Ulrich Museum deinstalls monumental 26-by-52-foot mosaic Ulrich Museum deinstalls monumental 26-by-52-foot mosaic

Wichita State began the process of deinstalling a 26-by-52-foot mosaic on the facade of the Ulrich Museum of Art on Tuesday, Sept. 27. The WSU Foundation is launching a $3 million public fundraising campaign to preserve every piece of the campus and community icon. The mosaic is a world masterpiece and jewel in the Ulrich collection.

It will take about two weeks for the conservation crew to take down all 80 panels of the monumental mosaic Personnages Oiseaux (Bird People) by modern master and artist Joan Miro, one of the leading artists in the School of Paris along with Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall.

The removal of the mural on the WSU campus launches a five-year conservation effort. Conservation work on the Miro mosaic will be done by Russell-Marti Conservation Services, based in California, Mo.

Highlights of the artwork:
-- Largest Miro mural in the United States at 52 feet wide and 26 feet tall
-- One of only four Miro murals in the United States
-- Only glass mural made by Miro in the world; other murals are ceramic or oil on canvas
-- Installed in 1978, five years before the artist died

For more information, go to http://www.wichita.edu/ulrichmuseum or http://www.mirohero.com.