After months of renovation, the Mulvane Art Museum will reopen on May 16 with two exceptional exhibitions: CRAVING LIGHT: The Museum of Love and Reckoning and I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America. Join us for a public celebration!

CRAVING LIGHT: The Museum of Love and Reckoning

May 16 - July 20, Rita Blitt Gallery

CRAVING LIGHT features an installation created by vanessa german as part of ArtsConnect’s Summer of Love and Justice. As a citizen artist, german worked with community members to examine the impacts of segregation and commemorate individuals involved in the Brown v. Board of Education decision. The exhibition explores the 1954 ruling as a defining moment in the fight for equality, weaving in histories and events preceding the decision, such as the 1896 court case Plessy v. Ferguson. Works in the exhibition also explore the reverberations of Brown v. Board over the past seventy years; highlight cultural practices like redlining that have continued to perpetuate inequality; and invite viewers to consider how we can help build a better future. This exhibition was organized with ArtsConnect Topeka. It is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and other generous sponsors.

I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America

May 16 - July 8, 2024 MAM, Main Level

The Mulvane is pleased to present the reinstallation of the 75 timeless portraits of Black Women by Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Brian Lanker. The exhibition toured internationally throughout the 1990’s and 2000’s and along with the book, I Dream a World, that was published at the same time, it touched the lives of millions. Acquired by the Mulvane in 2019, the collection of photographs remains as relevant and powerful as ever, as images speak to the urgent vision of Black Women. This series of photographs depicts women including Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks, Althea Gibson, Lena Horne, Ruby Dee, Coretta Scott King, Oprah Winfrey, and Septima Poinsette Clark.