Wichita State students had the opportunity to get an artist’s take on consumer culture during a talk by photographer Brian Ulrich on Tuesday night at the Ulrich Museum of Art. 

Ulrich currently has works on display for the Stocked: Contemporary Art from the Grocery Aisles at the museum and is one of the artists being featured in the museum’s Buzz-Worthy Art Talks. 

WSU graduate student James Farmer said he found the talk to be very interesting. 

When asked what he thought of the speaker Farmer said he was “addressing contemporary issues that are important to the American Identity.” 

At the event Ulrich talked about the way he documented the dramatic changes that have happened in American consumer culture since the 9/11 attacks. Ulrich began his journey out of curiosity. 

“(A) countless number of things are out in the world just waiting for you to take a picture,” he said.

He said he has watched his work evolve with the consumer landscape.

To show the transition Ulrich has spent the last several years traveling the country to document the increase and downfall of consumer spending through his photography. 

“The production to objects outweighs the ability to consider them,” Ulrich said.

Ulrich touched on ideas that ranged from how spending money in 2001 was thought by some to be patriotic, thrift stores giving old goods new meaning and the decline of spending in hard economic times leading to the downfall of many businesses. 

“You learn a lot from just being out in the world,” Ulrich said.

The Buzz-Worthy speakers have drawn a good crowd, said Teresa Veazey, Ulrich Museum Public Relations Manager. The room where the events take place holds 80 people and has been at or above capacity at several of the events. 

The next Buzz-Worthy artist to speak will be Adriane Herman, who also has works in the current exhibit alongside Ulrich. Herman will speak at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 11. The event is free and open to the public.