The Miro mosaic on the Wichita State campus is a mighty work of art that is recognized globally for putting Wichita State on the map for its collections. It’s a unique piece by Spanish artist Joan Miro and has captivated students since 1978. Thanks to a generous donation by Peri Widener and Merlin Reiser, the upkeep of the work and other educational and exhibition expenses are supported. Torin Andersen was at the unveiling at The Ulrich Museum of Art, which kicked off their Adopt-a-Sculpture campaign.
Chris Brunner was on campus for his third unveiling of “Personnages Oiseaux,” translated, “Bird People.”
“I started graduate school in 77, and they were working on it,” Brunner said, “and then we're here [in] 78 for the unveiling, and [it] was a little windier that day. Then, of course, [there was] the unveiling after it was redone.”
More than $2 million was spent to restore the Miro to be unveiled again in 2016. The most recent unveiling was of a different sort. Ulrich executive and creative director, Vivian Zavataro, and membership and special events manager, Jesse Clonts Day, were on hand to deliver remarks.
“We are unveiling the Miro thanks to a generous donor who can help keep this alive and beautiful for years to come,” Day said.
“Ladies and gentlemen, to Peri and Merlin, your generosity, your vision and your love for this community have made this moment possible, and we're so grateful. Go ahead,” Zavataro said before the unveiling.
Zavataro wants the public to understand how much art matters. Many works on campus require maintenance over their lifetimes, and raising money to do so can be difficult.
As part of the new Adopt-a-Sculpture campaign, WSU is putting drop cloths over important works on campus and then unveiling them after a donation is secured.
Widener partnered with Merlin Reiser on the donation for this first work. Widener still remembers the mural’s initial unveiling.
“I was on campus when this was installed and unveiled,” Widener said. “[It’s] an opportunity to come back almost 50 years later and endow something that we'll see that future generations of Wichita State graduates can be as inspired as I was.”
Widener said this work inspired a deep interest in the art form.
“This piece in particular,” Widener said, “was really a spark for me that created a lifelong interest in contemporary art. This is the only piece of art of its type in the world. This is the only piece of art that Miro did that has mosaic glass in it. The glass was handmade and specified in Italy for this project. So it's a very unique piece that sets Wichita State and Wichita and Kansas apart. It's a priceless piece of art.”
Chris Brunner thinks today's unveiling was a success, mostly due to the lack of wind. More unveilings are scheduled throughout the year.
“It actually went quite a bit smoother than the last two attempts, so we've gotten much better at unveiling,” Brunner said.
