Image courtesy Washburn Mulvane Art Museum

Washburn University’s Mulvane Art Museum is hosting a series of public events tied to its new exhibition by Kansas City-based artist Harold Smith, “Around the Way Folk: Saints in Uncommon Places,” which runs through November 1. The show features Smith’s recent paintings that reimagine iconic works from art history—such as Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and Grant Wood’s “American Gothic”—by inserting Black figures inspired by the people who have shaped his life, whom he calls “around the way folk.”

The museum will offer several ways for the public to engage with the exhibition. On August 23, artist Aisha Imani Sanaa will lead a painting and mixed media workshop following a tour of the show, helping participants create their own narrative-driven artwork. On September 16, Smith will discuss his new series and broader artistic practice, which includes painting, collage, video, and writing. During Washburn’s Family Weekend on September 27, the museum will host art activities and storytelling, featuring poetry by Annette Billings and a family story time.

For more information, visit mulvaneartmuseum.org or call 785-670-1124.

The museum, including the Rita Blitt Gallery, is open 12-7 p.m. Tuesdays; 12-5 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (12-7 p.m. on the first Friday of the month for First Friday Artwalk); and 12-4 p.m. Saturdays. The Art Lab is open 4-7 p.m. Tuesdays and 12-4 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is free.