Fleming Museum of Art facts for kids
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| Former name | Robert Hull Fleming Museum |
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| Established | 1931 |
| Location | 61 Colchester Avenue Burlington, Vermont |
| Type | Art museum |
| Owner | University of Vermont |
The Fleming Museum of Art is a cool museum of art and anthropology at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. Anthropology is the study of human societies and cultures. The museum has about 24,000 amazing objects. These come from many different times and places around the world. It's a popular spot for students, other colleges, and everyone in the community.
Contents
A Look Back: The Museum's Story
The University of Vermont started collecting interesting things way back in 1826. A group of professors and others created the College of Natural History. They wanted to gather knowledge about nature. Their first collections included things like fossils, stuffed birds, a sperm whale tooth, and even an old cannon ball!
The collection grew so big it needed more space! It moved to Torrey Hall in 1862. Later, a third floor was added just for fine art. This new space was called the Park Gallery of Fine Arts.
How the Museum Got Its Name
The modern Fleming Museum of Art began in 1929. Katherine Wolcott, an artist, came to Burlington. She was the niece of Robert Hull Fleming. He was a rich grain merchant and a University of Vermont graduate. Katherine wanted to honor her uncle.
She met with the university president. He suggested building a new museum in her uncle's memory. Katherine liked the idea! She donated $150,000 to build the Fleming Museum. Soon after, James B. Wilbur also gave a large gift. He donated $100,000 and his huge collection of books. These books and papers were about Vermont's history.
These gifts helped pay for the museum's construction. Katherine Wolcott also gave another $150,000 for an endowment. An endowment is money set aside to help the museum run forever. The museum officially opened in 1931.
A Museum for Everyone
The University of Vermont was one of the first to have a room just for kids. The museum really focused on helping the community. They offered free movies, talks, and workshops every Saturday. They also had exhibits that traveled to schools. Even adults could take evening classes. In the mid-1930s, about 25,000 to 30,000 people visited the museum each year. This was a lot, since Burlington's population was only about 27,000!
The museum also helped the university grow. The university's studio art and art history departments started at the Fleming Museum. In the 1950s, the museum changed its main focus to become an art museum. Many of the original "cabinet of curiosities" items were moved. A cabinet of curiosities was a collection of strange and interesting objects. This made space for new art pieces.
The museum had a big renovation in 1984. It cost $1.4 million. Until 2014, the museum was known as the Robert Hull Fleming Museum.
Amazing Collections to Explore
The Fleming Museum has many different collections. Each one is full of fascinating objects!
- African Art. This collection mainly features sculptures from West and Central Africa. You can see old pieces like a Queen Mother sculpture head from Benin (from the 1700s). There are also Ashanti gold weights and a Mende sowo mask. More recent works include a telephone-wire basket from South Africa.
- American Art. This collection focuses on American art from the 1800s and 1900s. It includes landscapes, prints, drawings, and photographs. You can also see early Rookwood pottery and Vermont wedding gowns. Many works are by Vermont artists. Famous artists like Andy Warhol and Winslow Homer are also represented.
- Ancient Art and Archaeology. This collection has objects from very old times. You can find artifacts from Ancient Egypt, the Near East, and the Mediterranean. There are also prehistoric items from Vermont. A cool piece is an Assyrian bas-relief from a palace, about 3,000 years old! Other items include Sumerian cuneiform tablets and Greek pottery. There's even a late Dynastic mummy and coffin!
- Asian Art. The Asian collection includes many objects. You can see Shang Dynasty bronze vessels and Tang Dynasty Tomb figures from China. There are also Korean ceramics and Japanese lacquerware. A special part of the Japanese collection is a complete set of Hiroshige's Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō prints.
- European Art. This collection has many European works. It highlights paintings and prints from Northern Europe from the 1500s and 1600s. There are also British portraits from the 1700s. The museum has a full copy of the Description de l'Égypte. This huge book set was made after Napoleon's trip to Egypt. Some of the oldest items are 13th-century illuminated manuscripts. These are beautiful handwritten books with drawings.
- Native American Art. This collection is in the James B. Petersen Gallery. It has about 2,000 objects from North and South America. These items date back to around 800 CE. You can see beadwork and quillwork from the Northern Plains. There are also Southwestern ceramics, baskets, and textiles. The collection includes masks and carvings from the Pacific Northwest Coast. A special item is the "Colchester Jar." This ceramic pot is from around 1500 and was found in Vermont.
- Oceanic Art. This collection has artifacts from Oceania. These include objects from New Guinea, Easter Island, Samoa, and aboriginal Australia. Interesting pieces include Tatanua ceremonial masks from New Ireland. There is also a Trobriand shield and modern Aboriginal paintings.
- Pre-Columbian Art. The museum has many artifacts from the pre-Columbian era. This is the time before Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas. The collection includes textiles, stone carvings, and ceramics. You can see jars, bowls, and effigies (sculptures) of humans and animals.
The Museum's Architecture
The Fleming Museum building was designed by William Mitchell Kendall. He was from a famous New York City architectural firm called McKim, Mead & White. This firm also designed other buildings at the University of Vermont. The museum building is a great example of Colonial Revival architecture. It has red bricks and white wood trim. You can see cool architectural parts like pediments (triangular tops over doors) and columns.
Inside the Museum: Special Spaces
The Marble Court was the museum's first entrance. It has a two-story central courtyard. There are columns supporting a balcony on the second floor. Katherine Wolcott, the museum's first helper, had the idea for this space. She drew a sketch based on another museum she liked. The Marble Court uses beautiful marble from Italy, France, and Vermont. This marble is used for the grand staircase, columns, and floors.
Another important space is the Wilbur Room. It has walnut wall paneling. The white plaster ceiling has a special groin-vaulted shape. It also has decorative scrolls with names like Ethan Allen. These are names of people important to Vermont's early history. The room also has a huge brass chandelier. The Wilbur Room is named after James B. Wilbur, who helped fund the museum. This room used to hold Wilbur's collection of historical papers.
Modern Updates
In 1984, the museum had big renovations. The entrance was moved from the front to the back of the building. This made it easier for everyone to get in, improving accessibility. New additions included a climate control system. This system helps keep the art safe. There were also new display cases, a new reception area, and a museum store. The gallery floor plan was changed to make exhibition space more flexible.
