He stands strumming his guitar on a main thoroughfare‚ his head cocked to one side as if he’s listening to the sound echoing from his instrument.

The bronze statue on Douglas Avenue is one of several that adorn the busy street‚ and one of many that decorate the city of Wichita. Numerous statues‚ fountains‚ monuments and memorials dot parks and roads. There is artwork in front of corporate headquarters‚ sculptures on the sidewalks and statues on the grounds of Wichita State University.

Why such a plethora of public art?

“Art is alive in Wichita thanks to a fairly intense movement that has been taking place over the past 10 years or so‚” says Mike Michaelis‚ board member with the Wichita Art Museum and the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University. “There are a growing number of young artists pushing their work and getting them out in the public eye. The art these days is very interesting – it’s a modern and diverse group of work.”

Michaelis has long been an advocate of the arts‚ having brought that personal passion to Emprise Bank where he serves as chairman.

“The bank has developed an excellent collection that has a focus on Kansas artists‚” he says. “It’s an exciting time to be an artist and art devotee in Wichita.”

Two such devotees are Dick and Ginny Devore‚ whose charitable family foundation has helped numerous organizations during the 50 years it has been around.

One of their most recent efforts was backing a sculpture project along Douglas Avenue. The Devores commissioned Puget Sound‚ Wash. artist Georgia Gerber to sculpt dozens of bronze statues that are now anchored into the street’s sidewalks.

“There are eight major pieces‚ a large fountain and 30 linking pieces‚ with many of the works related to the small‚ indigenous animals of this area‚” Dick Devore says. “They include a fox‚ turtle‚ birds‚ rabbits and ducks‚ all of which pop up in places along the sidewalk for a several-block area. It’s whimsical art – the kind that people like to walk up and touch and be photo graphed with.”

Devore says his family foundation embraced the project to help bring the downtown area back to life.

“About 10 years ago‚ downtown Wichita featured a bunch of empty storefronts and pigeon houses‚” he says. “These sculptures were our small way to culturally contribute something to our city‚ and I’m happy to say that more and more people are again returning to the downtown district these days.”

Also contributing to the arts scene is the city of Wichita Design Council‚ which was established to improve the overall aesthetic look of Wichita. Sonia Greteman‚ owner of the Greteman Group‚ a branding agency‚ is president of the council.

“When I travel‚ I’m drawn to public places and have thought a lot about how art‚ architecture and landscape interact to form a community’s identity‚” Greteman says. “Tired‚ economically listless com­munities do not have dynamic public spaces‚ and the fast-food commercialization of our society has turned us into a nation of conformity and blandness. Art inspires imagination. Art creates dialogue – it makes people think; it forces debate. Art builds a sense of pride and ownership.”

Greteman says other public art that has sprung up in Wichita over the past several years includes the Douglas and Lewis Street bridge towers‚ the Old Town Plaza shade structures‚ the West Kellogg bridge assemblages and wall designs‚ and the Lawrence-Dumont history walk.

“If you’re going to pour a big concrete wall‚ why not spend a small amount of money and create a design that gives the wall life and presence?” she asks rhetorically. “Everyone wins. A local artist is employed‚ and citizens are not driving by another drab‚ faceless concrete wall. People do care about their quality of life. The style and distinction of public art is a big part of that perception.”