They’re not simply pictures of beautiful sunsets and cows grazing in fields across Kansas — they’re snapshots of a passionate journey. The collection of photos that comprise the “From the Seat of a Bike” exhibit at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center tell the story of artist WenDee Rowe’s desire to explore her home state.
At age 66, Rowe has been documenting her gravel bike rides for three years. “I started getting into gravel biking when I turned 60. On my 60th birthday, I rode nine miles and just about died,” she laughed. Gravel biking has given her the opportunity to slow down and appreciate all the unique geography Kansas has to offer.
She began her artistic journey by sharing photos of her rides on social media. Eventually, a friend suggested she consider doing an exhibit. “I liked the idea and so I designed my exhibit to mirror the way it looks on Facebook,” she said. “I show my pictures with vignettes. Some of them are of crops, different seasons, or dogs I meet on the road.”
Rowe has called rural Inman in McPherson County home since 2006. “I’m amazed at the diversity in geography just a few miles from where I live,” she said. “There’s always a surprise and you learn something about the area while biking these routes — like where to stop to get a good piece of pie or where a neat wooden bridge is located.”
ALTHOUGH GRAVEL biking is fairly new to her, Rowe grew up bicycling along K-96 Highway in Greeley County, near the town of Tribune. During the summers, she would bike the 2 ½ miles from the family farm to mow lawns in the morning, swim in the afternoon, and make a quick stop to dive into the candy drawer at her grandmother’s house before heading home in the evening.
After a move to southern California in the 1970s, and later to northern California, Rowe eventually found her way back to Kansas. Upon moving to Garden City, she often biked to various jobs that included the Lee Richardson Zoo, the Finney County Museum, and the Finney County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Rowe was hired by the Kansas Sampler Foundation in 2006 and served as the project manager in charge of communications and promotion of the annual Kansas Sampler Festival. Following the final festival in 2017, she took the lead on the Big Kansas Road Trip.
The Big Kansas Road Trip was created to be an active and fun way to bring people together, as well as make an economic and social difference in Kansas counties. “It was designed to help people understand rural culture and to bring urban and rural folks together,” she said. The idea of the program is for people to explore the selected counties on their own, while providing a “menu” of items to visit including events, attractions, shops, and restaurants.
With the nature of her job, it only made sense for Rowe to explore Kansas herself. This is her first photography exhibit. All of the photos were taken from the seat of her bike. “I am not a professional photographer,” she explained. “I see things that catch my eye and shoot from my bike. I don’t set up the shot or use a ‘real’ camera.” She currently uses a Samsung S22 to take her snapshots, but hopes to upgrade this year.
Rowe’s passion for all things Kansas is on full display in a book she co-authored — “Kansas Guidebook 2 for Explorers.” She accompanied co-author Marci Penner to every incorporated city in Kansas for research. Although her love for the Sunflower State is evident, she does plan on exploring and biking around other states following her retirement in a couple years.
An artist’s reception will be Saturday at 5:30 p.m., at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, where Rowe will discuss her photography and the inspiration behind it. The exhibit will remain on display through March 31. From here, it will be displayed in Concordia, Ellsworth, Norton, Garnett, Lincoln, and McPherson — making its way across Kansas, just like the artist herself.
