The Hutchinson Art Center is honored to host a heartfelt retrospective of artwork by renowned artist and Kansas native Pat Potucek during August.

Born in 1925, Pat Potucek was an artist of pen and ink, watercolor, pastels, and more. Any surface she could paint or decorate, she did.

She worked on illustrations for Wiley’s and Pegues department stores and the Hutchinson News. She gained recognition for her portraiture, murals, and still-life paintings as well as her work with papier-mâché. At one point, Hollywood offered her a job as a set designer, and Hallmark Cards wanted to hire her, but she decided to raise her family and continue making art in Hutchinson. 

Pat Potucek was making artwork up to the week of her death in 2011. Her presence continues to be felt in and around Hutchinson, with her artwork decorating people’s homes and the walls of schools, galleries, and other businesses and institutions.

This exhibition will explore Ms. Potucek’s colorful life through her artwork as well as artifacts such as newspaper clippings, photographs, magazine articles, books, and so much more.

This exhibition will be on display in the Main Gallery from July 31st - August 29th, 2026.