By Jennifer Stultz
Tri-County Tribune Editor
jstultz@cherryroad.com
Winners from the Vernon Filley Art Museum’s Annual Holiday Festival of Trees, Wreaths and Decorations have been released. The “Best of Show“ winner was determined by collecting the most votes from patrons throughout the holiday season.
Taking first out of more than 23 exhibits this year was Entry #5
We’re All Mad Here. This Christmas tree was decorated by Shea Lunt, Brooke Borysiewicz, Nicole Crouch, and Jamie Bergner.
Second place was Entry #15 Woodland Christmas created by Don Buhler; and third was Entry #9, Grandma’s Christmas Countdown Cupboard decorated by Rhonda Westerhaus and Janet Shinkle.
“Congratulations to the winners and a huge thank you to every single participant,” said museum director Brittany Novotny. “All the entries were incredibly unique and beautiful and added so much holiday joy to the season for everyone who visited the museum! We appreciated the beautiful entries so very much!”
The Filley museum has several upcoming events the public is invited to, including a January 25 midpoint reception for David Vollbracht whose Corridor Show is running Nov.12, 2024-July 5, 2025. Vollbracht is a representational landscape painter of the West and Midwest who works primarily in oils. He is a studio and Plein Air painter and is a Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America. Vollbracht has exhibited across the country, most recently in the AIS Impressions Small Work Showcase, the Plein Air Salon Competition, and the Mark Arts Oil Painting National Exhibition. His reception is from 5-7 p.m. at the museum on Jackson Street in Pratt.
The North Gallery Room will open January 25 with Tyler Dallis: Conversations Held Under Neon Lights. This ceramics artist explores the emotional damage of dealing with the end of a serious relationship. The Conversations show runs through April 12, 2025.
Also opening January 25 in the South Reimer Gallery Room is Four Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall featuring carefully selected pieces from the Filley’s permanent collection. These works of art beautifully depict each season of the year in vibrant detail. The renowned artists of these paintings captured the emotional essence of different times of the year with sensitivity and attention to changing light and shadow as the seasons turn.
“Come join us on a journey through the ever-changing beauty of nature,” Novotny said.
The Vernon Filley Art Museum will benefit from a Mardi Gras Ball and Art Auction on March 1, 2025 at the Pratt Municipal Building. Held from 6-9:30 p.m. this gala affair requires a $75 per person admission by advance ticket sales only and features music from The Kelley Hunt Acoustic Quintet. There will be Cajun food sampling, live chef performances, and a Bourbon Street open bar. Purchase tickets from the Vernon Filley Art Museum or call 620-933-2787 for more information.
