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Bartons Shafer Gallery to host Holiday Open House Sunday
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A student from Claflin Elementary School adds her decoration to the tree that her class decorated on their visit to Bartons Shafer Gallery. Decorated trees are on display now, and the gallery will have an open house on Sunday. - photo by COURTESY PHOTO

 

 

 

 

Barton Community College’s Shafer Gallery’s annual Holiday Open House is set for 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

The gallery now has its holiday trees lighted and decorated, thanks to the efforts of area school children and community organizations, in anticipation of the open house. The trees have been decorated by Holy Family School students, Ellinwood Grade School students, Claflin and Quivira Heights third graders, Park Elementary School students, Helping Hands Preschool, Great Bend High School Art Club, Great Bend Recreation Commission, Kansas Wetlands Education Center, Barton Community College Office Professionals, clients of Rosewood Services, and Barton’s St. Justa Pottery Guild. The decorations made by pottery guild artists will be available for purchase.

The open house will feature music by Eddie and Robert Hiebert of Abilene, playing Christmas medleys on dulcimer and other traditional instruments, and the Barton Holiday Singers.

Additional exhibits include a Santa Claus collection loaned by Darnell Holopirek, Barton’s executive director of institutional advancement; and the Lefton Colonial Village loaned to the gallery by Kay Schmitt in memory of her husband, Fred Schmitt; and the sunflower quilts in the current exhibit, "New Quilts From an Old Favorite." The afternoon will also feature holiday refreshments and a visit from Santa Claus.

In conjunction with the open house, Planetarium Director Dr. Timothy Folkerts will present "Season of Lights" at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. in the college Planetarium. Folkerts will show how astronomy connects with the changing of the seasons and the symbolism of light during the holidays. He will place particular emphasis on the potential astronomical significance of the Star of Bethlehem.

Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. The gallery is closed on Saturdays. The gallery will be closed for the Holiday Break Dec. 13 through Jan. 7. For more information about the gallery and the Holiday Open House contact Dave Barnes, 620-792-9342.

All Shafer Gallery exhibits are presented in part by the Kansas Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.