The LUX is set on developing a unique sense of community and place in Downtown Wichita while keeping true to the building's original 1950s character. It's modern, Downtown living—in a city that is in the midst of a great revitalization! Join us.
City living possesses an energy, a buzz. Out your window there's amazing architecture - rich in history. You can walk to grab a bite to eat or go see a concert. You CAN have urban living in Wichita when you live at The LUX. Go on. Find your new home Downtown.
Looking for commercial space?
Residents of The LUX have the convenience of never leaving the building for stellar coffee and noms. Placeholder Coffee is located on the first floor of The LUX. It’s your pit stop before work, for a bite to eat or perhaps between episodes.
See what else we have to offerPeople often want to know what inspired me create this joyful, large-scale steel and glass sculpture exhibit. Mainly I am responding to the concept of "entomophilia' — the love of insects- particularly pollinators, without which the Earth we know would not exist. If my exhibit can foster a deeper understanding of insects, birds and other animals and how we all co-exist, then the time and hard work I dedicated to the making of Glass in Flight 2 will have been worthwhile."
- Artist, Alex Heveri
Nestled in the heart of Wichita, amidst lush greenery, vibrant trees, peaceful streams and bodies of water, and stunning blooms, Glass in Flight 2 by Alex Heveri comes to Botanica—not just a collection of striking outdoor sculptures—but a story of transformation and beauty.
Glass in Flight 2, a collection that embraces the role of pollinators and celebrates the intersection of art and nature. The sculptures were carefully designed and crafted, each one a masterpiece of vibrant, kiln-fired glass and metalwork. Her work captures intricate details of wings, dynamic movement, and the relationship of color and light.
"It is an honor to exhibit Glass in Flight 2 at Botanica. The Wichita Gardens is so rich in color and in clear, Plains sunlight, that the sculptures will dazzle and appear "alive."
- Artist, Alex Heveri
Strategically placed throughout the Gardens, the sculptures create moments of surprise and delight. Large-scale luminous dragonflies, vibrant butterflies, playful hummingbirds, and much more serve as a visual reminder of the intricate connection between art, science, and the natural world, sparking curiosity in visitors of all ages.
“It is more than a collection of sculptures—in every flutter of light and color, Glass in Flight 2 invites us to dream and take flight in our own way,” said Dr. Zimmerman.
For a limited-time, Glass in Flight 2 will become a treasured part of the Gardens—a symbol of the harmony between Wichita’s natural beauty and its innovative spirit. This exhibition is included in general admission and is free to members.
Let your little ones dive into a world of creativity, care, and green fun with our Summer Experiences for Kids at GROW Plant Bar! This all-summer-long program invites young nature lovers to:
Adopt a Moss Ball or Plant Pet
Choose from a 6–12 month or 1–2 year-old moss ball or a sweet little plant, housed in a cozy critter-style aquarium. Kids will decorate their pet’s new home with fun supplies and mystery trinket bags, name their new friend, and receive a special coloring adoption certificate to take home!
Creative Add-Ons & Activities
Each adoption comes with an interactive coloring page and craft station where kids can personalize their adoption certificate and habitat décor.
Mystery DIY Packs
Feeling adventurous? Choose a mystery pack at your preferred price point and unwrap a fun surprise activity to enjoy in-store or take home!
Perfect for walk-ins, family outings, or rainy-day fun, this experience is a magical way to spark imagination, responsibility, and creativity in young guests all summer long.
Available anytime during store hours at GROW Plant Bar in downtown Wichita. No reservation required!
Barbie is the ultimate career guide having had more than 200 jobs over the last 60 years. Explore a variety of careers and learn the story of real-life women who broke barriers in their industry. Discover your career with Barbie You Can Be Anything: The Experience!
Exhibit Features
Barbie dolls and their accessories encourage imaginative play. The kind that teaches us no matter our gender, ethnicity, or background, we can make the world a better place by doing work that excites us, challenges us and brings us fulfillment. This exhibit has something for everyone!
Career Exploration
Experience five themed areas to try out activities associated with a wide variety of roles and careers. Each area will highlight a particular role type: Leader, Problem Solver, Creator, Nurturer, or Adventurer. As you explore, you will see displays celebrating real life role models that fill these roles at their jobs every day as well as Barbie dolls that represent various career options. Try on 15 different careers through role play and hands-on and digital interactives.
Meet our Role Models
Learn about some of the inspiring role models who worked long ago to pave the way for women, and some continue to break boundaries today.
The Game Yard is a larger-than-life playground where classic backyard games and interactive digital experiences collide! Challenge friends and family to giant Jenga, oversized Connect Four, and massive Tetris, then step into the future of play with projection-mapped digital games that bring movement and imagination to life. Designed for all ages, this limited-time summer exhibit transforms familiar games into epic, hands-on fun—rain or shine!
Wichitans desired to be modern since the City’s beginning in 1870. The Modern era had been evolving for a century at that time and it would take another 100 years before Wichita achieved a “modern” look. World War II (1939-1945) greatly disrupted development in design.
Over the next two decades, postwar prosperity propelled design of the modern era to its zenith. By that time, Wichita’s modernization was most apparent in its new urban 1969 skyline, which remains in place today.
In the 1950s and 1960s, modern design from architecture to fashions and furnishings became familiar as people followed popular trends replacing old with new. Visual art and advertising led the way for the modern look - which by the 1960s, people referred to as “Mod.” This new look coincided with changes as society became more pluralistic and increasingly aware of its diversity. The post-war baby boom gave rise to a prominent youth culture creating new markets. New technology improving the ability to travel and share information led to wide acceptance of modern style.
This modern sensibility cast a popular and unifying mindset. This era featured non-representational abstract design to create engaging effects rather than portray objects or scenes. The effects were both dazzling and confusing, challenging everyone’s perception of reality. Our visual world was forever changed.
(This exhibition follows (and is directly patterned after) the Museum’s previous exhibit Art Deco on the Plains. It takes the timeline forward to explore modern design experienced locally in the 1950s and 1960s. The exhibition is a feature of the Lois Kay Walls Local Visual Art History Series.)
On view through 2025 in the Slawson Gallery, 4th floor.
Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum - 204 S Main
|
|
