A Place for Art and Community

Place

About 100 miles west of Kansas City, Volland is located in a picturesque valley of the Kansas Flint Hills. Its home county, Wabaunsee County, is highly agrarian, but is nestled in between several small population centers.

It was the exceptional quality of tallgrass prairie that brought cattle by train to the Flint Hills from points farther south. The deep roots of the tall grasses defied drought, and cattle could graze and fatten up before being shipped on to market. Shipping points were established every eight to ten miles along the railroad to replenish coal and water for steam engines, and small towns grew up around them.

Volland was one of those shipping points in the early 20th century, and two brothers, Bill and Otto Kratzer, opened Kratzer Brothers Mercantile there in 1904. Otto, the young storekeeper, relished bringing the newest and best of everything to Volland, and it quickly became the social and cultural center of the ranching community that surrounded it.

The brothers prospered, and in 1913 they built a big brick store (now The Volland Store) to add to their enterprise. Cattle pens, a robust train schedule, and the Kratzer Brothers Mercantile made Volland a lively place, but this all changed after trucking cattle became the predominant method of shipping.   By 1971, the economy had changed, the population had declined, and the Store closed upon Otto’s death. It sat vacant for forty years and was in danger of being torn down. By 2011, a small remnant of the town remained: the boarded-up Kratzer stores (original and “new”), a few houses and outbuildings, two residents, and then one. Learn more about the history of Volland here.

Today, the Volland Foundation revives that sense of community through the arts with exhibitions, programming and its residency program.

Art and Community

In 2015, The Volland Store reopened after substantial renovations. It was re-purposed as an art gallery and gathering place for the community. It became a destination for visitors from near and far, building a community of supporters from across the country and attracting artists, poets, and musicians.  An architectural award-winning space, it thrives on good art and friendly conversation.

In 2017,  the Volland Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was established to own the properties and oversee activities at Volland, including art exhibitions and community programming in t he gallery, performances at an outdoor venue called the “Ruin,” the History, Nature, and Sculpture Trail,the M.T. Liggett Sculpture Park, and guest accommodations in the Loft and the Little House. For a fuller sense of what happens at Volland, visit our Happenings page. 

In 2023, the official Volland Residency Program was established. We believe that the gift of time and space in this wide-open landscape can create a change in the creative trajectory of those who participate in the residency program at Volland.

We welcome your application.