Four Kansas artists bring beadwork, sculpture, textiles, and pyrography to the inaugural Kansas Triennial 25/26 at K-State’s Beach Museum of Art
Kansas State University’s Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art is opening a new chapter in its long-standing commitment to Kansas artists with the debut of the Kansas Triennial series. The inaugural exhibition, Kansas Triennial 25/26, opened in August within the Marion Pelton Gallery and the Archie and Dorothy Hyle Family Gallery, it runs through May 2026.
Designed as a recurring showcase every three years, the Kansas Triennial is more than an exhibition. “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,” says museum director and curator Kent Michael Smith. “Our goal is to support those voices and make space for them in a way that feels lasting, rigorous and grounded in place.”
This year’s lineup features four artists whose practices reflect a range of mediums, perspectives, and lived experiences.
-
Mona Cliff (Lawrence) — A multidisciplinary artist and enrolled member of the Aaniiih, Gros Ventre Tribe, Cliff merges traditional Indigenous beadwork with contemporary abstraction. Her wall hangings layer natural forms, cultural resilience, and vibrant design, offering compositions that speak to both heritage and experimentation.
-
Mark Cowardin (Lawrence) — Known for sculptural installations constructed from wood, metal, ceramics, and industrial materials, Cowardin examines consumption, sacredness, and interconnected systems. His works often feature ladders, lights, and functional components—objects that act as both metaphors and utilitarian forms.
-
Poppy DeltaDawn (Lawrence) — A conceptual textile artist, DeltaDawn weaves and layers bold, intricate works that examine identity, bodily autonomy, and perseverance. Her textured compositions carry themes of resistance and transformation, making presence and visibility central to her practice.
-
Ann Resnick (Wichita) — Using pyrography and monoprinting, Resnick creates deeply personal works that explore memory, grief, and the passage of time. Her pieces, often minimal in material, resonate with emotional weight and reflection, transforming humble surfaces into vessels of mourning and endurance.
The museum will host several opportunities for the public to connect with the artists. A series of artist talks will follow: Mark Cowardin on October 9, 2025; Poppy DeltaDawn on March 12, 2026; and Mona Cliff on April 2, 2026.
Opened in 1996, the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art serves as a cultural cornerstone on the Kansas State University campus in Manhattan. With a mission to collect, preserve, and present the art of Kansas and the region, the museum connects audiences through exhibitions, educational programming, and community partnerships. Admission and parking are free, and visitors can also access livestreams, online exhibitions, and recorded programs through the museum’s website and YouTube channel.
The Kansas Triennial 25/26 reflects the evolving artistic landscape of Kansas while offering space to consider the creative present and its dialogue with the past. Installed across the Pelton and Hyle galleries, the exhibition invites visitors into an ongoing conversation about what it means to make art in Kansas today—and how those expressions reverberate far beyond the state’s borders.
