Mercer Art Gallery

03/12/2026

The Mercer Art Gallery at Garden City Community College is proud to present Visual Arguments, a student exhibition featuring selected works by artists from the University of Kansas (KU) Visual Art Department on view from March 10 through April 2, 2026.

These are images of the install there are 49 separate works of art in the exhibition. The gallery is jam-packed with this diverse grouping of works by the wonderful students at . We are so honored to be able to share there work on our campus.

Curated by Michael McCaffery , Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator at KU, the exhibition showcases the creative achievements of more than 40 students, including traditional sculpture and painting, as well as experimental installations and ephemeral, experience-based works.

The Mercer Gallery, located in the Pauline Joyce Fine Arts Building at GCCC, is free and open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Read more: https://ow.ly/CIko50YrO92

03/10/2026

The Mercer Art Gallery at Garden City Community College is proud to present Visual Arguments, a student exhibition featuring selected works by artists from the University of Kansas (KU) Visual Art Department on view from March 10 through April 2, 2026.

These images are from installation of this magnificent exhibition, unfortunately this robust exhibition is still in the process of final installation today meaning numbers and tags aren't quite finished but should be by the end of the day, so bare with us as we get our final touches intact.

Curated by Michael McCaffery, Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator at KU, the exhibition showcases the creative achievements of more than 40 students, including traditional sculpture and painting, as well as experimental installations and ephemeral, experience-based works.

The Mercer Gallery, located in the Pauline Joyce Fine Arts Building at GCCC, is free and open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Read more: https://ow.ly/CIko50YrO92

03/07/2026

The Second-Hand Sideshow

This project was created under the guidance of artist Erika Nelson during her workshop on February 27, held in conjunction with her Highbrow – Lowbrow exhibition in the Mercer Gallery. Students from Garden City Community College participated in the event, exploring the playful space between fine art, folk spectacle, and roadside attraction that Nelson often celebrates in her work.

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Beyond this threshold lies a spectacle of strange transformations and marvelous reinventions. Once humble residents of thrift store shelves and forgotten living rooms, these mass-produced paintings have been rescued from obscurity and reborn as bold sideshow banners.

Students in this exhibition have taken the ordinary and turned it extraordinary—painting over placid landscapes, polite still lifes, and sentimental scenes to reveal a new parade of oddities, curiosities, and impossible wonders. Like the traveling carnivals of old, this gallery celebrates imagination, exaggeration, humor, and a touch of the absurd. Familiar images become marvelous attractions, where the mundane collides with the uncanny and the second-hand becomes one-of-a-kind.

These works will soon be on display across campus, continuing the spirit of curiosity, humor, and creative reinvention that inspired the workshop.

So wander the midway, take in the curiosities, and enjoy the show. In The Second-Hand Sideshow, yesterday’s décor becomes today’s spectacle.

03/06/2026

Final 4 hours of our Affordable Art Sale!

This is your last chance to swoop in and rescue some lonely artwork before we pack it all up and hide it away until next year. Great art, suspiciously good prices, and zero judgment if you suddenly decide you need “just one more piece.”

We are only $300 away from our fundraising goal, so every purchase—big, small, or delightfully impulsive—helps support art student travel to museums.

Don’t let future-you suffer from severe FOMO when someone else ends up with the masterpiece that should have been hanging in your living room.

Come on down, find your treasure, and help us cross the finish line before the doors close.

03/05/2026

Support student artists & find your next favorite piece! 🎨

The Mercer Art Gallery at Garden City Community College is hosting the GCCC Art Club’s Affordable Art Sale:

📅 Wednesday, March 4th | 6–9 PM (Opening reception + light refreshments)
📅 Thursday, March 5th | 9 AM - 9 PM
📅 Friday, March 6th | 9 AM - 9 PM

Shop original artwork by GCCC students and professors — including paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, ceramics, and T-shirts. Most pieces are around $25, making it easy to take home something unique!

Proceeds support the Art Club’s educational trip to Kansas City art museums, giving students valuable exposure to major works of art and enriching academic experiences beyond Garden City.

📍 Mercer Gallery, Pauline Joyce Fine Arts Building
💳 Cash & credit cards accepted
📣 Free & open to the public

Come out, support local artists, and purchase original, affordable art!

02/27/2026

The Mercer Gallery and the GCCC Visual Arts Department were honored to host Erika Nelson ( for a closing reception and artist workshop demonstration. During the event, thrifted paintings were given new life—upscaled and transformed into imaginative sideshow creations celebrating the weird, the wild, the wacky, and even the wonderfully mundane.

Lively discussions on appropriation, ownership, and longevity in art energized the room, as students reconsidered the ready-made through a lens of humor and sophistication.

It was a remarkable day—one that will likely remain among the most memorable experiences for our students.

Thank you, Erika, for an outstanding and inspiring visit.

02/26/2026

ONE NIGHT OLNY

Feast your eyes upon the mysterious, the marvelous, the miraculous creations of the world-famous artist Erika Nelson.

Behold her curious marvels.
Gasp at the unbelievable.
Ponder the peculiar.

This is your rare and fleeting chance to meet the master of oddities herself, to hear the tales behind the treasures, uncover the secrets behind the spectacle, and discover what truly makes the extraordinary tick… or doesn’t.

TONIGHT ONLY
6:00 PM
Mercer Gallery

Do not be the poor soul who hears about it tomorrow. Gather your courage and parade on down for an evening of art, astonishment, and a dash of delightful absurdity.

01/30/2026

New at the Mercer Art Gallery: Highbrow / Lowbrow, a dazzling exhibition by world-renowned artist Erika Nelson—on view now through February 27th.

Based in Lucas, Kansas, Erika Nelson is internationally celebrated for work inspired by American roadside culture, vernacular art, and self-made visionary environments. In Highbrow / Lowbrow, academic research meets spectacle as the gallery flirts with the midway, blending humor, craft, belief, and wonder. Visitors may even spot playful nods to regional landmarks and local curiosities.

Visit the exhibition TODAY!
📍 Mercer Gallery, GCCC’s Pauline Joyce Fine Arts Building
🕘 Open Mon–Thurs 9 a.m.–9 p.m. | Fri 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

✨ Closing Reception: Thur, Feb. 26 | 6–7 pm
🎪 Artist Talk & Sideshow Banner Workshop: Fri, Feb. 27 | 9:30 am–3 pm. Space is limited—RSVP to Michael at [email protected]

➡️ Read more about the artist: https://ow.ly/u82U50XXqCA

01/15/2026

🎨 New at the Mercer Art Gallery: Highbrow / Lowbrow, a dazzling exhibition by world-renowned artist Erika Nelson—on view now through February 27th.

Based in Lucas, Kansas, Erika Nelson is internationally celebrated for work inspired by American roadside culture, vernacular art, and self-made visionary environments. In Highbrow / Lowbrow, academic research meets spectacle as the gallery flirts with the midway, blending humor, craft, belief, and wonder. Visitors may even spot playful nods to regional landmarks and local curiosities.

Visit the exhibition TODAY!
📍 Mercer Gallery, GCCC's Pauline Joyce Fine Arts Building
🕘 Open Mon–Thurs 9 a.m.–9 p.m. | Fri 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

✨ Closing Reception: Thur, Feb. 26 | 6–7 pm
🎪 Artist Talk & Sideshow Banner Workshop: Fri, Feb. 27 | 9:30 am–3 pm. Space is limited—RSVP to Michael at [email protected]

➡️ Read more about the artist: https://ow.ly/u82U50XXqCA

01/08/2026

🎨 Final Reminder: Banner Art Project Applications Due

Artists, don’t miss your chance to be part of the Banner Art Project at Garden City Arts. This is the final call to submit your application for this public art opportunity.

🗓️ Applications are due this Saturday, January 10, by midnight.
Visit our website for guidelines and to apply.

Don’t miss your opportunity to share your talent with our community through this public art project.



***

🎨 Recordatorio Final: Fecha Límite para el Proyecto de Arte en Banners

Artistas, no pierdan la oportunidad de participar en el Proyecto de Arte en Banners de Garden City Arts. Esta es la última llamada para enviar su solicitud para este proyecto de arte público.

🗓️ Las solicitudes vencen este sábado 10 de enero a la medianoche.
Visiten nuestro sitio web para conocer las bases y enviar su propuesta.

No pierdan la oportunidad de compartir su talento con nuestra comunidad a través de este proyecto de arte público.

12/17/2025

12/09/2025

Garden City Community College’s Mercer Art Gallery proudly announces the Garden City High School Visual Arts Awards Exhibition, a dynamic and community-centered celebration of emerging artistic talent in Southwest Kansas.

On view from December 8th through 16th, the exhibition showcases exceptional work created by Garden City High School sophomores, juniors, and seniors, demonstrating the power, promise, and necessity of the visual arts in rural America.

The Artists’ Reception will take place on Tuesday, December 9th, from 5 to 7 p.m., during which outstanding student artists will be honored at an awards ceremony. The event is free and open to the public, with light refreshments provided.

This reception offers community members a meaningful opportunity to witness firsthand the sophistication, innovation, and passion that young artists in Western Kansas bring to their craft.

The Mercer Gallery is located within the Pauline Joyce Fine Arts Building at Garden City Community College. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.