On Wednesday, January 28, the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center will open Art of the Wish in the J. E. & L. E. Mabee Foundation Gallery. The exhibit will remain open through Saturday, May 23.

About the exhibit:

“If you had a wish for the world, what would it be? In 2017, two artists spent six months traveling the country, talking to dozens of 80- to 100-plus-year-olds, asking that very question. Marn Jensen and Andy Newcom contacted senior living communities, visited hospices, and connected with caregivers to create artworks embodying each individual’s wish.

The works in Art of the Wish are composed of several mediums—from photography to sculpture, textile to encaustic, mixed media to painting—allowing the “wish” to inspire the direction of each piece. The artists are very intentional about the materials used, often incorporating repurposed, found objects that had once been discarded and tossed aside. They scoured thrift malls and flea markets to look for things that were discarded or had “vulnerability” because those characteristics applied to so many of the people they spoke with.”

Organized by: ExhibitsUSA, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Kansas City, MO

Top left: Marn Jensen, Untitled (I wish everyone could know me…) 2021. Bottom left: Marn Jensen, Untitled (I wish every caregiver…) 2021. Right: Andy Newcom, Untitled (I wish women would educate themselves…) 2022.