5:30 p.m. Reception | 6 p.m. Program

The Dance of Dissent: Reflections on Art, Humor, and the Cold War

In the 1970s and 80s, Soviet emigre artists Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid found international acclaim for their biting commentary on the epoch-defining geopolitics of the Cold War. Taking their portfolio, A Ballet: The Life of Stalin, now in the Ulrich collection, as a starting point, Vitaly Komar will discuss how his experiences of living in both of the Cold War superpowers have shaped his artistic career.

Funding for this program is provided by Humanities Kansas, a nonprofit cultural organization that connects communities with history, traditions, and ideas to strengthen civic life, and by Lee and Ron Starkel.