The 2021 Sunflower Biennial is at Salina Art Center, February 3 – April 11, 2021.  The adjudicated exhibition highlights young Kansas artists in two divisions, 15-18 years old and 19-24 years old.

“Artists are charged with transporting us to unexpected places – the weird, the unseen, or new perceptions of the ordinary. Artists experiment with materials and juxtapositions that challenge us while connecting with our common humanity. The young artists included in this Sunflower Biennial demonstrate these qualities in abundance. For me, this is what artists do best, and it is exciting to see a new generation of artists finding new ways to surprise us,” says Nelson Smith, distinguished juror of the Sunflower Biennial.

Salina Art Center, 242 S. Santa Fe is open Wed – Sun. from 11-5. Guests are welcome to make an appointment outside of public hours if they are more comfortable. To schedule a private showing, call 785-827-1431. Admission is always free.

Friday, February 5, 2021, is “First Friday!” Gallery hours are extended from 11 am-7 pm. Admission is free. Masks are required, and only 15 people are allowed in the galleries at once due to the Saline County mandate through Feb. 21, 2021.

Participate in Lunch and Learn with Nelson Smith and a panel of young artists featured in the Sunflower Biennial, February 17, 2021, at noon. You can join Lunch and Learn by tuning into Facebook Live or registering for the event via Zoom. More information is available at www.salinaartcenter.org

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Founded in 1978, the Salina Art Center is a 501(c)3, creating exchanges among art, artists, and audiences that reveal life.  Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Art Center’s galleries, Art Center Cinema, and Warehouse are located in the heart of downtown Salina, KS. Learn more online at www.salinaartcenter.org. Salina Art Center exhibitions and programs are supported in part by donors, members, underwriters, foundations, the Salina Art Center Endowment Foundation, the City of Salina, the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, the Mid-America Arts Alliance, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Artwork: Emily Kohls, Take This Pink Ribbon Off My Eyes, 2019, 19×16