Rita Blitt, Aspen Dawn, from Anticipation - Celebration, 1996-97, acrylic and oil on canvas. Mulvane Art Museum permanent collection.
In 2016, the Mulvane Art Museum received more than 2500 artworks and archival materials that represent the creative life of regional artist Rita Blitt. The Rita Blitt Legacy Collection serves as a witness to her lifelong endeavor to capture an artistic vision inspired by line, movement, and music. The collection offers valuable opportunities to the Mulvane Art Museum, Washburn University, and the surrounding community. It serves as a resource for students, faculty, and guest curators, who utilize the collection to create innovative exhibitions, performances, compositions, and interpretive programs.
The Irwin Blitt Fellowship provides opportunities for extended engagements with the Rita Blitt Legacy Collection. Named in honor of the artist's husband Irwin Blitt (1928-2017), who was a constant source of unconditional support to Blitt, the fellowship is awarded to a Washburn student on an annual or semester-long basis. The Irwin Blitt Fellow works with the Rita Blitt Legacy Collection to develop a curatorial project under the guidance of museum staff and a faculty mentor. Fellowship projects culminate in an exhibition, an interactive multimedia project with interpretive content, the presentation of a choreographed dance performance or musical composition, or the completion of a research paper or catalogue. Fellowship projects require idea development and refinement, research and response to the Rita Blitt Legacy Collection, and the implementation of timelines and budgets. Projects will be archived as a part of the Rita Blitt Collection at the Mulvane Art Museum.
The Irwin Blitt Fellowship may be completed as a Washburn Transformational Experience (WTE) or a Washburn Apeiron presentation. Students may receive college credit with the cooperation of their academic department and faculty advisor.
For more information, contact Connie Gibbons, Director, Mulvane Art Museum: connie.gibbons@washburn.edu.
