By MISTY SERENE
Salina Art Center
Last night was powerful. If you have not seen the film The 24th, I strongly urge you to find it on a streaming service this weekend. Thank you to those of you who joined us at the Cinema. I hope you were as moved as I was.
It was our first sold-out night since 2019. I’m sure it was due to the fabulous Kevin Willmott. I am mesmerized each time I am privileged to hear him speak. Last night he took us right into the murky grey area where we reveal life. Our shared history is messy and complicated but worth exploring in all its greatness and disgrace. Today I am still pondering ideas of patriotism, democracy, innocence, and the place where we “snap.”
The film moved me to tears. I recognize between the film and the overwhelming joy I felt looking out on a packed cinema; I wasn’t as eloquent as I try to be! So I wanted to remind you of a few events I mentioned last night that I hope you take time to participate in over the next several weeks.
●Exhibition: Sanford Biggers' Patching Voyages at the Salina Art Center, 242 S. Santa Fe Avenue through April 24, FREE admission.
●Exhibition: Gordon Parks' Homeward to the Prairie I Come at the Beach Museum of Art, 701 Beach Lane, Manhattan, through May 28, FREE admission.
●Discussion: Lunch and Learn After Dark | Kaye Monk-Morgan, vice president for strategic engagement and planning at Wichita State University, will speak about what Critical Race Theory (CRT) is and what it isn’t, 6 p.m. at the Salina Art Center, 242 S. Santa Fe Avenue, FREE admission.
●Film/Discussion: Kirk Sharp, executive director of the Gordon Parks Museum, will speak following the screen of The Learning Tree, written and directed by Gordon Parks. The film begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Art Center Cinema, 150 S. Santa Fe Avenue, FREE admission.
●Discussion: Watch Art For Social Good, a live stream conversation from the Beach Museum of Art between Terrence Blanchard, Andrew Scott, and Kevin Willmott on April 6 at 7 p.m. at the Art Center Cinema, 150 S. Santa Fe Avenue, FREE admission.
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Misty Serene is the executive director of the Salina Art Center.