Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection facts for kids
The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection is housed in a historic home in the Pantops region of Charlottesville.
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| Established | 1999 |
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| Location | Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Type | Art Museum |
The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at the University of Virginia is a special museum. It has one of the best collections of Indigenous Australian art in the world. In fact, it's the only museum outside Australia that focuses only on this type of art!
You can see over 2000 amazing artworks here. These include paintings on bark and canvas, sculptures, photos, and other cool objects. The museum is led by Dr. Margo Smith AM, who studies different cultures.
The museum building is in Charlottesville, Virginia. It's on land called Pantops Farm, which used to belong to Thomas Jefferson.
Contents
How the Collection Started
The Kluge-Ruhe Collection is named after two American men. They were John Kluge, a businessman, and Edward L. Ruhe, an English professor. These two men collected most of the art you see today.
John Kluge's Journey to Art
In 1988, John Kluge saw an amazing art show in New York City. It was called Dreamings: The Art of Aboriginal Australia. He was so impressed by the art that he started collecting it himself.
Starting in 1989, he visited Australia many times. He hired art experts to help him. He bought or asked artists to create over 600 artworks.
Edward Ruhe's Early Collection
In 1993, Kluge bought another collection. It belonged to Edward L. Ruhe, who had passed away. Ruhe was a professor at the University of Kansas. He started collecting Aboriginal art in 1965 while he was in Australia.
Ruhe was the first person to show a private collection of Aboriginal art in the United States. His collection traveled to more than twenty places between 1966 and 1977.
Bringing the Art to the University
After buying Ruhe's collection, Kluge kept collecting more art. He decided his amazing collection would be best at a university. This way, students and researchers could study it. In 1997, he gave his collection to the University of Virginia. The museum opened in its current spot in 1999.
The Museum Building's Story
The land where the Kluge-Ruhe Collection stands has a long history. It was once home to the Monacan Indian Nation. They lived on and cared for the land and water in this area.
In 1746, Peter Jefferson, who was Thomas Jefferson's father, bought land east of Charlottesville. This land included the museum's location. Thomas Jefferson later inherited the land. He named it Pantops, which means "all-seeing." He sold the property in 1815.
In 1938, James Cheek bought the property. He hired a skilled architect, Benjamin Charles Baker. Baker built the house you see today, which is in a colonial revival style. The building changed owners a few times. In 1998, Eugene and Ann Worrell gave the building back to the University. They wanted it to help with the university's learning goals.
What the Museum Does
The Kluge-Ruhe Collection wants to help people learn more about Indigenous Australian art and culture. They hope this will help everyone appreciate how diverse and creative humans are.
A big goal for the museum is to work closely with Indigenous people from Australia. They want to build strong relationships. This helps them understand the art better and share it with more people.
Visiting Artists and Leaders
Each year, the museum hosts more than 20 Indigenous artists and leaders. These visitors are experts on their own art and culture. Since the museum is so far from Australia, they value these voices greatly.
Many famous artists have visited, including Judy Watson, Reko Rennie, Nici Cumpston, Djambawa Marawili, Vernon Ah Kee, David Bosun, Ricardo Idagi, Janet Fieldhouse, Yhonnie Scarce, Jason Wing, Ricky Maynard, James Tylor, Jenni Kemarre Martiniello, Carol McGregor, Kent Morris, Raymond Bulambula, and Mrs Gorriyindi. The Australia Council for the Arts has helped fund this program since 2012.
