizza Hut, Lear jets were once manufactured there, and that a talented basketball player who attended the same high school I did played collegiately at Wichita State.

   I had no idea about the art. 

   However, within minutes of arriving in Wichita I became enlightened as to the quantity and quality of the public art on display as my first stop was a business located in the heart of downtown Wichita, and very close to that business was a statue of a horse that I immediately recognized as the work of the late sculptor John Kearney (well, truth be told my actual first thought was "huh, that looks like something John Kearney might do, wonder if a local sculptor's wearing his influence on his sleeve").

   My familiarity with John Kearney's work is due to all the pieces he created that can be seen in Chicago - notably a large moose on Michigan Ave and a grouping of deer in a plaza near the Aon Center. I had been living my whole life thinking that Chicago was the only place his work was on display until I got to Wichita.

   These are the two I saw in the downtown area:

   John Kearney had a good eye and was a wizard of welding.

   Walking around downtown Wichita is pretty much like walking through a sculpture garden. Earlier I posted pics of many of Georgia Gerber's statues that dot both sides of East Douglas ave, but those are the tip of Wichita's public sculpture iceberg. 

   Several other sculptors have had pieces acquired and put on display by either the city of Wichita or by individuals, groups, or businesses interested in making Wichita a visually interesting place to visit. 

   Here are a few more for your viewing pleasure.

                                              Tripodal by James Rosati, 1971 - 1972

                                          Peerless Princess of the Plains by Frank Jensen

                                              Hardship and Dreams by Dorothy L. Koelling 

                                              Sundial on watch gear stand by Jack Zavatsky

                Interrupted Flight by Harry Bertoia (in memory of former Mayor A. Price Woodard)

                       1/6th scale replica of the Keeper of the Plains sculpture by Blackbear Bosin

   The above 1/6th scale replica of Blackbear Bosin's 44 foot tall Keeper of the Plains sculpture (which will be shown in a later post) is in front of the Wichita Chamber of Commerce, hence it is decorated with small paintings of Wichita specific postcards - there are a number of these smaller "Keepers" throughout Wichita.

   Feather Towers by Vicki Scuri on both sides of the W. Douglas Ave bridge across the Arkansas River

Rotary centennial plaza in Wichita features a kinetic sculpture called the Rotary Time Tower 

                                                              The Rotary Time Tower 

                         "Editorial Without Words" statue in front of the Wichita Midian Shrine

                                               Tyrannosaurus Rex by Phillip M. Brinkley

   The four pictures below are of sculptures known collectively as Rails and Wheels. They were created by the design team/artists/sculptors Terry Corbett, Ritchie Bergen, Larry Goodwin & Steve Murillo with the assistance of PEC (Professional Engineering Consultants) Field Services of Wichita, along with SPT (Spangenberg, Phillips, Tice) Architecture of Wichita.

   I'll wrap this post up with a terrific mosaic featured above the First United Methodist Church on Broadway. The building itself is a beautiful example of mid-century modern architecture but the mosaic, titled "Be Still And Know That I Am God", is a jewel measuring 40 feet by 70 feet and composed of 70,000 individual ceramic tiles.