Wichita is a city of art and culture. Cowtown is home to numerous museums and galleries. There are also more than 100 murals painted on the sides of buildings that visitors and residents can appreciate for free while exploring the city.  

The murals and sculptures are considered public art installations, and there is a guide to these creative works of civic beautification. People can arrange their own tours based on the works of art they most want to see or the area of town they intend to explore. Residents at Morgan's Landing Apartments in the west part of Wichita have easy access to the murals downtown and in other parts of the city. They are also only a short drive from many other artistic attractions around town! 

Wichita Art Museum 

The Wichita Art Museum, or WAM, as it is called locally, has been part of the city for 90 years. This museum has a collection of 10,000 artworks from classic paintings dating to the 19th century, along with the works of 20th-century modern artists. Twenty-first-century artwork is also on display. General admission is free, but special exhibitions may have an entrance fee.  

The museum offers many long-term special exhibitions that are certainly worth the entrance fee. This includes Revolutions: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the United States. The exhibit, which runs for the next two years, explores the revolutions from the War of Independence, the women's suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, and the American labor movement. This is history through art. 

Not all of the art is indoors. The Art Garden transforms the eight acres around the building into an area of lush greenery available for people to enjoy at any time of the day or evening. The landscape includes 100 trees and 600 shrubs. There are more than 20,000 perennial flowers and grasses in the garden along the Little Arkansas River. Thirteen sculptures are spaced throughout the garden, making it a beautiful place to explore.  

WAM is located in the Museums of the River District in the downtown area. Special programs are offered all year for children. This includes kid-friendly spaces with interactive art exhibits. Special Art Kits are available for children to use during their visit to the museum. Children's Story Time is the first Friday of the month at 10:30 a.m. 

WAM nights are on Fridays when the museum is open until 9:00 p.m. The museum offers special evening programs with live music, cocktails, artist talks, and performances throughout the year. This museum is a major part of the art scene in Wichita. 

Ulrich Museum of Art 

The Ulrich Museum of Art is located at Wichita State University (WSU). The museum was established in 1974 and named in honor of Edwin A Ulrich, a New York businessman who donated 300 works by the early 20th-century artist Frederick Judd Waugh. Ulrich also created an endowment for the new museum, which coincided with the construction of the WSU School of Art and Design and Creative Industries.  

The museum was renovated in 1995 with a new gallery and terraced sculpture court by the entrance. The American Alliance of Museums in Washington, D.C., acknowledged the museum as one of 12 accredited museums in Kansas in 2005. Entry is free, and the museum also runs a free membership program.  

WSU also has the Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection, which features 81 monumental works by many internationally known artists. Martin Bush was the Vice President of Academic Resources who guided the development of the museum's collection for 20 years. Public Art Review ranked the outdoor collection among the ten best on a university campus in 2006. 

The Ulrich Museum of Art offers different exhibitions throughout the year in addition to the permanent collection. The museum also has a series of special events each year, including a spring parade. They encourage visitors to sketch with pencil or take non-flash photos of works that inspire them for personal use.  

Public Murals 

Art takes many forms, including public works that decorate the sides of buildings. This type of art celebrates the personality of the city with a positive message of civic pride. The mural concept was born out of graffiti, and several works are graffiti-style by unknown artists. However, exterior murals have become a popular genre for serious artists who want to make a statement about the community.  

The City Center Murals include a series called Fire, created by Josh Tripoli, and commissioned by the Douglas Design District. The District also commissioned Water by artist Thomas Murillo. Both were painted in 2014 on the walls of buildings on East Douglas. 

Dear Wichita: Take Care and Dream Big is another mural on Douglas painted by Lindsey Kernodle and Friends in blue, black, and shades of brown. We've Got The Joy is a lively mural on Douglas painted by Elizabeth Owen. 

Artist Greg Johnson created a mural complete with a convertible attached to the wall for an auto body complex. Steve Murillo, Jennie Becker, and George Gerber created a Water Wall with ceramic tiles and sculpture at the Chester I Lewis Reflection Square Park in the downtown area. Steve Murillo also created a glass mosaic on a wall at the building that once housed Adobe Venue. 

Those willing to drive to the edge of town should make a plan to view El Sueño Original by GLeo, which is located on the Beachner Grain Elevator in north Wichita. The massive painting required more than 650 gallons of paint and covers 50,000 square feet, making it the largest mural in the world painted by a single artist. 

Make Morgan's Landing Apartments Your Home Base 

You can spend a day visiting the city's murals with easy access from Morgan's Landing Apartments in West Wichita. You’ll be happy to come to a studio, one- or two-bedroom apartment that is close to the best the city has to offer. Our community amenities include a playground and a swimming pool, as well as on-site laundry facilities for cleaning up after your adventure. We pride ourselves on being pet-friendly. Reach out today to learn about available homes and schedule a tour!