Exploring art on the plains: K-State’s Beach Museum of Art highlights dynamic Kansas artists
K-Staters are invited to step into a new exhibition at the Marianna Kistler Beach
Museum of Art and explore what it means to make art in Kansas today, and how these
artistic voices carry relevance far beyond state lines.
The inaugural Kansas Triennial 25/26 exhibition — featured on the K-State campus Aug.
5, 2025, through May 31, 2026 — brings together work by state artists Mona Cliff,
Mark Cowardin, Poppy DeltaDawn and Ann Resnick. The artists employ a wide variety
of materials and techniques — from sculpture and beadwork to woodburning and weaving.
According to the museum, the Kansas Triennial series will feature a new curated exhibition
every three years, showcasing Kansas-based artists. The series seeks to highlight
the wide variety within contemporary art and Kansas’ rich, ever-evolving artistic
landscape.
"This exhibition is about listening closely to the artists working in Kansas right now," said museum director and Triennial curator Kent Michael Smith. "There’s no imposed theme — just a commitment to trust artists, to honor their urgency and insight, and to recognize them as tellers of truth in a time and place where that can feel scarce.
"It gives us the chance to pause every few years and take stock of what artists in this state are doing, what they're grappling with and how they're innovating. It reflects the incredible depth and range of work being created here in Kansas right now."
Explore more about the artists and their work below:
Mona Cliff merges traditional Indigenous beadwork with contemporary abstraction in vibrant wall hangings rooted in heritage and ecological awareness.
Mona Cliff, “Conjured Topography,” 2023-2024, seedbeads, beeswax (copal, Pine rosin, petroleum jelly), thread, maple wood, plywood, resin, glue, 109 x 32 x 2 in. Image courtesy of the artist
Mark Cowardin navigates themes of consumption, sacredness and interconnected systems, often incorporating functional elements like ladders and lighting to evoke both utility and metaphor.
Mark Cowardin, “Until the Sun Moves,” 2023, ladders, 2x4s, hardware, lights and electrical components, 96 x 132 x 65 in. Image courtesy of the artist
Poppy DeltaDawn’s conceptual textile works use digital weaving and layering to examine bodily autonomy and identity with visual and emotional precision.
Poppy DeltaDawn, “LMBL,” 2025, handwoven mylar and cotton thread, 75 x 59 in. Image courtesy of the artist
Ann Resnick offers deeply personal works rendered through pyrography and monoprinting — gestures of mourning, memory and quiet persistence.
Ann Resnick, “Cenotaph (Orange/Green),” 2015, spray paint, two layers burned paper, 38 x 51 in. Image courtesy of the artist
Want to discover more? The public is invited to attend the exhibition opening and
reception at the museum on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 5:30 p.m. All triennial artists
will be in attendance as special guests.
You can also learn more about how to visit the museum during regular operating hours.
Admission is free.
A view of the "Kansas Triennial 25/26" exhibition at the Beach Museum of Art