Exhibition reimagines iconic works of art

Topeka, Kan. – Washburn University’s Mulvane Art Museum will host a series of events to engage the public in their new exhibition by Kansas City-based visual artist Harold Smith, “Around the Way Folk: Saints in Uncommon Places.”

     The exhibition runs through November 1.

     The exhibition features a new series of paintings in which Smith inserts Black figures into iconic works from art history. The subjects of paintings like Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” are transformed to resemble the people who have surrounded Smith his whole life—around the way folk, as he puts it.

     In addition to the exhibition, there are three associated events open to the public.

• Learn painting and mixed media techniques with Aisha Imani Sanaa, mixed-media visual artist and designer, from 1-3 p.m. Aug. 23 in Garvey Fine Arts Center Room 16. The workshop will begin with a tour of “Around the Way Folk: Saints in Uncommon Places.” After, Sanaa will demonstrate her techniques, helping participants to create their own colorful and bold narrative. The $25 registration fee includes all materials. Register online at mulvaneartmuseum.org/calendar/2025/08/Painting-Mixed-Media-Workshop.html.
• Join Smith for a discussion of his newest series and other aspects of his artistic practice from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Sept. 16 in the Mulvane Art Museum. Smith is a primarily self-taught artist whose practice includes painting, collage, video, assemblage and writing. His work ventures into the facets of Black experience, exploring subjects like community, aging, masculinity and resilience.
• The Mulvane Art Museum will be a part of Washburn’s Family Weekend celebration from 1-4 p.m. Sept. 27 in the Mulvane Art Lab and Galleries with activities and artmaking. At 1:30 p.m., writer and storyteller Annette Billings will share poetry in the “Around the Way Folk: Saints in Uncommon Places” She will also present a family-centered story time at 2:30 p.m. in the Art Lab.
  
  

     The museum, including the Rita Blitt Gallery, is open 12-7 p.m. Tuesdays; 12-5 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (12-7 p.m. on the first Friday of the month for First Friday Artwalk); and 12-4 p.m. Saturdays. The Art Lab is open 4-7 p.m. Tuesdays and 12-4 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is free. For more information, visit mulvaneartmuseum.org or call 785-670-1124.

About the Mulvane Art Museum

     Opened to the public on January 13, 1924, the Mulvane Art Museum was one of the first art museums established west of the Mississippi. It has been a beacon of artistic inspiration for the Topeka community, Washburn University and the broader region. For more than a century, the museum has showcased visual expression from at home and abroad while fostering a deep appreciation for the arts and engaging the community in conversations about the world around us.