Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art facts for kids
| Established | 1982 |
|---|---|
| Location | Logan, Utah |
| Type | Art museum |
The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (NEHMA) is a cool art museum at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. It's a special place that shows modern and contemporary art. NEHMA started in 1982 with a gift of ceramic art from a kind person named Nora Eccles Harrison.
Since then, the museum has grown a lot! It now has over 5,500 art pieces. These artworks mostly focus on modern and new art from the western United States. The museum's main collection explores important art styles like Beat art, post-surrealism, Santa Fe Transcendentalism, and Bay Area Abstract Expressionism. NEHMA also shows new art that gives a peek into the lively art scenes in many cities across the Western U.S. Plus, the museum is home to the famous Vogel Collection for Utah.
Contents
Discovering the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art
How the Museum Started
Nora Eccles Harrison and her second husband, Richard Harrison, helped create the museum. They gave money to build the museum and donated over 400 ceramic art pieces. The building was designed by a famous architect named Edward Larrabee Barnes. It first opened its doors in 1982.
In the fall of 2013, the area outside the museum's entrance was updated. The NEHMA collection keeps growing. It now includes ceramics, drawings, paintings, sculptures, and multimedia art. This growth is thanks to the support of several foundations.
The Amazing Vogel Collection
In 2008, the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art received a special gift. It was from art collectors Herbert and Dorothy Vogel from New York. This gift included 50 artworks. It was part of a national program called "The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States."
This program shared 2,500 artworks from the Vogels' huge collection of over 4,000 modern and contemporary pieces. Fifty artworks went to one chosen art museum in each of the 50 states.
Why NEHMA is Important
The museum is officially recognized by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). It is also a certified Utah museum through the Utah Division of Arts and Museums. For many years, NEHMA has worked hard to collect, protect, and show modern and contemporary art.
As an art museum connected to Utah State University, it also offers educational programs. These programs are for both students and the public. Learning about art is a big part of what NEHMA does!
Exploring Past Art Exhibitions
The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art often changes its exhibits. Here are some cool examples of past shows since 2007:
- ideas: an exhibition (January 22 – May 4, 2013)
- This show came from student research in an art history class. It featured art by conceptual artists who used art to share their ideas.
- Fragments of Terror: Drawings by Jim Starrett (January 16, 2012 – June 11, 2012)
- This exhibit displayed 27 paintings and drawings by Jim Starrett. His works were described as having "cool passion" and "fiery ice." They seemed both carefully designed and full of emotion.
- Bang! Thwack! Plop! Comics: an Influence on Contemporary Art (June 14, 2011 – July 28, 2012)
- This exhibition looked at how comics and art connect. It showed how themes and styles from comics have influenced the world of visual art.
- EcoVisionaries: Designs for Living on Earth (August 31, 2010 – May 9, 2011)
- This show featured artists who cared about the environment. They used unusual materials and ideas to help reduce human impact on nature. They also worked to protect natural places.
- USES OF THE REAL: Originality, Conditional Objects, Action/Documentation, and Contemplation (January 2008 - April 2011)
- Museum staff and guest curators chose works from the museum's collection for this show. It made visitors think about the question, "What makes it art?"
- Sight & Sound: A Visual Metaphor (September 2005 – July 2008)
- This exhibit showed paintings and sculptures from the museum's collection. It explored how art and music changed a lot in the 20th century. Visitors could experience art with music to understand it better.
- Abstracting the Land: Southwest Transcendentalism (November 2007 – May 3, 2008)
- This exhibition featured art from the museum's collection. It focused on painters from New Mexico in the 1930s. These artists wanted their art to go beyond traditional landscapes or portraits.
