Wichita State’s off-campus art gallery will have a new home this fall.
WSU ShiftSpace has signed a lease with Groover Labs, the technology hub that will
occupy the former Printing Inc. building at St. Francis and Third streets. The gallery
will reopen to the public in October.
Students organize the exhibition schedule and programming for ShiftSpace, which is
funded by the WSU Student Government Association. The WSU School of Art Design and
Creative Industries (ADCI) oversees the gallery.
“ShiftSpace is a real-world learning environment for students,” said Kristin Beal,
ADCI gallery manager. “We’re looking forward to engaging with the community from this
new space.”
Groover Lab co-founders Curt Gridley and Tracy Hoover want to create a collaborative
environment.
"At Groover Labs, we envision a new space for Wichita where people with big ideas
— including artists, makers and entrepreneurs — can feed off others' energy and creativity,”
said Gridley. “We are delighted to have ShiftSpace as our first partnership.”
The new location will afford more opportunities for engagement, said Beal.
“We love the area and the vision Curt and Tracy have for Groover Labs,” Beal said.
“This move is going to open up all kinds of new opportunities for our students.”
The partnership will give the student-run gallery more space and allow for expanded
visitor hours. ShiftSpace will also be able to use other areas of Groover Labs for
special events.
Since its founding in 2005, ShiftSpace has occupied multiple downtown locations, including
one adjacent to Old Town Square and two on Commerce Street. The gallery has been located
at 416 S. Commerce for the past four years.
ShiftSpace will introduce a fresh visual identity alongside its new location. Nick
Lawrence, a graphic design student at WSU, created the logo and branding materials.
“We’re spending the summer planning programming to match our new location and new
look,” Beal said. “We’ll definitely have some surprises in store.”
The mission of Wichita State University is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the
greater public good. Wichita State is a doctoral research university enrolling nearly
15,000 students and offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas
of study in seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master's and
12 doctoral degrees that offer study in more than 100 areas. Wichita State's Innovation
Campus is an interconnected community of partnership buildings, laboratories and mixed-use
areas where students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs and businesses have access to
the university's vast resources and technology. For more information, follow us on
Twitter at www.twitter.com/wichitastate and Facebook at www.facebook.com/wichita.state.
