First Friday Art Walk

NexLynx Gallery is the “must see” art gallery on the First Friday Art Walk located in the historic Bates Building in the heart of Downtown Topeka. Beginning in 2010, we have shown hundreds of original photographs, paintings, carvings and sculptures from dozens of local and regional artists. The First Friday Art Walk is our “Opening Reception“ for each new monthly exhibit at NexLynx Gallery of Arts. The First Friday Art Walk is a program of ArtsConnect.


First Friday Art Walk – March 2024

Once a year NexLynx opens its Gallery to a local school to showcase talented young artists. This year, we host the 9th – 12th grade students currently enrolled in advanced art classes at Washburn Rural High School. Students work in a variety of media including metals, clay, acrylic, charcoal, graphite and various mixed media applications.

Washburn Rural High School Art Department consists of five veteran art educators including Gina Baer-Witt, Athena Schumacher-Sutton, Theresa Shetler, Justin Miller and Brad LeDuc who will present work by the following students: Jonathan (JJ) Abrams, Gabby Arellano, Rylan Armstrong, Ellen Austin, Elli Brandt, Annah Brighton, Estelle Campbell, Ben Carter, Camden Chapman, Hayden Clearwater, Sevyn Combs, Ayla Crowl, Memphis Curtis, Aaron Dailey, Ashton Dawley, Farrlyn Denny, Ava Fowler, Isabel Hailey, Kaya Hamilton, Sienna Hamilton, Arrow Herzog, Joshua Hicks, Elijah Holmes, Kemaria Hudson, Tyler Jones, Ella Karakaya, Sam Lopez-Galicia, Jayden Lows-Starbuck, Shamonique Marsh, Abbey Matheis, Sol Mooney, Summer Moore, Ameilia Moses, Eric Navarrete, Cinta Ngure, Taylor Ostermann, Ishan Patil, Adriana Raub, Kirstin Reed, BeBe Reily, Jadyn Reynolds, Kyndall Rose, Aytumn Sanchez, Grace Sanders, Meagan Sanderson, Savanna Schmidt, Elyana Simnitt, Elia Smith, Cole Thomas, Saige Trent, Connor Turk, Phillip Warren, Rylee Weber, Zay Wells, and Molly Worley.

Washburn Rural strives to provide an inclusive learning environment that encourages the development of creative thinking for all students. They take pride in equipping their students with a lifelong love of the arts and skills they can forever apply in everyday aspects of their lives. Together, they celebrate the act of creating and deeply value the role the arts play in their school and community.

  • Our History


  • NexLynx Gallery of Arts started in 2010, after being selected as one of the venues for the ReThink Topeka Exhibition and Art Walk that same year and each year after. The Re-Think Topeka Art Walk was a movement to spur re-building community awareness through art and cultural events. NexLynx continues to be a proud supporter of the art community with our monthly exhibits and opening receptions. We worked with the former Arts Council of Topeka, and now ArtsConnect to promote art in the community as a premier downtown gallery on the Downtown Topeka Art Walk.

    The Gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the historic downtown Bates Building. Walter L. Bates' (1859-1903) last business enterprise was the building of the structures on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Jackson Streets, known as the Bates Block, which includes the I.O.O.F. Hall (117 W. 6th - c. 1910) and 123 W. 6th (c. 1902).


    NexLynx Gallery was voted a Finalist for both 2016 and 2017 People's Choice Awards, nominated by people in the Topeka Community as their favorite stop on the First Friday Art Walk, a program of ArtsConnect.

    • NexLynx Gallery of Arts