Category:Museum of Art

Overview

One of the largest and best attended art museums in the Mountain West, the Museum of Art offers a dynamic exhibition schedule that includes displays of its permanent collection, world-class traveling shows and unique temporary exhibitions that fulfill the Museum unique mandate (above).

One of the Museum of Art's most important roles is its contribution to the academic mission of Brigham Young University. From the research and study of the artworks in our collection, to the teaching and learning that occurs in our classrooms and galleries, the museum plays an important role in the academic pursuits of many students at BYU. At the same time, the museum connects to broad community audiences through its varied exhibitions and educational programming.

Directors

James A. Mason (1993-1996)
Campbell Gray (1996-2010)
Mark Magleby (2012-Present)

Museum History

After breaking ground two years prior,[1] the museum opened in October 1993 as a location to house BYU's extensive collection of more than 17,000 pieces of art which, due to a lack of space, had never been displayed permanently.[2]

According to a 2004 survey, the museum ranked first in attendance among university campus art museums with 334,774 visitors. Among all art museums, the museum comes in 31st in attendance out of 157 member art museums from the United States, Canada and Mexico.[3] The museum's philosophy of reaching out to the students and the community has been cited as one of the reasons for its success to date.[4] In addition to having the largest university museum attendance, the museum also has the highest level of student attendance because its staff works closely with faculty to incorporate the museum into school curriculum.[5]

At times, the university's connection with the LDS Church has led to certain special exhibits being modified, including a Rodin exhibit in 1997 that would have included four nude works of art.[6] The exclusion of those four pieces surprised museum professionals[7] and angered some students.[8]

Museum of Art

The Brigham Young University Museum of Art is a four-story, modern facility of more than 102,000 square feet in size and is designed to preserve and safeguard the Museum's extensive permanent collection and to display a diverse range of exhibitions for the BYU campus population, surrounding schools and community at large.

The Museum of Art was designed by Los Angeles architect James Langenheim. Former directors of lighting and design at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, LeMar Terry and Stuart Silver, assisted in determining the sophisticated lighting requirements and the best functional use of space. Prominent personnel from such associations as the Smithsonian Institution, the Getty Museum, and the National Gallery of Art also contributed to the design and planning of the building.

These designers' objectives were to construct an art museum that not only exhibited art but was itself a work of art. The building's articulated triangular shape provides a constant change in size, direction, form and light. The Museum of Art is built on four levels and includes ten exhibition galleries, auditorium, classrooms, small theater, print study room, gift store, security and administrative offices. The lower levels house state-of-the-art design, fabrication, imaging, registration, and storage areas. The Museum Café overlooks a beautiful sculpture garden.

Collection

The museum displays paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, installations, video, and photography. The permanent collection contains works of art from many renowned artists including Carl Bloch, Maynard Dixon, Rembrandt, Norman Rockwell, and Minerva Teichert. The museum's permanent collection is augmented by a number of partnerships with other organizations[9] and traveling exhibits and other special exhibits, including one that coincided with the 2002 Olympics that were held in nearby Salt Lake City.[10] The museum's collection includes more than 170 works related to Jesus Christ[11] showing the different ways He has been portrayed over time.[12]

Exhibits

In 2012 a new exhibit graced the walls of the MOA. The Weir Family, 1820-1920: Expanding the Traditions of American Art shows American paintings of landscapes, academic portraits, impressionistic still lifes, and more, all painted by three American painters from the same family. Robert Weir was among some of the earliest American painters to be sponsored by Italy as a student artist in the 1820s. Of his sixteen children, John and Julian both inherited his artistic aspirations and began their own artistic careers.

The museum is also showing a Beauty and Belief exhibit with Islamic art depicting the "99 Names of God." Just a few steps away is the exhibit Object of Devotion, which includes alabaster sculptures from medieval England. In another gallery is displayed the People in a Hard Land exhibit, which shows iconic images of life in the Southwest.

In the fall of 2012 the museum opened a new exhibit, Think Flat, featuring the works of Andy Warhol and Takashi Murakami.

December 2012 opened the museum's newest exhibit, We Could be Heroes: The Mythology of Monsters and Heroes in Contemporary Art. The exhibit features art from over 40 international artists, all portraying their definition of heroes and monsters.

Jeff Lambson curator of Contemporary Art worked hard over the course of several years to create the 2013 MOA art exhibition which focuses of womens' work and roles. The exhibit was displayed from May of 2013 through September of that year. The exhibit, titled "Work to Do" featured the work of artists Trent Alvey, Pam Bowman, Jann Hanworth, and Amy Jorgensen.

News Links

2013 Stories

2012 Stories

2011 Stories

2010 Stories

2009 Stories

References

BYU Museum of Art

Pages in category "Museum of Art"

The following 12 pages are in this category, out of 12 total.

C

Campbell Gray

D

J

James A. Mason

J cont.

K

Krisanne Hastings

M

Marian Eastwood Wardle

M cont.

T

Tracy Allred