2018 fall essentials
John Darr, Culture Editor
October 3, 2018
Filed under Arts & Culture, Lifestyle
Fall is a wonderful time of the year. The harsh summer weather mellows out, the world around us takes on beautiful new colors, and the start of a new semester offers a fresh beginning full of potential. There’s nothing better than some good art to make the season even more special. Check out the works...
Tasting wagyu beef with the Kato family
Matt Cooper, Columnist
October 1, 2018
On Wednesday night’s trek home to my home in Hirakata, I found myself amid the whiz of mopeds and the chatter of blouse-clad grammar school students. My walk through Japan’s Kisaichi District was humid, windy, sweaty, and marked by an ache of hunger. That hunger was a special one: a desire for...
WSU Theatre production finds humor in catastrophe through ‘The Search’
Ryan Crews, Columnist
October 1, 2018
Filed under Arts & Culture, Lifestyle
“The Search” is a play about what happens when the people you live closest to find out you’re missing — nothing. They don’t care. In fact, their lives are better now that you’re gone. The show is like Seinfeld if Newman went missing. WSU’s latest comedy, and winner of its 44th annual col...
This week in culture — Oct. 1
John Darr, Culture Editor
October 1, 2018
Filed under Arts & Culture, Lifestyle
Cadman Art Exhibits: “The Road to Change” by Emiliano Molia & “Canvas Collaborations” by Hannah Beam Date: On Display Until October 12 Location: Cadman Art Gallery, Rhatigan Student Center Cost: Free! The Cadman’s rotating art exhibit is featuring new work by a couple of exce...
Back from ‘Exile’: Bladee and Whitearmor recapture their magic on new single
John Darr, Culture Editor
October 1, 2018
Until recently, the only people who cared about Bladee were in his cult following. Fans of Bladee were restricted to sadboys and sadgirls drawn to the juxtaposition of his deadened autotune singing and glittering, hyper-melodic instrumentals. The niche cloud-rap/R&B style of Bladee and his more famous...
Kansas author pens story collection, kills goldfish
Matt Cooper, Book Critic
October 1, 2018
Filed under Arts & Culture, Lifestyle
When any author openly admits to strange behavior — say, crafting decorative dolls out of human hair — you should begin reading their work immediately. Becky Mandelbaum, author of “Bad Kansas,” is one such storyteller. She effortlessly shapes the morbidities of life into laughter. In one especially...
Sunflower Selection Ep. 2: Build your own boy band
John Darr, Ryan Crews, Mariah Perkins, and Pamela Dominguez
September 26, 2018
In honor of the all-American boy band Brockhampton’s recent release “iridescence,” we at The Sunflower are compiling our dream boy bands for our recent playlist. Here's the link to the playlist on Spotify. John’s boy band: SadBoyz II Men (George Clanton, RiPSqUaD, Post Malone, Lil Ugly Man...
Interview: Mariah Clements, Director of ‘The Search’
John Darr, Culture Editor
September 26, 2018
Filed under Arts & Culture, Lifestyle
This week, WSU Theatre is debuting “The Search,” a play on millennial malaise and inaction in the face of a roommate’s disappearance. The script, written by Elizabeth Crino, was the winner of the last WSU Screenwriting competition. First-time director and WSU Senior Mariah Clements talked about th...
History comes to life at Old Cowtown Museum
Matthew Kelly, Editor in Chief
September 26, 2018
Filed under Arts & Culture, Lifestyle
In the heart of Wichita, sprawled along the banks of the Arkansas River, lie 23 acres of land suspended in time. Located on the original Chisholm Trail, the Old Cowtown Museum is a living history exhibit that showcases life in an 1870s plains cattle town. Equipped with 54 historic and recreated buildings...
Cissell’s ‘The Cutting Songs of the Butcher Son’ tells story of rich, tumultuous life
Matt Cooper, Columnist
September 24, 2018
Filed under Arts & Culture, Lifestyle
Last August, poet and former Wichita State English faculty member Michael Cissell passed away just days after publishing his first full-length book of poetry, “The Cutting Songs of the Butcher Son.” Referred to as “ageless” in his obituary in The Wichita Eagle, Cissell was a runner. According ...
Open Streets ICT takes over Douglas Avenue
Kylie Cameron, Advertising Manager
September 23, 2018
Filed under Arts & Culture, Lifestyle
Four miles of Douglas Avenue were closed from Delano to College Hill for Open Streets ICT and Avenue Art Days on Sept. 23. About 13 new murals were painted over the weekend and finished on the day of the event. This was the second year that Open Streets ICT took place. Last year, about 18,000 peop...
Students at WSU’s sister school talk weirdness of Wu
Matt Cooper, Reporter
September 23, 2018
Filed under Arts & Culture, Lifestyle
Let’s face it: WuShock is a weird mascot. People who’ve never seen a Kansas wheat field at harvest time have no idea what our wheat-bearded friend, voted the best mascot in the country last November, really is. An outsider might not know whether Wu is a “big, bad, muscle-bound bundle of wheat”...