Tony Paterson, UB professor of art and director of the institute, said the UB frieze consists of positive plaster casts made for a 1920 commission for Rice Stadium in Pelham Bay. It is comprised of three bas-relief panels totaling 60 feet in length that depict Greek athletes competing in Olympic sports.

Rumsey, the son of a prominent Buffalo family, was a noted athlete and a well-regarded figure in the second phase of the Beaux-Arts sculptural style, one of the most distinctive phases of American sculpture.

In 1922, shortly after completing work on the Rice Stadium commission, Rumsey died in an auto accident. The friezes, cast in concrete from the original mold, were installed in Rice Stadium in 1928, but were destroyed when the stadium was demolished in 1989.

In addition to the destroyed concrete frieze, a casting of the panels in plaster/burlap reinforced with steel rod had also been taken from the original mold. The panels were given to UB in 1938 and comprise the only representation of the work extant. The panels were installed that year in Clark Gym on the South Campus, where they remained for 55 years, sustaining damage from wear and age. They were removed in 1993 and stored in anticipation of their restoration. The panels are considered part of the collection of the University at Buffalo Art Gallery.

Private funding is now being sought to underwrite the project's conservation phase. In the meantime, the plaster friezes are on exhibit in the atrium of the Center for the Arts on UB's North Campus. When they are removed, they will be returned to storage until conservation begins.

Paterson said he and his team expect to eventually recast the works in bronze and install them in a prominent site at the university. Paterson, who serves as project supervisor, has more than 30 years of experience in casting and finishing bronze sculptures. He is supported by a staff trained in the fabrication and conservation/preservation of bronze and stone sculpture. Among other projects, the team recently restored the bronze sculpture of Columbus in Buffalo's Front Park.

The co-supervisor of the Rumsey project is Susan Mills, who holds a master of fine arts degree in sculpture and is currently sculpture technician and instructor in the Program in Sculpture in the UB Department of Art

The project team will document all of its work in writing and with photography and videotape. All conservation will be performed in accordance with guidelines of The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works

The UB Casting Institute, founded in 1993 as part of the university's program in sculpture, operates out of the Center for the Arts. Its goal is to train sculptors in the highest degree of professionalism and technical expertise. The institute has accepted many public and private commissions in bronze sculpture and supports restoration activities through its graduate program.