Stauth Memorial Museum

Western Kansas Scholastic Arts 2022
2022-02-08 - 2022-03-05 | Stauth Memorial Museum, 111 N. Aztec, Montezuma, KS, 67867, United States
Enjoy award winning works of art from extremely gifted Western Kansas students. The 26th Annual Competition and Exhibition will include over 200 works of art in a variety of mediums: photography, sculpture, metal works, glass, drawings, paintings, ceramics, graphics and much more!
The American Vision Award will be given to the project deemed Best of Show, and Gold Key, Silver Key and Merit Award winners will be displayed. These are among the best of the best young talents in our region, so please come and support them! The WKSA Awards contest is open to Western Kansas Junior and Senior High students in grades 7 – 12 from 31 counties in the western part of our state.
We anticipate many visitors for this exhibition. We kindly ask that for groups of 5 or more, please schedule a tour to ensure adequate staffing and the best possible visit to the Museum. For more information or to schedule a tour call 620.846.2527. Business hours for the Stauth Memorial Museum are: Tue – Sat 9-12, 1-4:30. Closed Sundays, Mondays & all major holidays. Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated to help with the costs to host this and other amazing exhibitions.

Prairie Visions: The Works of Leah Johnson
2022-03-22 - 2022-05-14
Stauth Memorial Museum is honored to bring the works of one of Montezuma’s most talented former residents back home!

Here is your chance to view private collections of paintings by the late Montezuma resident, Leah Johnson. Leah Johnson was a self-taught painter from Montezuma who learned to paint to support her family after her husband passed away. She specialized in painting Western Kansas landscapes and the sod houses (or soddies) that dotted the area when she was a child. Leah created her own technique of mixing soils native to each homestead into her oil or acrylic paints to give each piece texture and a 3-dimensional appearance.
Her pieces gained popularity with people of this area, and with travelers passing through the area. She is known for painting canvases of homesteads, but each piece also contains her vivid interpretations of the Western Kansas sky. Johnson painted from memory, and considered herself a historian of sorts as she documented the places of her youth. She once said “As an artist, I feel more closely drawn to things of my childhood and earlier… In a sense, I’m cataloging history.”

The Stauth Museum is honored to present this exhibition of Leah Johnson’s works that showcase pieces throughout her career. The exhibit includes pieces owned by many people of the area, including her son Lynn Johnson of rural Copeland, and the Clawson family of Plains; who were avid collectors of Leah’s works. Stauth Memorial Museum is also displaying a barnyard-painted coffee pot from Geraldine Koehn’s collection and a soddy painting that was donated by the Shelden Family of Wichita.
The Sheldon family painting is on permanent display at the museum and is the anchor of what we hope to be a Leah Johnson Collection within the Stauth Museum. If you have a Leah Johnson piece that you would like to donate to grow our Leah Johnson Collection, please contact the museum at (620) 846-2527 or stauthm@ucom.net.

We kindly ask that for groups of 5 or more, please schedule a tour to ensure adequate staffing and the best possible visit to the Museum. For more information or to schedule a tour call 620.846.2527. Business hours for the Stauth Memorial Museum are: Tue – Sat 9-12, 1-4:30. Closed Sundays, Mondays & all major holidays. Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated to help with exhibit costs.

Storms of the Plains: A Closeup View with Mike Umscheid
2022-05-24 - 2022-06-18
Inspired by Atmosphere, Earth and Wildlife, meteorologist Mike Umscheid has combined his passion for digital photography with his love of storm chasing and the natural scenery of the Western United States. View powerful images of storms on the Plains, as well as calmer moments with vistas of Western landscapes and wildlife.
Focusing on the finer aspects of each, Mike’s photographs draw in the audience to experience a singular moment “It all became about capturing that perfect moment in time, whether it be the spectacular sky…over a golden wheat field in sunset light, or the intense drama of a tall tornado on the High Plains.” – Mike Umsheid
Additional prints will be available for purchase. Please see museum staff for more information!
Special Thanks to the following groups for funding our mission through the years!

From Here to There
2022-06-28 - 2022-09-10
You won’t want to miss this fun, interactive and educational exhibit coming from the Sciencenter in Ithaca, New York!
How do we move things on land, sea and air? Float on a Hovercraft chair! Move your boat through an authentic canal lock system. Send colored balls zooming through air tubes! Feel the friction! Lift weights with pulleys, levers, pneumatics and hydraulics! Discover the laws of gravity and motion!
From the Sciencenter, learn the following in this unique exhibit:

Gravity and motion affect transportation.
Friction affects bodies in motion: more friction results in slower motion; less friction results in faster motion.
Air pressure can move heavy objects, such as a Hovercraft.
Hot air rises and makes a hot air balloon go up.
A canal lock system can raise and lower boats.
Changing the position of a rudder, sail or wing will make a boat or airplane change direction.
Changing air flow affects the movement of wings.
Pulleys, levers, pneumatics and hydraulics can lift heavy loads.
Magnetic forces allow trains to float in the air.

We anticipate many visitors for this exhibition. We kindly ask that for groups of 5 or more, please schedule a tour to ensure adequate staffing and the best possible visit to the Museum. For more information or to schedule a tour call 620.846.2527. Business hours for the Stauth Memorial Museum are: Tue – Sat 9-12, 1-4:30. Closed Sundays, Mondays & all major holidays. Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated to help with the costs to host this and other amazing exhibitions.

Christmas Traditions of Southwest Kansas 2022
2022-10-04 - 2022-11-26
Open to area residents – show off your holiday style! We’re needing participants to help us continue this much-loved, local-favorite exhibit! Contact the museum now to claim your spot for this unique exhibit!
