Location: Upper Level Galleries
May 22–October 24, 2026
Water covers 71% of the Earth's surface. Lakes, rivers, and oceans provide crucial support for life of all kinds on this planet, maintaining ecosystems, regulating climate, and enabling sanitation, irrigation, and transportation.
71% highlights bodies of water and the diverse life forms they sustain. Paintings, photographs, prints, and sculptures picture the beauty, variety, and ecological importance of waterways. This exhibition supports Washed Ashore, an art installation coming to Topeka this summer. Monumental marine sculptures created from ocean litter will be displayed in locations across the city. Together with Washed Ashore, 71% reminds us of the vital need for each of us to protect sources of water across the planet.
Lisa Grossman, Blue Kaw—Near Desoto, 2012, relief-roll woodcut on silk tissue and mulberry, tinted with acrylic. Mulvane Art Museum, Washburn University.
