William J. Dickerson

A thirty-eight year run for anyone in any institution is a highly impressive achievement. William Dickerson led the Wichita Art Association as its director from 1933 to 1971, a span that reached from the Great Depression through WWII, 1950s postwar, and the 1960s cultural revolutions. He tended the development of so many talents at Wichita's community arts center while he also deepened his own gifts as an artist. Dickerson painted, created drawings and watercolors, and crafted paints. HIs training at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago nurtured a natural artistic proclivity. His tutelage by and close relationship to renowned printmaker Bolton Brown at Chicago's esteemed art establishment gave Dickerson a grounding greatly valued by other strong printmakers in Kansas. Associated with the American scene movement, Dickerson's work reflects a deep understanding of the muted eloquence in unadorned Kansas scenes. 

This catalog was produced to provide context for a 2021 exhibition of the lithographs of William J. Dickerson at the Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, Kansas. 

By Barbara Thompson

Softcover: 119 pages

Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 x 3/8 inches