By RORY MOORE
Tiger Media Network
The Hays Arts Council hosted its Spring Art Walk across Downtown Hays on Saturday, where artworks created by Kansans were displayed and sold at various locations, including the Hays Arts Center, Hays Public Library, Ellis County Historical Society, 809 Studio and the Moss-Thorns Gallery on campus. The seasonal event allowed viewers to explore businesses in the Downtown area and learn about the artistic culture in the Hays community.
The walk was anchored by the 56th annual Smoky Hill Art Exhibition, which featured 276 works submitted by Kansas artists for a statewide Fine Art Competition that awarded up to $3,000 in cash.
“It’s a fabulous experience for the community,” said Brenda Meder, Hays Arts Council executive director. “We get a variety of entries from all over [the state] and a professional juror decides which pieces should be selected for the show.”
The 2025 Spring Art Walk begins with the Smoky Hill Exhibition inside the Hays Arts Center. 
Artist Matthew Lorde observes a work consisting of sculpture, ceramics, and bones. 
Lorde’s work, “W” for the Win, challenges the viewer to find as many W’s in the frame as possible. 
Paintings submitted for a Fine Art Competition inside the Arts Center. 
Rigo Murillo gives violin lessons in the Violin Petting Zoo. 
An exhibition by Western Plains Painters. 
Kaheija Sahafi paints a Western-themed artwork. 
Art viewers pass through Downtown Hays for the Art Walk. 
Options hosts the “Not an Object” exhibit inside Eclectic Threads. 
Kansas artists showcased their works throughout Downtown Hays. 
The Hays Arts Center Annex displays the works of Mariah Dechant, Cami Moore, Matt Miller and Amy Warfield. 
WWII photographs are displayed in “A Kansas Experience: The War Years 1941-1945” at the Ellis Co. Historical Society. 
Randy Mader performs at the Chalk Art Station. 
Linda Ganstrom offer her ceramics through the ‘Fishing For Funds’ art sale. 
The “Creatura” MFA sculpture exhibition features the works of Carly Marie Odegard. 
My gallery is about nature and humans coming together, and the interconnected relationship between the two,” Odegard said. “It’s also about loss and grief.” 
Odegard’s gallery was split into two. The cycles in the small room is supposed to represent the night or the other side of duality,” she said. “My art is about my relationship with nature, growing and transforming spiritually. It’s related to something ancient while using modern technology to create all these sculptures.
While overcast weather affected some plans for the walk, artists still had the chance to showcase their creative strengths throughout downtown’s restaurants and boutiques.
“Imagine that for one day, you were in London, where it always rains,” Meder said. “You’d want to go to the art galleries and the cool little boutiques, have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. You’d want to check out the window shopping and see the engaging, exciting art. We provide the art, coffee and wine, and we’ll all have a good time.”
In addition to the artworks displayed, an interactive ‘Violin Petting Zoo’ was hosted inside the Hays Public Library, where children learned how to play the violin and engage in other activities to expand their artistic capabilities. Options Domestic & Sexual Violence Services hosted a ‘Not an Object’ exhibition in which sexual assault victims’ stories were framed behind an object that defined who they were.
“It’s the most delightful mixed bag,” Meder said. “The other things that are going on are wonderful and engaging. There are fabulous exhibits by artists who consider themselves more amateur than professional artists.”
Meder is proud of the aesthetic value that the Spring Art Walk presented.
“It showcases artistic talents in Hays,” she said. “In a broader way, it also represents the creative energy in our state since this represents what Kansas looks like. We always want to encourage new work and for people to be creative. There are no quotas or requirements. It’s simply about assembling a body of work that is vibrant, exciting, and represents the best of what our state has to offer.”