Originally published by Wichita Eagle
Read more at: https://www.kansas.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/carrie-rengers/article278871689.html#storylink=cpy

Brooklyn Hicks was skeptical when she heard about a new program to mentor young artists of color “just because I never heard of anything like that before.”

The 17-year-old has been painting with oils since middle school, but through the new Meet the Challenge program, she’s discovered a whole new medium: mural painting.

Family members watched her progress as they drove her to and from a park and a building where she and others created several vibrant murals.

“They thought it was really cool,” Hicks said. “They were really happy that (I) stepped outside my boundaries.”

Mulberry Art Gallery owner Anthony Joiner wants to help other young artists grow and explore what’s possible with their art through the Meet the Challenge program that he’ll house at the new Mulberry Art Center. When Joiner first opened his gallery at Revolutsia in 2021, he said he “was trying to get Black and Brown artists an opportunity to show their work.”

Now, he’s opening the new studio to help mentor people of color ages 13 to 19 in a variety of artistic fields, such as painting, fashion and music. “We tend to ignore the teenagers,” Joiner said. “They don’t have anywhere they can go to feel some kind of ownership.”

The new studio will open later this month across from Revolutsia at 2716 E. Central, which some people may remember as a one-time barbecue restaurant or Dairy Queen. “The gallery isn’t quite large enough to do this,” Joiner said. Meet the Challenge will be about educating young artists not only on art but the business of art as well. It “is not just how to do a mural but also how to be entrepreneurs,” Joiner said. That could include how to price art, how to make pitches to art foundations or other groups or how to handle other aspects of the field.

Joiner said he wants young artists to be able to take ownership and feel comfortable voicing their opinions. Though the new building isn’t ready yet, Joiner has already started some mentoring. Several teens were selected to work on murals at Murdock Park, at Ninth and Minnesota. First, they discussed the park.

“They explained how they felt unsafe among several other things with the current condition of the park,” Joiner said. Then they discussed how art can change narratives.

Revolutsia developer Bokeh Development is donating a three-year lease on the building across from Revolutsia for the Mulberry Art Center. Bokeh developer Michael Ramsey said the new center is a great extension of the gallery, which he said has been a significant addition to Wichita’s art scene.

“I think it means a lot more for Wichita than just Revolutsia,” he said. The gallery showcases people who are “vastly underrepresented in town.” Ramsey said “in order to be the city we want to be,” Wichita needs not only the gallery but the new center, too, to help foster more art from people who aren’t always seen and heard. He said the city is becoming a lot less monochromatic, and its art needs to reflect that. “It’s going to behoove our city.”

Mulberry Art Gallery will remain at Revolutsia. “It’s really becoming the platform . . . that we were hoping it would be,” Joiner said.

Illustrator and contemporary painter Kamela Eaton had a recent show at Mulberry, and now one of her works is heading to the Ulrich Museum of Art, and three are going to the Wichita Art Museum, “which is huge for any artist,” Joiner said. He said a number of groups have helped Mulberry Art Gallery succeed, which in turn is helping start the new Mulberry Art Center.

In addition to Bokeh, that includes the Wichita Foundation, Meritrust Credit Union, Fidelity Bank, Koch and the state Creative Arts Industries Commission. Mulberry Art Center’s grand opening is Sept. 24.

Hicks, a mostly self-taught artist, said she’s happy to be learning from others now. “I’ve been pretty open to constructive criticism.” She said she’s learned some basics, such as how to do spray painting in the wind. “It was definitely very interesting,” Hicks said. “There’s a lot more I have to keep in mind.”

Hicks, who also is an intern at the gallery, is learning about the business end of art, too.

Others are benefiting from what she and her fellow artists are learning, including anyone who drives by Murdock Park and sees the new murals. “That area is not normally . . . an area that you would see a lot of color,” Hicks said. Now, she said, “There’s a lot more positivity.”

CARRIE RENGERS | 316-268-6340