The Ulrich Museum of Art’s world-class Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection boasts 86 works spread across the 330-acre Wichita State University campus.
The Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art was established in 1974 to enhance and support Wichita State University's educational and service missions. Then-president Clark Ahlberg believed a superior university should be ever mindful of the thriving city surrounding it. In 1977, he articulated 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." Under the leadership of the Museum's first director, Dr. Martin H. Bush, in the first twenty years of its life, the Ulrich Museum became an integral part of university and community life.
The Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection established in 1972 is a unique and priceless collection recognized nationally for its world-class works of art. It is an integral part of the daily campus experience, creating a powerful and joyful place for WSU students, faculty, staff and the community. The 88-piece Outdoor Sculpture Collection, an extension of the Ulrich Museum of Art’s permanent collection, is a beloved source of immense and justified pride for the University, the City of Wichita, the State of Kansas, and the region. Defining 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.
It is important to mention that the Museum received WSU Student Government Association (SGA) funding support for the commission of 22 sculptures in the Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection between 1972 and 2008. Student Fee Funding has transformed our collection and the campus through sculpture commissions.
On Oct. 28, 2022, the Ulrich Museum installed the latest addition to its world-class Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection on the Wichita State University campus.
Stratosphere (2022), created by Hybycozo (an artist duo that includes Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuk), welcomes drivers and visitors to Woolsey Hall. As part of a collaboration between the Ulrich Museum of Art, the Barton School of Business, WSU Foundation, and WSU Facilities Planning, this is the 86th piece in the Ulrich Museum’s Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection. Stratosphere is a stainless-steel structure with gold powder-coating that measures 12 feet in diameter and is located on the west side of Woolsey Hall. Hybycozo stands for “Hyperspace Bypass Construction Zone.” The name is an allusion to the Douglas Adams science fiction book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and captures the artists’ shared interests in the many dimensions of geometry, natural patterns found at scales ranging from the microscopic to the cosmic, and advanced manufacturing and fabrication. According to the artists, their work “consists of larger-than-life geometric sculptures, often with patterns and textures that draw on inspirations from mathematics, science, and natural phenomena.” Lit up from the insight at night, Stratosphere both gleams in the sun during the day and attracts visitors as a beacon after dark.
“Much like the Barton School brings academia and business together, Stratosphere connects business, art, and science,” said Vivian Zavataro, Executive and Creative Director of the Ulrich Museum of Art. “We hope the public will come to see the sculpture at different times of day to experience its shifting beauty.”
Visitors are encouraged to come by and have their photo taken with this beautiful new sculpture. If you post your photos on social media, be sure to tag the museum (@ulrichmuseum) and use the hashtag #ulrichmuseum.
