November 2025 - January 2026

Each year since 2020, ArtsConnect has hosted Artist INC, a professional development fellowship for mid-career artists from all artistic disciplines in and around Topeka.

The exhibit featured engaging and diverse art and great insight into our creative community. This exhibit featured artwork by: Kevin Kelly, Amber Neely, Angela Lexow, Theresa Martin, Jeremy Wangler, Alisha Saucedo, Jennie Ketter, Erika Kjorlie-Geery, Carlos Velez, Yolanda Wilson, Zandra Sneed-Dawkins, Devin Wineinger, Sally Woodson, LeeAnn Skinner, Matthew Hull, Sam Platz, Miranda Easton, Lyman Edwards and Stephanie Kitten.

October 2025

For this exhibit, ArtsConnect brought together the work of more than a dozen local visual artists to thrill and haunt during the month of October. This unique one-month art exhibit featured an eclectic display of 2D and 3D art by the following local artists: DeAnna Rowe, Angela Lexow, Lora Enfield, Theresa Martin, Dorethy Hancock, Joshua Williams, Monique Roberts, Judith White, Jason Jeffery, Ron Reese, Meredith Lewis, Gayle Jennings, Zoriana Lylo-Otkovych, Michelle Naves, Jennie Ketter, Jake Jackson and Janet Akers.

This group exhibit was thrilling, chilling, and we had a lot of fun showing these spooky works!

The third annual "We Are The Keepers" exhibition of works by Native American artists was presented at the ArtsConnect gallery and featured works of art in various disciplines by enrolled members of area tribes. It’s an honor to host this exhibit.

Featuring works of art by:
Talia Sioux Anquoe (Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma/Oglala Lakota), Carlotta Evans (Wichita & Affiliated Tribes), Travis Komahcheet (Comanche/Otoe), Jolie Lippitt (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation), Kineu Rutledge (Ojibwe/Meskwaki/Dakota), and Taiomah Rutledge (Ojibwe/Muskwaki/Dakota).

June/July 2025

This exhibition worked to uncover and illuminate the lesser-known histories, personal narratives, and unique perspectives that shape the Kansas experience. As an open call, all artists were invited to add their own stories as ArtsConnect officially began efforts to build an immersive multi-media cultural map for Topeka.

Artists included in this exhibition are Janet Akers, Jennifer Bohlander, Maryam Hjerstad, Zoriana Lylo-Otkovych, Erika Kjorlie-Geery, Nedra Mitchell, Mary St. John, Becki Waugh and Barbara Waterman-Peters.

April/May 2025

“Reclaiming Home: Remembering the Topeka Bottoms” was an exhibition of maps, photographs and original works of art that center around the stories told as part of a documentary film focused on the memories and experiences of the people who lived in the neighborhood of “The Bottoms” in Topeka before it was destroyed by urban renewal.

Urban Renewal of the 1950s and 1960s, forced more than 3,000 Topekans to leave their homes and businesses in the Bottoms district to make way for a new real estate development and Interstate I-70. Residents experienced a deep sense of loss and detrimental ripple effects up to this date. Today, their stories help us reconstruct the neighborhood and a way of life. We extend our deepest gratitude to them for entrusting us with their memories.

This project was led by artist Maria Velasco and historian Valerie Mendoza. You can view an excerpt of the documentary on Vimeo by clicking here.

February/March 2025

The exhibit was inspired by the poem entitled “Hey Black Child" by Useni Perkins and was focused on highlighting works of art that depict Black children exploring, embodying and celebrating their heritage, their connection to the ancestors and their place in the world. This exhibit featured works of art by: Vivian Bluett, Lynell Diggs, Antoinette Drone, Ofelia Gamez, Phelica Glass, claude harris, Clariece Kirkwood, Sariena Nave, Amber Neely, Denita Robinson, Zandra Sneed-Dawkins, Remy Wharry, Josh “1Thou” Williams and Warren Harvey and was curated by Aisha Imani Sanaa.