About Us

FISCH HAUS is a multi-disciplinary art facility, located in Wichita’s Commerce St. Art District, currently accommodating five full-time local creatives as well as a steady stream of artists, actors and musicians, both regional and international.   The artist cooperative was founded in 1990; and since 1993, has operated out of a three story warehouse that contains studio and gallery space, small businesses, a full wood and metal shop, and a graphic design studio.  The Fisch Haus, through their not-for-profit arm Fisch Bowl, produces several large-scale shows annually, and hosts numerous community art events, ranging from visiting artist exhibitions and performances, to lectures, classes, benefits, readings, and music festivals throughout the rest of the year; most all of which are offered free of charge and are open to all ages.  

Email us at info@fischhaus.com for more information or to request a tour. We do not maintain regular business hours, so please contact us to make an appointment to see an exhibition or event outside of our public receptions.

For more information about the history and evolution of Fisch Haus, go to Fisch Haus 21:  An Artist's Collaborative Comes of Age, an essay by Dr. Emily Stamey.

Co-founders:

  • Patrick Duegaw
  • John Ernatt
  • Eric Schmidt
  • Kent Williams

Current resident artists:

  • Patrick Duegaw
  • Eric Schmidt
  • Elizabeth Stevenson
  • Jamie Tabor
  • Kent Williams

FISCH BOWL INC is a 501(c)(3) organization that endeavors to promote the arts and offer a wide variety of cultural experiences and resources to the public.  At this time, they present most of their programming in the Fisch Haus, a 21,000 s.f. warehouse owned and operated by the five-member artist’s collaborative.  Fisch Haus has been active since 1990;  for many years, self-producing annual large-scale exhibitions for each of its resident artists.  However, limited by a restricted budget and schedule, the full-time artists were not able to open their facility as often or extensively as they wished, so they incorporated as Fisch Bowl, Inc. in June of 2004 and received their not-for-profit status in March of 2005.  Fisch Bowl’s event roster includes an annual Theatre Thursdays program in March, a Tuesday night Jazz Series in April, a bi-annual women’s art exhibition series entitled XX, the Neighborhood Superstar Award with Harvester Arts, the KNOB New Music Festival, music and theatrical performances, lectures, an annual Living Statues collaboration with Ballet Wichita, performance art installations, and several visiting artist exhibitions every year.  Fisch Bowl also participates frequently in the monthly Wichita Final Friday gallery crawl, and is spearheading the Commerce St. Art District initiative.  In an effort to move beyond the brick-and-mortar building and out into the community, Fisch Bowl initiated the MapMusik/316OpenStudios and PLATFORM programs in 2018. The organization is growing steadily, following an agenda dictated by the following goals:

  • host performances and exhibit work that is unique in the city
  • form an endowment fund, for scholarships and exterior programming
  • offer artists, performers and lecturers a small stipend
  • create a space for classes and workshops
  • hire a part-time development director/marketing manager/general administrator
  • participate in Commerce St. Art District events, such as Final Fridays, street fairs and festivals
  • assist in promoting and developing the Commerce St. Art District association

 

Fisch Bowl, Inc. Mission Statement:
To promote the arts and offer a wide variety of cultural experiences to the public, regardless of any individual’s ability to pay.
EIN 20-1591210

If you'd like to contribute to the growth and development of Fisch Bowl, Inc., please make a tax-deductible donation via check (mailed to 524 S. Commerce, Wichita, KS, 67202) or PayPal. Thank you for supporting the arts!

 

2022-2023 Board of Directors

 
Secretary and Treasurer
Elizabeth Stevenson
 
Ex-Officio members
Torin Andersen
Patrick Duegaw
 
Board Members
Stacy Chestnut
Marcela Gimenez 
Anthony Joiner
Mike Marlett
Dee Starkey

Programming

fine art exhibitions
music
theater
dance
film

Resident Artists

Elizabeth Stevenson

Elizabeth Stevenson

Currently acting as director of Fisch Haus, Elizabeth also maintains art and design practices in both Kansas and Montréal, Québec.

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Eric Schmidt

Artist and inventor.

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Jamie Tabor

Jamie Tabor

chickenpoop.com

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Kent Williams

Kent Williams

Kent Thomas Williams is a Kansas-based studio and public space fine artist, inspired by the relationship between the genius of native places and the well-crafted spaces contrived by man. Williams has made his creative mark throughout Kansas on projects that conscientiously bring together sculpture, architecture, and engineering to add meaning and delight to places.

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Patrick Duegaw

Patrick Duegaw

One of the four co-founders of Fisch Haus, Patrick has spent the last decade and a half developing a body of work that draws from the environment he simultaneously created within the building:  the Painted Theatre Project reinterprets both painting and the basic rules of dramatic construction.  Patrick shows nationally and internationally, and divides his time between his studios in Kansas and Montréal, Québec.

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