112 E 11th . Hays, Kansas . 785-625-7522
HAYS ARTS CENTER
Monday - Friday from 10am to 4pm
Saturdays from 10am to 1pm
exhibitions, programs & events
Hays arts council winter art walk
The HAC Winter Art Walk will be held on Saturday, December 7 from 10am to 4pm at multiple locations in & around the downtown area and at Fort Hays State University.
Anchoring the Winter Art Walk will be the opening of the 41st Annual Five State Photography Exhibition. For a complete list of locations and features, click the link below.
Five State Photography Exhibition
This 41st Annual Five State will open on Saturday, December 7, 10am to 4pm. The Five State is a competition open to photographers in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri & Colorado. This year's juror, Dan White, selected 150 works (out of 588 submissions) to be exhibited and determined cash awards totaling $1,500. The 2024-2025 Five State will run through February 12. Project info available through the link below. A digital album of all works will be available here by December 17.
"for the Heart of Hays"
A capital campaign is underway to renovate and expand the physical operations of the Hays Arts Council, which include the current Hays Arts Center building at 112 E. 11th and the HAC Annex at 1010 Main. For information on the project and ways to participate, follow the link below.
55th Annual Smoky Hill
The Smoky Hill Art Exhibition is an annual statewide juried art competition open to Kansas artists. This year, 299 submissions were received, with 61 works selected by juror Mike Michaelis of Wichita, who also assigned $3,000 in cash awards. The exhibition opened as the anchor of the Spring Art Walk and will run through June 7.
Link to gallery and works images & info below.
FAmous Figures Project
Open to 5th grade students in Ellis County public & private schools, this "living history" project promotes the use of research skills, awareness of, and appreciation for, the positive role models, thinking and writing in a creative manner, and developing acting and public speaking skills. Follow the link for 2024 info and 2023 photos, video, & winners.
Creative Writing Contest
Ellis County students in Kindergarten through 12th grade, through their teachers or independently, are invited to submit prose & poetry works to this annual competition. The FHSU English Department serves as the judging panel and an award ceremony is held in late spring. Follow the link below for 2024 project info & winning entries of the past 2 years.
"A Quiet America" & "Back to Hays"
The 1976 Swiss documentary on Hays, Kansas is now available for viewing, as is the 2015 sequel produced by one of the original filmmakers
major operations & program support
