Wayne and Kay Woolsey Hall, the new home of W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University, has a new, dynamic art installation sure to draw the eyes of passersby.
“Woolsey Hall is a gorgeous building with modern and sleek design,” said Dr. Larisa Genin, dean of the Barton School. “The artwork that now surrounds our home is a beautiful extension of the creativity and excitement that is happening within these walls.”
Stratosphere (2022), created by Hybycozo (an artist duo that includes Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuk), will welcome drivers and visitors to Woolsey Hall. As part of a collaboration between the Ulrich Museum of Art, the Barton School of Business, WSU Foundation, and WSU Facilities Planning, this piece will be the 86th piece in the Ulrich Museum’s Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection. Stratosphere is a stainless-steel structure with gold powder-coating that measures 12 feet in diameter. Hybycozo stands for “Hyperspace Bypass Construction Zone.” The name is an allusion to the Douglas Adams science fiction book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and captures the artists’ shared interests in the many dimensions of geometry, natural patterns found at scales ranging from the microscopic to the cosmic, and advanced manufacturing and fabrication. According to the artists, their work “consists of larger-than-life geometric sculptures, often with patterns and textures that draw on inspirations from mathematics, science, and natural phenomena.” Lit up from the inside at night, Stratosphere both gleams in the sun during the day and attracts visitors as a beacon after dark.
“Much like the Barton School brings academia and business together, Stratosphere connects business, art, and science,” said Vivian Zavataro, Executive and Creative Director of the Ulrich Museum of Art. “We hope the public will come to see the sculpture at different times of day to experience its shifting beauty.”
About the W. Frank Barton School of Business
Located in Kansas’ business hub and with significant ties to the business community, the W. Frank Barton School of Business provides extensive applied learning opportunities. With in-person and online options, Barton School undergraduate and graduate programs are tailored to transform the lives of its students. It also holds a double AACSB accreditation for business and accounting, which puts it in the top 1% of business schools worldwide. The Barton School was established as the university’s College of Business Administration and Industry in 1926 and has thousands of graduates around the world.
About the Ulrich Museum of Art
The Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art is the university art museum of Wichita State University. Open since 1974, it holds a nationally significant collection of approximately 6,700 works of modern and contemporary art that span the 20th and 21st centuries and include the nationally recognized Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection. The Ulrich is a vital community resource that supports intellectual inquiry, teaching, and lifelong learning on the WSU campus and in the community.
Museum direction is guided by the Ulrich Advisory Board, composed of no more than 25 university and community leaders. The WSU Foundation, owns and ensures the Museum’s art collection.