The University of Michigan Museum of Art
A single work of art can transform your world. Visit the University of Michigan Museum of Art, where more than 12,000 works of art and over a dozen special exhibitions a year have the power to transport you across centuries and continents. At once a gathering place for the community and a locus for solitary contemplation, the Museum of Art brings people and art together in the service of human understanding.
The Museum
The University of Michigan Museum of Art houses one of the finest university art collections in the country and the second largest collection in the state of Michigan. A community museum in a university setting, the Museum offers visitors a rich and diverse permanent collection, supplemented by a lively, provocative series of special exhibitions and a full complement of interpretive programs.
The Collection
The Museum of Art maintains a distinguished collection of over 12,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, ceramics, and mixed-media works from around the world. From Italian Renaissance panel paintings and Han Dynasty tomb figures to 18th-century textiles and contemporary photography, the Museum collection is notable for both its range and quality.
Areas of particular strength include old master and contemporary works on paper (including a renowned collection of more than 150 prints and drawings by James McNeill Whistler), 20th-century sculpture, Chinese ceramics and painting, and the art of central Africa. The collection is a dynamic one, growing by an average of 100 works per year.
Exhibitions
Special exhibitions are at the heart of the Museum of Art's mission to bring people together with art. Each year the Museum presents an ambitious series of special exhibitions designed to attract and engage a broad spectrum of visitors, both young and old, novice and connoisseur. Exhibitions range from small showings of work by such artists as Lorna Simpson and Pablo Picasso to a full-scale retrospective of the Museum's Whistler collection and a rare display of terracotta warriors from the ancient Chinese city of Xian. Special exhibitions include both national and international loan shows and small exhibitions drawn from the Museum's permanent collection.
Educational Programs
The Museum of Art offers a full complement of interpretive programs, including lectures, symposia, gallery talks by artists and curators, family programs, chamber concerts, multimedia performances, and other special events. As a home to all the muses the Museum frequently collaborates with artists from other disciplines, and has recently presented performances of gospel song, modern dance, puppetry, Native American and African stories, as well as an oratorio based on its painting Esther before Ahasuerus, by Guercino, and an original script celebrating Pablo Picasso's life and work.
Information
Address: 525 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1354. Telephone (313) 764-0395; Fax (313) 764-3731.
Location: The Museum of Art is located on the University of Michigan's central campus at the corner of South State and South University Streets, directly opposite the Michigan Union, 30 minutes by car from Detroit Metro Airport, and 45 minutes from both downtown Detroit and downtown Toledo.
Hours: 10 am - 5 pm Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am - 9 pm Thursday, 12-5 pm Sunday. Summer Hours (Memorial Day - Labor Day) 11 am - 5 pm Tuesday through Saturday, 11 - 9 pm Thursday, 12-5 pm Sunday. Closed Mondays, New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day.
Admission: Free; donations welcomed.
Disabled Access: Available through north entrance to the Museum. All galleries and restrooms are accessible by wheelchair.
Museum Gift Shop: Open during regular Museum hours, the Museum Gift Shop features a selection of books, catalogues, notecards, posters, jewelry, and unusual gifts related to the permanent collection and special exhibitions.
Restaurants: The Museum is located within easy walking distance of a number of restaurants and cafˇs near the intersection of State and Liberty Streets in downtown Ann Arbor.
Friends of the Museum of Art: The Friends of the Museum of Art is an organization of more than 1,000 members who provide crucial support for programs, acquisitions, and special exhibitions while enjoying a personal relationship with their Museum. For membership information phone (313) 747-2064.
School and Group Tours: Private tours for school and other groups are available throughout the year by advance reservation. Phone (313) 747-2067.
Parking: Limited on-street parking and nearby commercial lots.
The University of Michigan School of Information
Please send comments to sils-doe@umich.edu