Newman University's Steckline Gallery is a professional art gallery with monthly shows rotate through the gallery changing each First Friday during the show season.
Current Steckline Exhibition
Qualities and Quantities by Shannon Johnston
Artist Statement
My work navigates the intersection of relationships and self-reflection, monotony and beauty, blending fine art practices with elements of the domestic realm.
In the fall of 2021, I became a mother to a beautiful boy, an experience that brought me both profound joy and significant struggle. As I adjusted to this new reality, I found myself overwhelmed by the data surrounding his needs: How much did he eat? How long did he sleep? What were his wake windows? To manage the overwhelm of postpartum anxiety (PPA) that accompanied these questions, I began meticulously documenting everything. Two years later, our family welcomed a perfect little girl. Surprisingly, my experience of PPA with her was less intense. While I remained committed to documenting her first months, I approached this process with a sense of observation and contrast rather than obsession.
This body of work is a visual documentation of the data collected during the first six months of both my children’s lives, highlighting the patterns that emerged. It specifically reflects moments spent feeding them, reclaiming that time by observing the beauty of the relationships formed, rather than the monotony of counting minutes and ounces. This observation of lengths of time and search for preciousness within that time that I hope viewers can relate to.
Artist Bio
In addition to being an artist, I am a daughter, sister, mother, friend, spouse, introvert, teacher, student, feminist, collector, maker, consumer, and nail-biter. I'm afraid of whales but not spiders. I like to knit, do yoga, and cook, but not clean. I am an avid caffeine consumer, believer in play, observer of patterns and seeker of beauty in the mundane. All of this informs my creative practice.
It is engagement within and reflection upon community, both large and small, that ground my creative practice. Repetition, generosity, and regeneration drive my making. Collection that borders compulsion builds my palette and ritual forms my process.
Currently, I engage in the communities of Wichita, KS, where I teach, create, and learn at Newman University. I cherish moments of play, reflection, and observation with my partner, our two children, and beloved rescue cat.
Exhibition dates: October 31st-November 29th, 2024
Art for Lunch artist talk: Thursday, October 31st, 2024 12:00-1:00 pm
Exhibition opening reception: Friday, November 1st, 2024 5:00-7:00 pm
Previous Steckline Exhibitions
Reclaimed: Exploring Empathy Through Gesture by Scott Jones
Scott Jones's work uses abstraction to explore emotional intelligence (EI), highlighting its role in developing genuine human connections, authentic self-expression, and resilience. In an era where technology mediates our interactions and shapes our perceptions of reality, EI enables us to interpret tone, intention, and emotions in these simplified forms of communication. Through the nuanced interaction with clay, he translates emotional experiences into tangible forms, capturing the essence of sensitivity and intimacy. This hands-on process allows him to engage with and develop emotional intelligence directly. Jones invites viewers to engage with and reflect on the material as a medium for understanding and expressing complex human emotions.
Exhibition dates: October 3rd-25th 2024
Art for Lunch artist talk: Thursday, October 3rd 2024 12:00-1:00 pm
Exhibition opening reception: Friday, October 4th, 2024 5:00-7:00 pm
Exhibit at Steckline Gallery
Submit your work HERE.
Submissions can also be emailed to [email protected].
Questions? Email [email protected].
All great things first begin with an idea. From this idea stems the possibility to explore, create and achieve. Steckline Gallery is the perfect landing point for an idea to become reality. Located on the campus of Newman University, this gallery is one of the premier galleries in Kansas and the Midwest. It offers exhibits on a monthly basis through the academic year featuring the talents of local, regional, national and international artists. With crisp white walls, Steckline Gallery is a clean canvas for artists to create a masterpiece through their work.
Opening receptions for new exhibits are typically part of the "First Friday" gallery art crawl, drawing in art lovers from around Wichita. Complete with hors d'oeuvre and refreshments, Steckline Gallery is the ideal place to begin your evening of art exploration. The gallery also holds an "Art for Lunch" presentation for most exhibits. Many of which feature the artist and include a limited free lunch. This lunch allows you to get a more in-depth perspective of the artist's process, source of inspiration and have your questions and answered in a more intimate setting.
Steckline Gallery Mission
Newman University’s Steckline Gallery encourages appreciation and understanding of art and its role in society through direct engagement with original works of art and the artists who create them. The Gallery promotes active learning about art, cultural diversity, and the creative process through teaching and dialogue among communities of Newman students, faculty, artists, scholars, alumni and the general public. The gallery organizes exhibitions and educational programs to inspire inquiry and academic excellence with the underlying goal to promote lifelong learning and personal development.
Address
Newman University
3100 McCormick
Wichita, KS 67213
Hours
Monday-Friday
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
or by appointment (to book an appointment, please email [email protected])
Contact
Emily Ritter, Gallery Director