A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will help the Ulrich Museum of Art celebrate the Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection as part of the museum’s 50th anniversary special programming. 

Fully Dimensional: Artists of the Outdoor Sculpture Collection is a multimedia exhibition at Wichita State University that celebrates 35 artists of the sculpture collection and explores elements of their larger bodies of work. 

It is supported by a $10,000 grant from the NEA Challenge America awards. 

"Fully Dimensional is an experiential exhibition, one that encourages discovery, interactivity and inquiry, in connecting visitors to the artists represented, to the outdoor sculpture collection, and ultimately, to each other,” said Jo Reinert, curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the museum. “The show also was an opportunity to recontextualize around 95 permanent collection works and emphasize the strength of the Ulrich collection as a resource for the Wichita community." 

In total, the NEA will award 257 Challenge America awards.

“The NEA is delighted to announce this grant to the Ulrich Museum of Art, which is helping contribute to the strength and well-being of the arts sector and local community,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson. “We are pleased to be able to support this community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to live artful lives.”    

Anchored by pieces from the Ulrich permanent collection, alongside special loans from across the U.S., Fully Dimensional encourages a deeper connection with these multifaceted artists and their sculptures on the WSU campus, by delving into their creative processes, complex identities, and diverse media.  

The show features works by Louise Nevelson, Hank Willis Thomas, Robert Indiana, Joan Miró, Alice Aycock, Louis Alfonso Jiménez, Ursula von Rydingsvard, and Andy Goldsworthy, to name a few.  

Through a collaborative partnership with WSU’s School of Digital Arts, Fully Dimensional features an interactive augmented reality (AR) component for visitors, which uses the camera function of handheld devices to project digital sculptures into the gallery space. This engagement component, designed and created by student and faculty artists, marks the first use of AR in an Ulrich Museum exhibition and the first major collaboration with WSU’s School of Digital Arts. 

In connection with Fully Dimensional, the Ulrich will host artist and scholar talks, as well as artist workshops, throughout spring 2024 that are free to attend. Certain programs are collaborations with the School of Art, Design and Creative Industries Clayton Staples Gallery and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. 

On Dec. 7, the Ulrich Museum of Art will officially turn 50 years old. In its half a century, the museum has grown into an invaluable asset to Wichita State University and Wichita communities, bringing cutting-edge contemporary art to the region and amassing a world-class collection of modern and contemporary art. 

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