Lucas, Kan. nominated for ‘Best Small Town Art Scene in America’

LUCAS,, Kan. (KWCH) - For the third year, the northwest Kansas town of Lucas is being nominated in USA Today’s “Best Small Town Art Scene in America.” Lucas is looking to take the top spot after previously placing second. Last year’s top-10 list ranked the small Russell County town No. 6.

The town of Lucas stands out with creativity in large part due to the presence of the architectural marvel this is “The Garden of Eden.” On a smaller scale, self-taught artists are also putting Lucas on the map.

The Grassroots Art Center in town is home to several exhibits showcasing works by artists who learned for themselves through the creative process.

On Lucas’ website, the town says artists featured at the Grassroot Art Center “use all types of recycled materials such as metal, cardboard, aluminum pull tabs, wood, computer motherboards, electrical wire, and even chewing gum.”

Lucas became a hub for art several decades ago.

“A lot of citizens that ended up forming the Grassroots Art Association would travel around to find more of these artists, document them, maybe bring some of the work back here and then it would grow,” Grassroots Art Center Executive Director Chandler Reich-Sellens said.

Nominated for “Best Small Town Arts Scene in America,” Lucas has a shot to break through with the top spot this year, Reich-Sellens said.

“They open up voting for a few weeks and you can go online every day and vote,” Reich-Sellens said. “We’re currently ranked second, so we’re hoping we can have the best ranking yet.”

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