Open a Black Run Art Gallery in Wichita, KS

WHAT IS MULBERRY? Mulberry is an art gallery in Wichita, Kansas with a strong focus on Black artists, artists of color, and artists historically under-represented in regional venues. Mulberry aims to serve as a site for innovative creative exploration that will change that narrative and amplify these voices.

WHAT DOES MULBERRY DO? Our goal is to foster creative and professional growth in emerging talent and challenge all artists to push their work beyond the canvas or pedestal. Mulberry produces immersive art exhibitions, installations, and events that offer a unique experience for artists and patrons. We investigate existing cultural norms in thematic art shows that invite artists to inspire critical discourse in response to provocative concepts, while engaging and educating our audience.

WHY THIS LOCATION? Mulberry is located in the heart of Wichita’s African American community and close to the Latino center as well. This stretch of Central Avenue is rapidly evolving with a diverse influx of new business and cultural opportunities, anchored by the Revolutsia complex directly across the road from our gallery. We deliberately chose this site for its easy accessibility to the artists with whom we hope to connect, and the audience most eager to encounter their work.

MEET THE CHALLENGE
Meet The Challenge ICT is a program that inspires young, artistic individuals with a personalized creative challenge to support their professional development in the arts. We engage emerging artists between the ages of 13-18 that aspire to a career in the art industry. Mulberry assists the artists in identifying the discipline that best fits their aptitude and interest, provides them with the materials they require to explore their practice, and challenges them to create a unique expression of this process. Once they complete their challenge, we utilize our platform and resources to promote their work and to further support their integration into our art community.

ARTIST GROWTH
We provide artists with resources to help them grow professionally. We have developed a network of gallery representatives, educators, and industry professionals to guide artists in CV and statement writing, website and portfolio building, grant writing, social media presence, and other skills that are an asset in the art business.

BUDGET
We are raising $35,000 to fund a complete gallery renovation, which includes the main exhibition and event space, a black box new media room, a solo exhibition gallery, a gift shop, and an exterior terrace. These areas will offer our artists a wide range of exhibition opportunities: a bright and open main gallery that can accommodate a wide range of 2-d and 3-d work as well as interactive community events, the intimate digital media room, a solo exhibition free space that will allow artists to completely immerse the viewer in their vision, and a green patio for experimental environmental art. The gift shop will feature products developed by local entrepreneurs and design professionals.