Mike and Jolene Boys Donate Krug Prints to Shafer Gallery Collection

A wedding present 32 years ago turned into a gift for Barton County Community College's Shafer Gallery in late January. Mike and Jolene Boys, Great Bend, donated three serigraphs, printed by regional artist Dr. Harry Krug, to the college's permanent art collection. "Beneath the Sea," "The Encounter" and "Lunar Bay" join nearly 800 pieces of artwork now in the collection. "We just want to share it with other people," said Mike Boys. "To me, it's not the normal artwork that you see in a gallery when you walk through. We felt like it would be something that everybody would enjoy, nothing fancy. It was one of those three-minute discussions, we just decided to do it." Krug is a nationally recognized printmaker and artist. A longtime faculty member and former chairman of the art department at Pittsburg State University, Krug was honored two years ago when PSU dedicated one of its art galleries in his name. The Harry Krug Art Gallery is one of three galleries located in Porter Hall on the PSU campus. Now retired, Krug was accorded professor and chairperson emeritus status by the university and the Kansas Board of Regents in recognition of his service to PSU. Mike Boys became familiar with Krug's artwork while a student at Pittsburg State in the late 1960s. He left the university without graduating, married Jolene and returned to Barton County. Though no longer a traditional student, Boys soon discovered lifelong learning at Barton County Community College. "I just started taking classes at Barton County," explained Boys. "I don't know how many hours I have here, maybe 40 or something like that. I've taken classes that I always wanted to take in the things I wanted to take. Pittsburg was a good school and it was a beginning. It did a lot for me, but the things that I wanted to do more than the average curriculum, I've done at Barton County. The reason is because it was what I wanted, the college offered it and it was so convenient. That's really why we want the college to have this art." Added Jolene, "We had two sons go through Barton County. We have lots of friends whose children have gone through Barton County. We realize it's a valuable asset to this community." Krug's prints are currently on exhibit in the Shafer Gallery, along with other recent acquisitions by the gallery. The recent acquisition exhibit will remain available for public viewing through Feb. 22. "Mike and Jolene Boys donating their art helps us fulfill the core values of our mission," said Shafer Gallery Director Bill Forst. "Harry Krug is a nationally known regionalist. Whenever people from our community step forward with regional artwork, they are making our collection stronger. That's what we're here to do, is to preserve this rich art heritage in the Midwestern region."

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