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.
|
|
| Established | 1999 |
|---|---|
| Location | Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Type | Art Museum |
The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at the University of Virginia is a very special museum. It holds one of the best collections of Indigenous Australian art in the world. In fact, it is the only museum outside Australia completely focused on this amazing art. The museum has many important paintings from the Papunya Tula movement and artists from Arnhem Land.
The collection includes more than 2,000 artworks. These pieces are made from different materials, like bark and acrylic paintings. You can also see sculptures, photographs, prints, and other cultural objects. The director of the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection is anthropologist Margo Smith. She is an expert in people and cultures.
The museum is located at Pantops Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia. This property once belonged to Thomas Jefferson.
Contents
History of the Kluge-Ruhe Collection
How the Collection Started
The Kluge-Ruhe Collection is named after two American men. They are John W. Kluge and Edward L. Ruhe. Both of them loved and collected Aboriginal art.
John Kluge was a successful media businessman. He first saw Aboriginal art in 1988 at an exhibition in New York City. He was very impressed by the art. Starting in 1989, he visited Australia many times. He hired experts to help him and collected over 600 artworks.
In 1993, Kluge bought another large collection. This was the art collected by Edward L. Ruhe. Ruhe was an English 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.
Donating the Art to the University
After buying Ruhe's collection, John Kluge kept collecting more Aboriginal art. He decided that his amazing collection would be best used at a university. This way, students and researchers could study it. He gave his entire collection to the University of Virginia in 1997. The museum then opened in its current location in 1999.
History of the Museum Building
The land where the Kluge-Ruhe Collection stands has a long history. It was originally home to the Monacan Indian Nation. They lived on and took care of the land and its waters.
In 1746, Peter Jefferson, who was Thomas Jefferson's father, bought land east of Charlottesville. This land included the museum's current 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 named Benjamin Charles Baker. Baker built the house that is now the museum. The building changed owners several times. In 1998, Eugene and Ann Worrell gave the building back to the University of Virginia. They wanted it to help with the university's learning goals.
What the Museum Does
The Kluge-Ruhe Collection has an important goal. It wants to share knowledge and understanding of Indigenous Australian art and culture. This helps people appreciate how diverse and creative humans are.
A main goal of the museum is to work closely with Indigenous people from Australia. They want to build strong relationships to make a bigger impact. Each year, the museum hosts more than 20 Indigenous artists and leaders. These visitors share their knowledge and culture.
Because the museum is so far from Australia, it values the voices of Indigenous artists and leaders. They are seen as the true experts on their art and culture. The museum has hosted many famous visiting artists. Some of them include 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 program that brings these artists to the museum has been supported by the Australia Council for the Arts since 2012.
See also
