(WICHITA, KS) The Wichita Art Museum is celebrating the Kansas prairie on Saturday, June 16 with an exhibition, a ballet performance and a documentary. This day will offer a little something for all ages to enjoy.

First on the day�s agenda will be a visit to The Living Room, the Museum�s interactive gallery. The current exhibition, Prairie Earth, features five learning stations where families can explore the impact that urban sprawl has on the native tall grass prairie and the animals that call it home. The puppet theater features animals such as buffalo, butterflies and deer; the textured, coloring table reveals scenes of the prairie; the microscope station gets visitors up close and personal with a variety of prairie specimen; and colorful, enlarged photographs line the windows. Prairie Earth, which serves as an interactive teaching tool combining the environment, art and science, is made possible in part by the City of Wichita, Boeing IDS-Wichita, the Kansas Health Foundation, the K.T. Wiedemann Foundation and the S. M. and Laura H. Brown Charitable Trust. The Living Room will be open that day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

At 1 p.m., the Museum�s front entrance plaza will be overtaken by dancing animals with Ballet Wichita�s presentation of �A Prairie Tale.� This story-based ballet follows the story of Macy, an inquisitive monarch butterfly, as she migrates south, making new friends on her flight across Kansas. During her travels, Macy meets and befriends a meadowlark bird, a box shell turtle and a sweet, but lazy bison.

Jill Landrith, Ballet Wichita�s Artistic Director, conceived of and choreographed �A Prairie Tale,� collaborating with Ballet Wichita dancer Marlena Aitken to write the story. �We had a great time with this production, and referring back to our childhood and memory of Kansas history, included many familiar icons in the story. We wanted to bring these icons to life, and make them fun to dance and to watch,� said Landrith. �This is a family oriented and accessible ballet that our company loves to perform.�

At 2 p.m., Wichita filmmaker John O�Hara introduces and screens his documentary Flint Hills: Meditations from a Kansas Prairie. The film tells how the area has inspired the lives and work of musicians, authors, artists and residents. The film features Dr. Denise Low author and faculty member at Haskell Nations Indian University, Mike Haddock of Kansas State University and author of �Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses,� musician and visual artist Gary Gackstatter, Wichita State University geology professor Dr. Collette Burke, Dr. Jim Hoy, author and faculty member at Emporia State University, Jan Jantzen of the Grandview Ranch and 90-year-old Easter Heathman, eyewitness to the Knute Rockne plane crash of 1931. The music of Chapman Stick artist Trevor Stewart and singer/songwriter Gary Gackstatter (both Kansas musicians) accompany stunning imagery of the Flint Hills taken during all four seasons.. Admission for the film is $5 for Museum members and $6 for non-members. Admission for the film is $5 for Museum members and $6 for non-members. To see the film�s trailer, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XknumLLQTXY and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta5d5trhGxY.

Again, the following will take place on June 16:

Prairie Day at WAM

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. � Prairie Earth in The Living Room, the Museum�s interactive gallery. Free.

1 p.m. � �A Prairie Tale� presented by Ballet Wichita. Forrest C. Lattner Entrance Plaza. Free.

2 p.m. � Documentary - Flint Hills: Meditations from a Kansas Prairie . Members: $5/Non-members: $6.

For over 16 years, Ballet Wichita has presented free ballet in the park performances as part of the company�s commitment to increase the community�s exposure to and appreciation of dance and the performing arts. Ballet Wichita�s performance season is sponsored in part by The Kansas Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the City of Wichita.

The Wichita Art Museum opened in 1935. It is home to The Roland P. Murdock Collection, one of the premier collections of American Art in the country. The Museum is proud to be supported through public and private funds, owned by the City of Wichita and managed by a private entity, Wichita Art Museum, Inc. Located at 1400 West Museum Boulevard, the Museum and Museum store are open Sunday noon � 5 p.m., and Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free through September 30 and scheduled school groups are always free. The Spartan Café is open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. �2 p.m. and from 2 � 3 p.m. for desserts and drinks. Brunch is available on Sundays from 11 a.m. � 2 p.m. with drinks and desserts available until 3 p.m. There is no admission charge for visiting the Museum Store or Café.
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