The Mulvane Art Museum exists to facilitate creative thought and intellectual growth. We offer free admission to a nationally accredited facility with over 9,000 square feet of exhibition space, four art classrooms, two sculpture gardens, an interactive artmaking space, and over 6,000 works of art.
Mission
The mission of the Mulvane Art Museum is to empower diverse communities to connect, appreciate, and think openly about art as a means for communicating human values.
Vision
The Mulvane Art Museum is a hub for creative thought and academic discourse centered on art. Exhibitions use art, permanent collections, and the voices of artists to explore themes ranging from civil rights, social change, feminism, global warming, aesthetics, contemporary art, art history, and more. As a university art museum, the Mulvane collects, preserves, and interprets works of art for the educational benefit and enjoyment of Topeka and the region, with special consideration to the requirements of the educational and cultural needs of Washburn University.
Mulvane Art Museum celebrates the power of art to elevate the human spirit and to transcend time and place. As such, we:
- Support the mission and vision of Washburn University.
- Collect and exhibit exemplary works of art and culture.
- Steward the objects entrusted to our care for the benefit of successive generations.
- Use our resources to inspire a plurality of audiences.
- Foster a sense of community both on and off campus.
- Explore and validate diversity.
- Bridge cultural divides.
- Promote civil and civic discourse.
- Secure long-term sustainability.
- Manage resources prudently.
