The First Art Gallery of Olathe is located at 11951 S. Strang Line Road, in the Olathe Station Shopping Center in Olathe. Between the Game Stop and O'Shays Sports Pub and Grille, the gallery is a tranquil spot in an otherwise bustling area that includes multiple restaurants and the AMC theaters. The gallery moved to its current location near 119th Street and I-35 in 2009. It originally opened in 2008 in the Great Mall of the Great Plains.

The gallery is an artist-operated nonprofit cooperative that exhibits pieces by local and regional artists. Although the works are for sale, ranging in price from $10 to $1,000, they also are displayed to promote the advancement and appreciation of the visual arts in the community.
The work of 17 artists at the gallery includes landscapes, portraits, and still-lifes in oil, acrylic, and watercolor, as well as photographs, wood sculptures, jewelry, fiber art, and clay.

The gallery board and members participate in local events and activities, and several of the artists' names may be familiar to Johnson County residents:

Dennis Vance is a musician and wood sculptor. According to his Web site, www.artinfactstudio.com, he taught music for many years in Iowa before opening Art in Fact Studio. He now concentrates on wood sculptures that are strongly influenced by primitive cultures. He produces small desk or tabletop pieces, garden art, and totem poles. Vance currently has several carved masks and standing items at the gallery.

Jim Walker, of Kaw Valley Photography, www.kawvalleyphotography.com, produces photo art for home or office. Many of his gallery prints are of the prairie—in winter, burning, or in bloom with flowers or wheat. Walker enjoys finding images that are visually stimulating when photographed in black and white. He has a wide inventory of black and white, abstracts, landscapes from across the country, and urban scenes.

Diane Burchett, a painter, comes from a family that encouraged her artistic talents. According to the story on her Web site, www.purplefleurdelys.com, a high school teacher convinced her to change her higher education goals from political science to art. Burchett now produces portraits and still-life works in rich, vibrant colors.

The artists of the gallery also teach classes for adults and children. The gallery is closed to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays for afternoon and evening classes in clay art, weaving, painting, and drawing. Class information and sign-up sheets are available at the main desk of the gallery.
On the first Saturday of each month, the gallery welcomes guests to an art reception from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Guests may view art and meet the artists while enjoying refreshments and music.