Hutchinson Art Association celebrates 75 years on Friday
The Hutchinson Art Center will celebrate its 75th anniversary on Friday, July 19, from 5 to 8 p.m. at 405 N Washington St.
"The Art Center is more than an art gallery. We have a summer program for kids. We have acrylic classes coming up on July 27. We host Friday Morning Artists every week. We take art into the community,” Director John Eberly said. “We are collaborating with Third Thursday this month in their Fox Trot Studio on West Sherman St. We have held art classes in Wesley Towers.”
He pointed out the current Main Gallery exhibit, which features items from the center’s permanent collection. 87 pieces are on display through August 17.
“We have around 350 pieces total in the permanent collection, and we rotate them so everyone can see them," he said.
The celebration is open to the public, and Eberly pointed out that there is no dress code. However, he has a request.
"We ask that attendees dress as their favorite cultural icon or character from the last 75 years," Eberly said. “I won’t be at the celebration, but you might catch Warhol’s ghost walking around.”
The gathering will include music, food and drink, trivia, fashion and more.
Reflecting on the association’s 75 years, Eberly said, "It's a testament to the tenacity of the culture of a town like Hutchinson that a center can survive and thrive. We stand proudly on the shoulders of those who came before us."
One of the Hutchinson Art Association's founders, Jinx Wright, 94, will attend the celebration. She is a painter living in Taos, N.M., and first served as a board member in 1957.
The Hutchinson Art Association was founded in 1949. Exhibitions were held on the Hutchinson Junior College (now Hutchinson Community College) campus, members’ homes, and the old Carnegie Library at 5th Ave. and Main St. In 1951, it relocated to the second floor of the new Hutchinson Public Library building at 901 N Main St.
In 1976, the center moved to the former Jewish Community Center building at 1420 N Main St. before finding its current home at 405 N Washington St. The building underwent extensive renovations in 2017.