Wichita State News: Ulrich Museum

New Ulrich director returns to his Wichita State roots

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:42:00 CST

In 1978, Bob Workman was up in the air, standing on scaffolding at the front of the Ulrich Museum of Art, meticulously plugging bits of mosaic into bolt holes.

He was an undergraduate student at Wichita State, and getting the honor of helping install the famous Miro mural was the icing on the cake for the art enthusiast.

"I have to say that being a part of the Ulrich at such a dynamic and engaging time was life changing for me," Workman said.

Thirty-five years and six cities later, the Wichita native is back home and back at Wichita State as director of the Ulrich Museum.

When Workman returned to the Ulrich, the Miro mural – a visual icon on the WSU campus – was gone, undergoing a multi-million dollar restoration. So the project he worked so hard on as a student is now one of his biggest projects as museum director.

"There's a wonderful symmetry to my starting my art museum career here, with the privilege in 1978 to be a part of the Miro installation and unveiling," Workman said. "Now I have a leadership responsibility with our great WSU team to not only raise the remaining funds to conserve the Miro, but also be here for the reinstallation in 2016."

'It's great to be back'

After earning his bachelor's in art history from Wichita State, Workman moved to Boston, where he received his master's from Boston University.

Workman then held a series of positions as he earned experience in the world of art. He was curator for the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design; director of exhibitions at the American Federations of Arts in New York City; deputy director of the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas; and founding director of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark.

Most recently, Workman was director of the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, Kan.

"My career is somewhat unique in that I have been intimately involved in the design and construction of three museums," Workman said.

Now as director of WSU's art museum, he leads the staff in the development and care of the 7,000-plus works of art in the Ulrich collection, the development and implementation of the exhibitions program, and the delivery of educational programs on and around campus.

Ulrich staff is also in the early stages of photographing and digitizing the museum's permanent collection.

"That process is a key step in our making the art accessible to the students and faculty of WSU, as well as our greater community," Workman said.

Workman said fundraising to support the conservation of the Miro – and the work itself – is going very well.

"The opportunity to return here and work to enrich the lives of students on campus is a great motivator for me," he said. "The collections and programs of the Ulrich provide exciting and enriching experiences for all our visitors, and I look forward to building on the great work that has been done here over the last several years. It's great to be back, and I am very excited by the prospects for the future of the Ulrich Museum of Art."

Robert Workman named new director of Ulrich Museum of Art

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:50:00 CST

Bob Workman

Robert "Bob" Workman has been named director of the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University following a national search. He will assume his new duties Jan. 20, 2013, according to Interim Provost Keith Pickus.

Workman is currently the director of the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, Kan., where he guided the center's construction and opening. Previously, he was the executive director of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark.

"Bob brings a wealth of experience to this position," said Pickus, "and he will provide strong leadership for the museum for years to come."

"This is a great opportunity for me to bring my experience engaging audiences with art to my hometown," said Workman. "The collections and programs of the Ulrich are a major resource for WSU, Wichita and the surrounding region. It's an honor for me to join this talented and energetic staff, and its dynamic group of campus and community supporters, to lead the Ulrich in its next period of vibrant growth."

Faculty/staff news update: October 2012

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 11:17:00 CST

Academe welcomes news from WSU faculty and staff about research, teaching and service activities. This column recognizes grants, honors, awards, presentations and publications, new appointments, new faculty, sabbaticals, retirements and deaths of our current and former colleagues.

Dinorah Azpuru, associate professor, political science, was invited to form part of the Academic Council of the Latin American Association of Political Science. Based in Latin America and headquartered in Brazil, ALACIP gathers scholars linked to the world of political science in Latin America.

Deborah Ballard-Reisch

Deborah Ballard-Reisch, Kansas Health Foundation Distinguished Chair in Strategic Communication and professor, Elliott School of Communication, received the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language and Gender's 2012 Teacher/ Mentor Award.

Seth Bate, community and organizational specialist, Center for Community Support and Research, recently published "Paul Mesner Puppets: Marking 25 Years in Kansas City." It is the cover story for the summer 2012 issue of The Puppetry Journal.

Fred Besthorn, associate professor, social work, was a featured keynote speaker at the recent Social Work and Social Development Conference held in Stockholm, Sweden. He is widely regarded as an expert in the field of environmental social work and has many published works addressing the interconnection of environmental awareness to the practice of social work.

Barb Chaparro, associate professor, psychology, has been named a 2012-2013 Coleman Faculty Entrepreneurship Fellow, a program sponsored by the Coleman Foundation to increase and build support for entrepreneurship education across the Wichita State University campus.

Sherry Chapman, instructor, social work, has established with Carolyn Shaw, associate professor, political science, the chartering of Pi Gamma Mu, an honorary society for social sciences at WSU. Chapman is also the secretary of the Kansas Association for Play Therapy.

Dan Close, associate professor, Elliott School of Communication, has been elected to the Kansas Sunshine Coalition's board of directors. The organization monitors and acts on complaints of open meetings/open records violations by governmental bodies and officials.

Nancy Deyoe, assistant dean for Technical Services, and Ginger Williams, associate professor, University Libraries, presented "Reaching Youth Through Diverse Collections and Teen/Community-Driven Programming" at the second National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color.

Steve Farmer, Barton Distinguished Chair in Business, has been invited to serve as associate editor of Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes by the editor Xiao-Ping Chen, chair and professor, Department of Management and Organization, Michael G. Foster School of Business, University of Washington. OBHDP is published by Elsevier.

Ed Flentje

Ed Flentje, professor, Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs, presented at the Docking Symposium on Kansas Politics at Southwestern College.

Philip Gaunt, professor, Elliott School of Communication, director, Interdisciplinary Communication Research Institute, has published a science fiction novel, "The Blane Game." Gaunt's book will be available in local bookstores soon. For an advance copy, contact Gaunt at 978-6072.

Aimee Geist, curator of education at the Ulrich Museum of Art, was honored with the Outstanding Museum Art Educator from the Kansas Art Education Association at the group's annual fall conference Oct. 27 in Wichita.

Debbie Gordon, associate professor, women's studies, participated in the Ninth Annual Beirut Program in Beirut, Lebanon, a two-track exchange program of lectures and colloquia with leading professors and public intellectuals on Lebanon and the Arab world. The program also included meetings with social, political and economic leaders from across Lebanon's political spectrum.

Ruth Hitchcock, associate professor, Counseling, Educational Leadership, Educational and School Psychology, graduated from the Leadership Academy sponsored by the Association for Play Therapy at its Oct. 9-14 conference in Cleveland, Ohio. The academy's six-month curriculum especially explores leadership concepts and the Policy Governance Model that defines organizational roles and responsibilities.

William Hendry, professor, biological sciences, procured a grant in the amount of $48,750 for "Translational Studies of Gynecological Cancer with a Unique in vivo System" from the Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence.

Mary Liz Jameson, associate professor, biological sciences, Natural Science Collections Alliance member, testified before Congress about the need for digitizing science collection data.

Kyoung Lee, assistant professor, social work, became a commissioner on the Commission for Diversity and Social and Economic Justice at the Council on Social Work Education.

Melissa Mallon, assistant professor and coordinator, library instruction, had an article, "The New Distance Learners: Providing Customized Online Research Assistance to Urban Students on the Go," published in Urban Library Journal.

Jeffrey May, biological sciences, procured a grant in the amount of $37,500 for "Diagnostic Relevance of Human Urinary FSH Glycoform Assessment to Ovarian Aging" from the Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence.

Eunice Doman Myers, associate professor, Spanish, and associate dean, Liberal Arts and Sciences, gave a paper, "The Plight and Plots of African Immigrants in Angela Reyes' Los trenes de marzo (11-M)" at the Mid-America Conference on Hispanic Literature at the University of Nebraska on Oct. 12.

Michael Palmiotto, professor, criminal justice, published the textbook "Criminal Investigations, Fourth Edition" CRC-Press, 2013, and the refereed article (co-authors D. Vejnovic and V. Lalic) "Policing Football Violence and Ethnic Hatred in Bosnia and Herzegovina": in Journal of Defendology, Volume XL, No. 32, 2012.

Michael Palmiotto was appointed editor of the Journal of Defendology in September. The journal is published in Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in Serbian and English.

Sabrina Perez-Glatt, field practicum coordinator, School of Social Work, has been appointed to the Sedgwick County Council on Aging.

Eric Wilson, instructor, Elliott School of Communication, was an invited presenter at the annual Bombardier Safety Standdown symposium. He partnered with two Bombardier staff members to present "Beyond the Scene of the Accident," a half-day workshop on aviation media relations and crisis communication.

Li Yao, biological sciences, procured an Institutional Core Facility Support grant in the amount of $40,000 for "Inverted Microscope, Nikon Fluorescence System, Digital Imaging System, Motorized Stage" from the Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence.

IN MEMORIAM

John David Boyd, 73, professor emeritus of art and design, died Oct. 25 in Wichita. Services have been held. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Lorraine; son Aaron (Jenny) of Wichita; daughters Sarah Blythe (Kurt) of Chapel Hill, N.C., and Alice Villegas (Diego) of Cincinnati, OH; three grandchildren, and countless students.

Annie Pearl Johnson, 75, retired custodian, Physical Plant, died Oct. 26. Services have been held. She is survived by daughters Sharon (Anthony) Trotter, Cosandra (Derrick) Carr and Lisa Johnson; sons, Willie Lee (Sherelle) Johnson, Robert Earl Johnson and Anthonio (Tuyet) Johnson; sister, Dorothy Jean Johnson; brother, Augusta Johnson; 18 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.

James McKenney, 77, professor emeritus and former chair, political science, former director, Honors Program and Taft Institute, died Oct. 25 in Wichita. Services have been held. He was preceded in death by his father, James D., mother, Thelma, and step mother, Mary E. Survivors include his wife, Mary K.; sister Sharon and her husband (Roland) Simantel of Wasco, Ore.; brother Richard and his wife (Vona) McKenney of Eugene; sister Kathy and her husband Bela Kirchberger of Salem, Ore; and sister Jane and her husband John Hyder of Salem, Ore. Children and their families include James R. of Grants Pass, Ore.; Alison (Mitch, Maeley, Mariah) McKenney Brown of Valley Center; Sean P. (Kristie, Christopher, Bailey, Kaleigh) of Honolulu , Hawaii; and Colin (Brenda, Megan, Braeden) of Valley Center. Memorials may be sent to the Valley Center Public Library Building Fund c/o the Friends of the Library, 321 W. First, Valley Center, KS 67147.

Third Ulrich director candidate to make campus visit Monday

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 11:26:00 CST

The third of three candidates in a national search for the Ulrich Museum's new director at Wichita State University will make a campus visit and give a public lecture on the topic, "What is the role of a university art museum in the 21st Century?"

The third candidate, Robert Workman, will speak from 1-2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, in 210 McKnight Art Center West (WSU School of Art and Design). This event is free and open to the public. Workman is director of the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, Kan.

He previously served as executive director of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark., and associate director of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas.

Second Ulrich director candidate to make campus visit Monday

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:23:00 CST

A national search for the Ulrich Museum's new director has been narrowed to three candidates.

As part of the process, each candidate makes a campus visit and gives a public lecture on the topic: "What is the role of a university art museum in the 21st century?"

The second candidate, Julien Robson of Philadelphia, will speak from 1-2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 22, in 210 McKnight Art Center West (WSU School of Art and Design). This event is free and open to the public.

Robson is presently an independent curator in Philadelphia. He was curator of contemporary art at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia from July 2008-July 2012.

Prior to that, he was curator of contemporary art at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Ky., from January 2000-July 2008.
The final presentation will be from 1-2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, in 210 McKnight Art Center West.

First Ulrich director candidate to make campus visit Monday

Fri, 5 Oct 2012 15:12:00 CST

A national search for a new director of Wichita State University's Ulrich Museum of Art has been narrowed to three candidates.

As part of the process, each candidate makes a campus visit and gives a public lecture on the topic, "What is the role of a university art museum in the 21st century?"

The first candidate, David J. Brown, will speak from 1-2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8, in 210 McKnight Art Center West (WSU School of Art and Design).

This event is free and open to the public.

Brown is an arts management consultant in Winston Salem, N.C., and previously served as the deputy director at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Va., and the chief curator at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston Salem, N.C.

Each candidate will address the same topic, and all presentations will be from 1-2 p.m. Mondays (Oct. 8, 22 and 29) in 210 McKnight Art Center West.

WSU to host Gordon Parks Lecture Series

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:10:00 CST

Wichita State University's Gordon Parks Lecture Series presents John W. Franklin at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, in the CAC Theater.

A reception at 5 p.m. at the Ulrich Museum of Art will precede the lecture.

Both events are free and open to the public.

Franklin, director of partnerships and international programs for the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture, will present on the mission and development of the new national museum on the Washington Mall, opening in 2015.

This event also includes a book release for "Gordon Parks Centennial: His Legacy at Wichita State University," a 68-page scholarly publication acknowledging the strength of the university's holdings, archival and artistic, related to Parks. The publication will be available Oct. 4 for a special price of $15; the regular retail price is $24.95.

The fourth event in the Gordon Parks Lecture Series at Wichita State University and the 2012 Centennial Celebration of Mr. Parks' life have been made possible by a generous lead gift from Shannon Michaud. Additional supporters include Mickey Armstrong, Marcia and Ted D. Ayres, J. Eric Engstrom, Katie and Joseph C. "Buz" Lukens Jr., Mike Roach, Marni Stevens, Go Wichita Convention and Visitors Bureau, Groves Retail Liquor and Martin Pringle Attorneys at Law.

Ulrich patrons made donations to honor Patricia McDonnell's leadership as Ulrich Museum director. WSU's Office of General Counsel and Office of the Provost have also contributed.

'Yarn bombers' hit WSU campus

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:43:00 CST

Some non-traditional vandals struck Wichita State Friday afternoon leaving statues in the area brightly colored and maybe a little bit warmer.

They prefer to be called "yarn bombers."

Read full story.

View photos of the yarn bombing.

Statue stolen from Wichita State in 1987 recovered in Mo.

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 13:52:00 CST

A valuable statue stolen in 1987 from Wichita State University has been recovered in southwestern Missouri, and one man is under arrest.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the bronze bust of American poet Robert Frost by famed sculptor Walker Hancock is currently valued at about $25,000. News reports from 1987 indicate the statue was one of three stolen early that year from an outdoor collection on the campus of the Kansas school.

Read full story.

Staffing changes under way at Ulrich Museum

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 11:03:00 CST

Teresa Veazey

Teresa Veazey will serve as interim director of the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University while a national search is conducted.

The appointment, which is expected to last three months, was announced by Keith Pickus, WSU interim provost.

Veazey will assume the post in mid-September when director Patricia McDonnell leaves to become director of the Wichita Art Museum.

Veazey has served as the museum's public relations manager for more than 10 years. Well-connected in the Wichita community and a past president of Wichita Professional Communicators, Veazey will guide operations and programs.

Rodney Miller, dean of WSU's College of Fine Arts, is chairing the search committee for the next Ulrich director.

Emily Stamey

In addition, Emily Stamey, curator of modern and contemporary art at the Ulrich Museum, will be leaving to accept the position of associate curator at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Among Stamey's many accomplishments while at the Ulrich, she co-authored "Art of Our Time: Selections from the Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University," the catalog supporting the 2010 collection exhibition that went on national tour.

Stamey also curated the popular exhibition "Fisch Haus 21: An Artists' Collaborative Comes of Age," for which she wrote the accompanying catalogue.

She is also organizing "Stocked: Contemporary Art from the Grocery Aisles," which opens in January 2013 and will include a catalog she authored.

Stamey, who joined the Ulrich in January 2008, begins her new position at SMoCA in early September.

Ulrich Museum director to lead Wichita Art Museum

Tue, 22 May 2012 15:15:00 CST

Ulrich Museum of Art Director Patricia McDonnell, who has been with Wichita State since January 2007, has been named director of the Wichita Art Museum.

McDonnell's move from the Ulrich to WAM will start Aug. 20 and be complete Sept. 15, following the transition of two important projects -- the Ulrich's gallery renovation currently under way and its grand reopening after a nine-month closedown.

"We will miss Patricia's leadership at the Ulrich Museum," said WSU Interim Provost Keith Pickus, "and we're fortunate that a person of her background and caliber is remaining in the community."

Pickus said a national search will be conducted to find McDonnell's successor at the Ulrich Museum.

During McDonnell's tenure, public programs have tripled and attendance and private fundraising has increased substantially.

"Art museums have art and audiences as their core purpose, and we found a winning formula to make stellar connections between the two and bring faces from WSU and the broader Wichita community together at the Ulrich, which was very rewarding," said McDonnell.

Before coming to the Ulrich Museum, McDonnell served as chief curator at the Tacoma Art Museum in Tacoma, Wash., and curator of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

She currently serves as a vice president for the international College Art Association.

Ulrich Museum awarded $250,000 for Miro mosaic conservation

Tue, 1 May 2012 09:00:00 CST

The Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University has been awarded two major federal grants totaling $250,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for the conservation of the landmark mural and masterpiece by modern artist Joan Miro.

The announcement of the Ulrich Museum as a grant recipient from both organizations in 2012 is significant because the Ulrich is the only Kansas museum to receive both the NEA and IMLS grants in 2012 and is the only Kansas museum to receive the maximum grant amounts from the NEA ($100,000) and IMLS ($150,000).

The funds from the grants, written and submitted by Ulrich Museum Director Patricia McDonnell, will support the second year of the five-year undertaking to conserve "Personnages Oiseaux" ("Bird People"), the 26 x 52 foot glass-and-marble mosaic. The mosaic was created specifically for the Ulrich Museum and installed on its facade in 1978.

The mosaic was deinstalled in fall 2011 in preparation for treatment; 33 years of exposure to extreme weather in Kansas has taken its toll on the 80-panel mosaic.

Key surrealist

A native of Barcelona but mainly based in Paris, Joan Miro (1893-1983) was a key surrealist in the period between the world wars. So esteemed is his artistic excellence, in 2009-2011, the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Tate Galley in London organized exhibitions devoted to this key figure in the School of Paris along with Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall.

Of 11 monumental murals Miro created worldwide in the 43-year-period between 1937 and 1980, the Ulrich Museum's mosaic is the largest of only four in the United States and one of only two murals outside New York City. It is the only predominately glass mosaic he ever created.

Russell-Marti Conservation Services Inc., based in California, Mo., has been contracted by the Ulrich Museum to lead the Miro conservation effort, which is expected to take until fall 2016.

For more information about the Miro Conservation Project, visit www.beamirohero.com.

Ulrich Museum to temporarily deinstall WSU mosaic

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:04:00 CST

Come "See Miró Go!" at noon Tuesday, Sept. 27.

This special event kicks off the deinstallation of the 26-by-52-foot mosaic on the façade of the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University, and a launch of the $3 million public fundraising campaign to preserve every piece of this campus and community icon.

The mosaic is a world masterpiece and jewel in the Ulrich collection.

Read the full story.

WSU College of Fine Arts kicks off season with strong September

Wed, 8 Sep 2010 00:00:00 CST

The College of Fine Arts at Wichita State University has a great season ahead with the St. Petersburg String Quartet, quartet-in-residence, and continuing renovations to Duerksen Fine Arts Center. The Fine Arts Box Office has moved temporarily to Wilner Auditorium.

It promises to be a good year at Wichita State University as the College of Fine Arts welcomes the St. Petersburg String Quartet as quartet-in-residence in the School of Music, and the WSU Symphony Orchestra preps for a September gig with classic rock band Kansas and an even bigger performance in the spring at Carnegie Hall.

The School of Performing Arts starts off a strong season with Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" and the dance program working toward its annual dance festival later this fall.

Improvements continue at Duerksen Fine Arts Center, this year forcing a temporary move of the Fine Arts Box Office to Wilner Auditorium for the 2010-2011 season.

You can create your own subscription series for Wichita State's 2010-2011 performing arts and music events, or purchase individual tickets in person or by phone from noon-5 p.m. Monday-Friday at the College of Fine Arts Box Office, temporarily housed in Wilner Auditorium, (316) 978-3233.

"Art on Speed," through Friday, Dec. 17, Ulrich Museum of Art, WSU campus. Free admission. Gallery hours 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays. (316) 978-3664.

"Hindsight is always 20/20," Saturday, Sept. 11-Sunday, Nov. 28, Ulrich Museum of Art, WSU campus. Free admission. Gallery hours 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays. (316) 978-3664.

Daniel Zaretsky, organist, Rie Bloomfield Organ Series, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, Wiedemann Recital Hall, WSU campus. Tickets $10 (discounts available), (316) 978-3233.

WSU Symphony with classic rock band Kansas, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, at Hartman Arena in Park City. Tickets are $40, $29 and, for students, $20 through stage1tickets.com, the Hartman Arena Box Office or by calling (316) 927-3999.

"Twelfth Night," Mainstage Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 23-25; 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26; Wilner Auditorium, WSU campus. Tickets $10 (discounts available), (316) 978-3233.

Final Friday Gallery Crawl, 6-9:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, Ulrich Museum of Art, WSU campus. Free admission. Gallery hours 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays. (316) 978-3664.

School of Art and Design, 6-10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24 (Final Friday), WSU Shift Space gallery, 803 E. Third St. in Old Town; normal gallery hours 4-7 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Free. Information, (316) 978-7705.

Julie Bees, pianist, WSU Faculty Artist Series, 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26, Wiedemann Recital Hall. Tickets $7, discounts available. Box office, (316) 978-3233.

Picasso painting on view at the Ulrich Museum

Wed, 1 Sep 2010 14:12:00 CST

A 1961 painting by modern master and internationally acclaimed artist Pablo Picasso will go on view at Wichita State University's Ulrich Museum of Art starting Thursday, Sept. 2, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous lender.

Picasso's painting will be on view in the Ulrich Museum's first-floor gallery through Thanksgiving weekend Sunday, Nov. 28. Public hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and

1-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission to the museum is free. No photography or videotaping of the painting is allowed.

The signed painting, which measures approximately four by five feet, features Picasso's second wife and last muse, Jacqueline Roque, whom he met in 1953 and married in 1961. At her side are two young figures who are presumed to be Paloma Picasso and Catherine Hutin-Blay, the young daughters of Picasso and Roque, respectively, from their former relationships.

"Picasso was one of the leading artists of the 20th century, and we are thrilled to place one of his exceptional paintings on view for Wichita museum-goers," said Patricia McDonnell, director of the Ulrich Museum of Art. "This figure group bears all the signature trademarks of Picasso's mature style, and it is exciting to share this large, impressive painting with the public."

Now a household name worldwide along with being a major force in art history, Picasso is best known for his pioneering painting in Paris during its heyday in the first decades of the 20th century. Critics and public alike praise the artist, and his popularity is strong and global. In 2010, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City attracted more than 700,000 visitors to a four-month exhibition of Picasso's work.