Daniel Garber, Farm Lane (detail), 1924, oil on canvas, Mulvane Art Museum permanent collection. This painting was acquired through funds raised by the Topeka Friends of Art and gifted to the museum in 1927. It is one of several important works by American artists to be gifted to the Mulvane in its earliest days.
In 1922, Joab R. Mulvane pledged funds to build the Mulvane Art Museum on the campus of Washburn College. The museum opened to the public in 1924 and was one of the first art museums established west of the Mississippi.
Following a tornado in 1966 that destroyed most of the buildings on Washburn University campus, the university fast tracked plans for expansion. Although the Mulvane's native limestone exterior was unchanged, the severely damaged interior was gutted and connected to the new Garvey Fine Arts Center. Additional renovation projects in 2006 and 2023, expanded and improved exhibition and collection storage areas, increased educational programs with the addition of classrooms and the Judith Lennox Sabatini ArtLab, and ensured the future preservation of the museums permanent collection.
The Mulvane Art Museum now houses a collection of more than 6,000 objects from around the world, including paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, photographs, and decorative art. While international in scope, the collection focuses on the works of artists from Kansas and the Mountain Plains region of the United States. In addition to displaying works from the collection, the Mulvane also presents changing exhibitions featuring artists from around the world. The Museum's art education program provides educational outreach to many schools throughout the region. People of all ages and abilities engage with the Mulvane through art workshops, public lectures, family events, and community experiences.
The Mulvane Art Museum is supported by Washburn University, the Friends of the Mulvane Art Museum, and through gifts from corporations, foundations, and individuals. Admission is free and open to the public.
