Arts Partners Wichita

05/28/2026

This week has been a marathon in the best way! Our amazing Education Program Director, Esther, has been hard at work preparing our teaching artists for summer programming! ☀️🎨🎶

This summer, Arts Partners will be in 10 sites across the city bringing creativity, movement, and joy to local rec centers through reading, art-making, dancing, and singing!

A huge thank you to the Learning Lab for hosting our training sessions and for giving us the opportunity to lead some awesome workshops in their space, too. We’re so excited for all the fun and learning ahead!

05/26/2026

Arts Partners has been a cornerstone of Wichita’s education and arts scene for over 20 years, inspiring thousands of youth through its talented artists. As Arts Partners embarks on an exciting new chapter with expanded programs, we’re thrilled to present a public showcase celebrating the creativity that defines our mission. This vibrant exhibition features visual arts, music, theater, and more, all tied to the theme of nurturing the future like a garden. Expect a visual arts exhibition and a dynamic multimedia experience filled with song, and laughter, showcasing the diverse talents of Arts Partners’ artists.

05/16/2026

🎊🎊🎊

The Wichita Board of Education has selected Sheila Brown-Kinnard for the At-Large position. Ms. Brown-Kinnard is a retired WPS educator and an East High School graduate. She is the daughter of Jo Brown, the first African American woman elected to the Wichita Board of Education. The position fills the vacancy left by Melody McCray-Miller, who passed away this spring. Ms. Brown-Kinnard said she is ready to listen and learn as she takes on this role.

05/16/2026

Close-ups from our watercolor exploration workshop! Students each started with their own watercolor dot card and were guided through watercolor exercises and techniques along the way. By the end of the session, they created their own painted postcard ready to be mailed out!

05/14/2026

Be the Light in the Storm!
A new mural and photo op spot at Stucky Middle School went up this spring!

05/08/2026

What a day with Arts Partners and the amazing students from Maize High School! 🎨✨

We spent the day exploring how art tells stories across our city — from learning about public art and the mural cloth process (plus creating mini murals to take back to their school!), to walking through Chester I. Lewis Reflection Square Park and discovering the meaning behind Adinkra symbols and the artwork throughout the space.

Then we headed to the Wichita Art Museum for a tour of the incredible Alex Katz exhibition and Stephen Towns exhibition exhibits before ending the day in the studio creating Katz-inspired storytelling backdrops starring themselves.

A full day of creativity, culture, collaboration, and seeing how art can connect people, history, and community. 💛

05/01/2026

We are excited for another year!

We are excited to announce we have FILLED all available space for resident education models for the 2026–2027 academic year—while continuing to welcome families, educators and community members through our membership and programming.

Learning Lab is retaining six of its seven current resident models and adding one new education organization, The Society of Child Entrepreneurs. The Society of Child Entrepreneurs (SoCE) empowers children ages 6–17 to build real businesses, develop financial literacy, and practice leadership through hands-on, real-world experiences.

“We are so excited to be part of Learning Lab and to give our members a place where they can truly grow, build confidence, and take their businesses to the next level with the support and resources available,” The Society of Child Entrepreneurs Executive Director Leah K. Ellis said.

Returning models include:
🔹 Arts Partners Wichita, a nonprofit educational program that integrates visual and performing arts into all areas of the curriculum
🔹 Creative Minds, a Wichita Public Schools vertical classroom
🔹 Khan Lab School Wichita , a school that focuses on self-paced, mastery-based education
🔹 Sunflower Learning Community, a hybrid homeschool model
🔹 Wichita Independent Secular Educators, a homeschool group
🔹 Wichita Training Center Academy, a wrestling club's education model

Guiding Light Academy, a community of learners participating in online education that was a Learning Lab resident for two years, is taking a sabbatical while founder Elizabeth McMeans serves as a classroom teacher for the upcoming academic year.

All of Learning Lab's resident models benefit from shared space and resources and enriching community. To learn more about how our resident models interact in our space, listen to Episode 24 of Let's Get Personal, Learning Lab's podcast. Link in comments.

12/05/2025

We can’t begin to thank our community partner for bringing our Norwich and students into their state of the art facility! Students were able to tour the school, see the behind the scenes classroom, and even had a pizza making workshop where they made their own personal pan pizzas! These are the days we hope stay with our students long after their Arts Partners experience!