Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art facts for kids

The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art is a cool place to visit! It's a museum located on the main campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). It first opened its doors in 1967.

When it started, the museum was called the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History. It focused on the plants, animals, and environment of Nevada and the Southwestern United States. In December 2011, the Barrick Museum became part of the UNLV College of Fine Arts. It's now a main part of the Galleries at UNLV, which include several other art spaces.

A Look Back: The Museum's History

How the Museum Started

The idea for a natural history museum at UNLV began with a collection of items from the Desert Research Institute (DRI). This institute is a research center for the Nevada university system. In September 1967, DRI opened a small museum near the university.

This first museum was led by an archaeologist named Richard H. Brooks. He was a professor at the university and a researcher for DRI. The museum showed off local desert animals and old Native American objects.

Growing and Moving

In 1969, UNLV took over running the museum from DRI. Richard Brooks stayed on as director. During his time, the museum got more funding and added new exhibits. A big moment happened in 1979 when a private collection of pre-Columbian art was given to the museum. This art came from Mannetta Braunstein, a former UNLV student, and her husband Michael. These pieces helped the museum grow its collection of art and objects from ancient cultures in Central and South America.

In the late 1970s, the museum started moving to a new building on the UNLV campus. This building used to be the university's gym! The museum officially opened in its new spot in 1981. More changes and additions were made later, including a research lab wing in 1994.

New Leadership and a New Name

Richard Brooks left in 1981. The new director was Donald Baepler, who had been UNLV's president before. He helped the museum become part of UNLV's Harry Reid Environmental Research Center. Baepler retired in 2004.

In 1989, the museum was renamed to honor Marjorie Barrick. She was a generous person who gave a lot of money to the university. In 1980, she gave UNLV about $1.2 million to fund a series of public talks. Famous people like Jimmy Carter and Mikhail Gorbachev have spoken at these Barrick Lecture Series events.

Becoming an Art Museum

In 2011, the Barrick Museum closed for a big change. It stopped being connected to the Harry Reid Center and became part of UNLV's College of Fine Arts. It reopened in 2012 as a contemporary art museum. This meant it would focus on modern art. The museum went through major renovations to change how people could experience the art.

When the Las Vegas Art Museum closed in 2009, its art collection needed a new home. In 2012, this collection moved to the newly renovated Barrick Museum. This was part of a partnership between the two museums.

In 2017, the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art celebrated its 50th birthday! Under the direction of Alisha Kerlin, the museum officially added "of Art" to its name.

Since 2017, the Barrick Museum has worked with the Clark County School District. They help K-12 students visit the museum, often making it their first museum experience. In 2020, the museum also partnered with the Las Vegas Womxn of Color Arts Festival. This group helps Black, Indigenous, and People of Color artists in Southern Nevada get more chances to show their work.

Today, the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art is the only art museum in Las Vegas.

Amazing Collections at the Museum

The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art has several cool collections:

• The Barrick Art Collection
  • This collection mostly includes art by artists who have connections to the Las Vegas area. It shows the history of art created in and inspired by Southern Nevada.

• The Barrick Cultural Collection
  • This collection started in 1969. It has cultural objects from the American Southwest and Mesoamerica (like ancient Mexico and Central America). The Pre-Columbian collection began in 1979 with a gift from Dr. Michael C. and Mannetta Braunstein.
  • Today, this collection includes many Pre-Columbian objects from almost every ancient culture in Latin America. It also has Mexican dance masks, religious paintings called retablos, and textiles (woven fabrics) from Guatemala, Bolivia, and the Navajo people. You can also see Paiute and Hopi baskets, and Navajo jewelry. These collections are great for learning about different cultures and history.

• The LVAM Collection
  • This collection includes works by artists from around the world, like Llyn Foulkes and William T. Wiley. It also has many pieces by artists who graduated from UNLV.

• The Vogel Collection
  • The Barrick Museum is home to the Dorothy and Herbert Vogel 50x50 Collection. In 2010, UNLV received 50 modern art pieces from these collectors.
  • Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and his wife Dorothy, a librarian, started collecting art in 1962. They used all of Herb's salary to buy art. Over a few decades, they collected about 4,000 artworks! They decided to give 50 artworks to one art institution in each of the 50 states. This project was called Vogel 50x50. The collection at the Barrick includes art by famous artists like Lynda Benglis and Richard Tuttle.

Past Exhibitions

The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art has hosted many interesting exhibitions over the years. Here are some of them:

• 2020
  • Lance L. Smith: In the Interest of Action
  • FUTURE RELICS: Artifacts for a New World
  • Yerman: Peaks & Valleys
  • Excerpts: Works from the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art
  • Nevada Touring Initiative Exhibition: Still Here Now
  • Ashley Hairston Doughty: Kept to Myself
  • The Other Side of Paradise
  • Mikayla Whitmore: Between a Rock and a Cliff

• 2019
  • Stars on the Ground: Works by John Torreano
  • Connective Tissue by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya
  • Zet Gold: On My Mountain
  • Dry Wit
  • Justin Favela and Ramiro Gomez: Sorry for the Mess
  • Human Contact, curated by Samantha Castle
  • Tiger and The Eternal Struggle
  • Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano L.A.

• 2018
  • Jubilation Inflation
  • Soundscapes
  • Art in Context
  • Andrew Schoultz: In Process: Every Movement Counts
  • Exhibition: Identity Tapestry
  • Exhibition: VESSEL: Ceramics of Ancient West Mexico
  • Exhibition: Plural

• 2017
  • Peripheral Flood Control Structures of Las Vegas
  • Preservation
  • liminal
  • Tested Ground
  • Casey Roberts
  • Astronomy of the Asphalt Ecliptic
  • Play On Gary, Play On
  • Josh Azzarella Screenings
  • Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here
  • Process, curated by Matthew Gardocki
  • Masking, curated by Karen Roop

• 2016
  • Edward Burtynsky: Oil
  • In Transition: Female Figurines from the Michael C. and Mannetta Braunstein Collection
  • Showing the Need for Connection
  • Five
  • Ellsworth Kelly
  • Unseen Selections from LVAM
  • Teaching Gallery Staff Picks

• 2015
  • Break Ups & Tear Downs
  • Style Moderne: Art Glass from the Ruth and Mel Wolzinger Collection
  • Recent Acquisitions
  • The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection
  • David Sanchez Burr: Citizen Speak
  • Deborah Aschheim: Kennedy Obsession
  • John Millei: If 6 Turned Out To Be 9, Selected Work

• 2014
  • Reflecting & Projecting: 20 Years of Design Excellence
  • Yesterday & Today
  • Panorama
  • Panorama+ Sesquicentennial Celebration of Nevada: Further Selections from the Nevada Arts Council's Artist Fellowship Program
  • Jerry Lewis: Painted Pictures
  • Sound & Video Installation: Derivative Presence by Yasmina Chavez & Javier Sanchez
  • Private/Public: Images of Devotion from 19th and Early 20th Century Mexico Opening
  • Art for Art's Sake: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation

• 2013
  • Passage to the Future: Art from a New Generation in Japan
  • The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection
  • The Kent Bicentennial Portfolio: Spirit of Independence
  • Pre-Columbian Sacrifice: The Burden of the Elite

Museum Facilities

The museum has a few key areas:

• Marjorie Barrick Museum Auditorium
• Marjorie Barrick Museum Exhibition Hall