Wichita State is home to a large, 76-piece outdoor sculpture exhibit, and it just got bigger —a lot bigger.

The university will celebrate the traveling sculpture exhibit “Makin’ Hay” created by renowned artist Tom Otterness from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Thursday at Mike Oatman Drive and Perimeter Road on former Braeburn Golf Course.

The tallest piece is 18 feet tall, making it hard to miss. The sculptures are made of hay and steel and depict life-like figures shocking hay.  

On loan from the Alturas Foundation, the Ulrich commissioned the pieces for two years hoping to make students, faculty and the community think outside the box and be innovative.

“It is so timely,” said Tony Vizzini, Wichita State provost and senior vice president. “It fits with Innovation Campus . . . they have that sense about them of change, of creation, of making money and of doing work that generates income. All those images are exactly what we’re doing.”

The celebration will include live music from a local band, Haymakers, and a speech from Vizzini and WSU President John Bardo. Refreshments will be provided.

The Haymakers have played western-style string music together for about three years. The members include Mark Foley, professor of double bass, electric bass and music theory and WSU alumni. Not only does the band name fit with the theme of the sculptures, but the music does, too.

“We play old-time folk music,” guitarist Tom Page said. “A lot of our songs are about the plains or the dustbowl, but with a swing to it. Our music has a sense of the traditional spirit of America.”

Page said the group is excited to play Thursday because of the sculptures’ meaning and because some members are WSU alumni.

As a Wichita native, Otterness wanted the next location for his traveling pieces to be somewhere in Wichita, and suggested the Ulrich Museum of Art.

This is the second piece of art Otterness has on campus. The Millipede sculpture became a permanent fixture on campus in 2008. It can be found on Fairmount Street just south of the Ulrich.

“I love walking around campus and seeing all of the sculptures and art we have,” sophomore Kasey Wilson said. “The Millipede sculpture is actually my favorite because it is just so unique. I really like the new sculptures as well because they’re so unusual due to the material they are made of. It definitely makes it more interesting, and I’m excited to see them on campus.”