Mark A. Chapman Gallery
In 2003 the Art Department established a funding opportunity to support renovation of it’s heavily used Willard Hall exhibition space. The original Willard Hall Gallery was established in 1993 as a venue for showing student work as well as scheduling faculty and Visiting Artist exhibitions. For more than a decade, the 1,300 square foot location served a practical purpose while showing heavy use within the confines of its original design.
Early in the fall of 2003, the KSU Foundation created an opportunity for the Head of the Art Department to meet Mark Chapman and Cheryl Mellenthin. Mr. Chapman is a K-State alumnus residing in Texas. Soon after meeting with the Chapman’s, the KSU Foundation reported that Mark and Cheryl agreed to fund a complete renovation of the former Willard Hall Gallery. Their generosity made possible a brand new exhibition space including an impressive hallway entrance that opened in 2005. Two dimensional exhibition space, which was previously limited by windows, was expanded with the application of movable full-length panels on track. The exhibition space was increased to over 1,400 square feet along with 400 square feet dedicated to exhibition preparation and kitchen facilities. The technology friendly gallery serves not only exhibition purposes, but also provides a location for Visiting Artist lectures.
