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Ulrich Museum of Art

The Ulrich Museum of Art was established in 1974 to enhance and support Wichita State University’s educational and service mission. Then-president Clark Ahlberg believed a superior university should be ever mindful of the thriving city surrounding it. He articulated his commitment to this belief: “We have an obligation to reach as many people as possible and to do it with the highest standards—in this case, the highest artistic standards—if we are to properly serve this urban area.” The museum was named in honor of Edwin A. Ulrich, a Hyde Park, New York businessman. He donated his collection of more than 300 works by the early 20th-century painter Frederick Judd Waugh and set up an endowment to support the new institution. The founding of the Ulrich coincided with the construction of a new facility for the museum and the WSU School of Art and Design and Creative Industries, the McKnight Art Center. A 1995 renovation created an additional gallery and office space and a terraced sculpture court at the entrance. In 2005 the American Alliance of Museums awarded museum accreditation to the Ulrich as one of only 12 accredited museums in Kansas. The Museum was reaccredited in 2015 and is scheduled to be assessed again in 2024.

The mission of the Museum is to expand human experience through encounters with the art of our time. During the pandemic the Museum has undertaken innovative exhibitions and programs to engage broad audiences and continue to fulfill its mission through unique experiences with art. In 2020, the exhibition Ulrich + Artist s+ You Community Billboard Project was a creative response to the pandemic during the Museum’s closure through January 2021. Twenty billboards throughout Wichita featured images of works from the collection that could speak to a broad audience and connect viewers to a sense of shared humanity during this moment of national crisis.

In addition to engaging the broader community, the Museum’s mission is interwoven in all aspects of the University. The exhibition series Solving for X collaborated with University scholars of all disciplines to create visualizations of their research. The objective was to explore the potential for the Museum to make accessible to the public the fascinating and important research taking place on campus. In 2021 “Sharing Matrilineal Memories at WSU” was the fourth exhibition in the Solving for X series and focused on collecting memories from WSU students, faculty, and staff.


Collection:

The Ulrich Museum holds a nationally significant collection of approximately 6,700 works of modern and contemporary art that span the 20th and 21st centuries. The Museum continues to actively collect new works to ensure the collection continues to evolve. The iconic Joan Miro mosaic, "Personnages Oiseaux," stands out as the Museum’s entrance and a welcoming icon of the university campus. With its brilliance of color, dazzling play of light, and playful imagery, it is arguably the most significant piece of public art in the State of Kansas. Miro? said of the work, “I believe it will be one of the best mosaics ever made.” The Museum also features the Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection of 85 works spread across the 330-acre University Campus. Charging the WSU campus with beauty and distinction, the collection features works by Henry Moore, Louise Nevelson, Fernando Botero, Andy Goldsworthy, Tom Otterness and many more. One of Wichita's most significant cultural attractions, the Outdoor Sculpture Collection is always free and always open. The Ulrich’s continued commitment to the accessibility of art is also reflected in the online Collection Portal, which allows online visitors to explore the museum’s works of art. The Museum’s collection is owned by the Wichita State University Foundation for the benefit of the University. The collection is managed by the Museum.


Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Study Center:

The Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collections Study Center is the first space visitors encounter when they enter the museum. The Study Center serves as a portal for students, faculty, staff, researchers, and the community to access objects from the Museum’s substantial collection. This carefully designed learning environment allows for the examination of actual paintings, photographs, drawings, sculptures, and other objects from the collection that are not currently on display and allows for interdisciplinary educational engagement. To maximize this potential, staff work with faculty to place selected objects on temporary view in conjunction with specific courses. A seminar instructor might teach one or more class sessions in this space, while those with larger classes might assign students to visit the museum and write about the objects individually. Classes from Art and Design, English, Modern & Classical Languages and Literature, and the Honors Program have become frequent visitors to the space, studying Ulrich objects on multiple occasions throughout the semester.


Ulrich Museum of Art Advisory Board:

The Advisory Board makes recommendations to the Wichita State University Foundation regarding acquisitions, accessions, deaccessions, and the care, maintenance, and use of the WSU Foundation art collection under the stewardship of the Ulrich Museum of Art. The Advisory Board also helps secure resources and serves as an advocate for the Museum in the community. The Advisory Board currently has two standing committees. The Salon committee creates outreach to build membership of the Ulrich Salon Circle, attracting new patrons to the Museum. The Stewardship committee supports and advises on fundraising and relationship building for the Museum.


Ulrich Museum Alliance:

The Ulrich Alliance is a group of dedicated volunteers who raise awareness and promote the arts throughout the community. Alliance members graciously give their time, energy, and enthusiasm to support the Museum’s public programs, community outreach, and educational engagement. They also fund scholarships for students within the School of Art, Design and Creative Industries. Alliance members are true ambassadors of the arts and the Ulrich. The president of the Alliance serves as a representative on the Advisory Board.

www.ulrich.wichita.edu