Wichita State University (Edwin A. Ulrich Museum)

The Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University will complete the third year of a five-year project to save “Personnages Oiseaux (Bird People)”, a large-scale mosaic by Joan Miro. The work is the largest Miro mosaic in the nation, and the only predominantly glass mosaic he ever created. Installed on the museum’s exterior façade in 1978, the mosaic was in imminent danger of collapse. During this project, museum staff will re-adhere fallen tiles to the mosaic’s panels, and replace missing or damaged tesserae with new pieces from the original source. Staff will remove epoxy resin and replace crumbling particleboard backing with custom-made stainless steel, adhering tiles with a time-tested adhesive after meticulous cleaning. Conserving this artwork addresses the museum’s top collections care priority.