Wondering Where to Go for a Date in Wichita? Try an Art Date

February 7, 2018

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If your date suggestion of “Netflix and chill” is getting you the cold shoulder, how about actually going out on the town and trying something new? An art date at a Wichita museum or gallery will give you something unique to do together, and you can learn a lot about a person by the art they’re into.

A museum or gallery is a great idea for a first date, too. The artwork is a natural conversation starter, so you’re not stuck staring awkwardly at each other over the table while trying to make small talk around slurps of pho. (Not that that’s happened to any of us, or anything.)

Where to Go on an Art Date in Wichita

Wichita Art Museum

The largest art museum in the state of Kansas, WAM houses one the country’s premier collections. Their permanent collection includes 7,000 works, including masterpieces by Mary Cassatt and Edward Hopper, and there are rotating exhibits, too. If your date is going well, you can pop into their onsite cafe, The Muse, for lunch or drinks and dessert. Bonus: admission is free on Saturdays.

More About WAM

Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University

The Ulrich Museum is dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Their permanent collection of 6,300 works includes pieces by famous names like Andy Warhol, Gordon Parks, Childe Hassam and Joan Mitchell. There’s also the renowned 76-piece Outdoor Sculpture Collection. Admission is free.

Final Friday Art Crawl

If you like the nightlife, baby, try Final Friday. On the last Friday of every month, some of Wichita’s most popular art galleries, studios, museums, restaurants and retail shops stay open late for special showings, exhibits and receptions of local artists. Admission is free. Most of the Final Friday locations are centered around the downtown area, including the Commerce Street Art District, Delano District, and Douglas Design District. Catch the Q-Line for easy access.

Tips for a Successful Art Date

Here are some helpful do’s and don’ts for art dates or visiting an art museum in general (other than the obvious ones, like not pointing at the nude paintings and giggling like a 12-year-old. Seriously, don’t do it.)

For art date tips, we got some help from our friends at overstockArt.com, a Wichita company that’s the leading online distributor of hand-painted art nationwide.