An improvisational interaction with the audience by
Paul Rucker, cello
Nate McClendon, saxophone
Paul Hunt, trombone
Agnieszka Lasko, piano
Michael T. Brown, bass
Kurt Gartner, percussion

Nationally recognized multimedia artist Paul Rucker is coming to Manhattan in May 2023 to premiere a new performance featuring improvisational music and dialogue. Rucker and local artists led by Museum Specialist Nate McClendon will interact with the audience to create music and perform spontaneously, breaking the traditional barrier separating performers and spectators. The work will capture the moods and sentiments of our community. Rucker seeks to create a holding space for individuals to express and experience personal and social realities. View prints from Rucker’s series FOREVER in the exhibition Do You See What I See? at the Beach Museum of Art.

This program is free and open to the public. Organized by the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art with support from the following K-State partners: School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, Department of Art with funds from the Student Governing Association, and the Dow Center for Multicultural and Community Studies. Museum donors and Manhattan community members providing crucial funding include Dan and Beth Bird, Ray and Maxine Coffey, Terry and Tara Cupps, Linda Duke, Michael and Becky Goss, the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation’s Lincoln & Dorothy I. Deihl Community Grants Program, Don Lambert and Ray Hill, and David and Melinda Weaver. The museum is grateful for its project partners and supporters.

This event is part of the Beach Museum of Art's annual program series, Art in Motion: a tribute to Marianna’s love for lifelong learning! Marianna Kistler Beach believed in the value of art and the importance of cross-cultural understanding. The museum offers the Art in Motion programs in celebration of her work and leadership.

Click here to watch a video of curator Aileen June Wang and museum specialist Nate McClendon talk about the performance.