Friends of the Wichita Art Museum turns 50 this year! On November 2, 1959, the municipal-appointed governance board of the Wichita Art Museum approved the creation of a volunteer group which was to be a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The first name for the group was Wichita Art Museum Members Foundation. In 1976, the name was changed to Friends of the Wichita Art Museum.

Members began volunteering for a variety of reasons. Some came for the free art education classes, some for socializing, others for the excitement of building a new and successful support organization, some even came because the air conditioned building was a nice place to spend their time. All of them had or developed a love of art, the museum itself, and its relationship to the community.

The Friends got busy right away, directing the annual membership drive, providing the museum membership directory, producing a monthly newsletter and financing special projects for the museum’s director.

A major goal was to involve Wichita and area residents in their art museum and to help them develop awareness and appreciation of their art collection. The Friends accomplished this in a number of ways, including:

• Creation and sponsoring of the museum’s docent program.
• Originating and managing a variety of programs, such as an annual lecture series, domestic and foreign art tours, a “Young at Art” group.
• Under the direction of the museum staff, produced a roving mobile art gallery for nine Kansas communities.
• Hosted and financed all preview receptions for exhibition openings.
• Supplied highly-skilled services to the library over the decades, enhancing the quality and prestige of both the library and the museum.

Of course, raising funds for the benefit of the Wichita Art Museum has always been a priority of The Friends organization. The group has been very successful as it pursues a number of endeavors such as:

• Organized, financed and operated for many years the museum restaurant, gift shop, and sales/rental gallery, which offered continuing exhibitions of regional artists.
• Planned and executed fundraising programs, e.g., the annual Art and Book Fair, Holidays at the Museum, Vedere Ball, the Murdock Society committee, the Artfully Done Across Generations art book/cookbook, and many others.

The Friends can report a fine record of success throughout its 50-year history. In the 1990’s, the organization started an Endowment for exhibitions, acquisitions, lectures and library for the continued benefit of the museum. To date, the group has purchased over 400 works of art for the museum.

Today, members pretty much take the air-conditioned building for granted, but their dedication and enjoyment keep right on going. The Friends of the Wichita Art Museum continues with enthusiasm to pursue its established tradition of connecting with the community to support WAM, committing to maximize results for the Endowment, and enhancing the quality of life in Wichita.