Snite Museum of Art facts for kids
The Snite Museum of Art in September 2013
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| Established | 1980 |
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| Location | University of Notre Dame 100 Moose Krause Circle Notre Dame, Indiana |
| Type | Art |
The Snite Museum of Art is an art museum located at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. It is close to South Bend, Indiana. The museum has more than 25,000 pieces of art. These artworks come from many different cultures and time periods. The Snite Museum is a great place for students and visitors to learn about art. It offers programs, talks, workshops, and special art shows. Students also help out by giving tours and joining the student advisory group.
Contents
History of the Museum
Before the Snite Museum opened in 1980, the University of Notre Dame did not have its own art museum. However, there were places on campus where art was shown. For example, the Wightman Memorial Art Gallery at the University Library was used for art shows as early as 1924. Later, in 1952, O'Shaughnessy Hall also got art galleries. During the 1950s, a famous sculptor from Croatia, Ivan Meštrović, worked at the university. He had his own studio there.
In 1975, the Fred B. Snite family gave money to build the Snite Museum of Art. The museum opened its doors in 1980. It included Meštrović's sculpture studio and the O'Shaughnessy art gallery. The gallery was used for art shows that traveled from other places or were only there for a short time.
The Museum Building and Its Future
The Snite Museum opened in the fall of 1980. It brought together the O'Shaughnessy Hall Galleries and the studio of sculptor Ivan Meštrović into one new building. The building is about 70,000 square feet. It was a gift from the Snite Family to remember Frederick Jr. '33.
In 2018, Ernestine Raclin and her daughter and son-in-law, Carment and Chris Murphy, gave money for a new project. They plan to build a much larger art complex. It will be about 132,000 square feet and built in two parts. The first part, called the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, will be about 70,000 square feet. It will hold the museum's art galleries and other areas. In 2019, the university chose Robert A.M. Stern Architects to design the new museum. This new museum will be easy for everyone to visit. Construction was planned to start in June 2020 and finish in 2022.
Art Collections and Highlights
The Snite Museum has many important art pieces. It is especially strong in:
- Prints
- Photography
- French paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries
- Baroque period paintings
- Decorative arts
- African art
- Olmec and Mesoamerican art (from ancient Central America)
- Native American art
- Art from the 20th century
Many of the museum's best collections came from generous gifts. Some of these include:
- The Jack and Alfrieda Feddersen Collection of Rembrandt Etchings.
- The Noah L. and Muriel S. Butkin Collection of 19th-Century French Art.
- The John D. Reilly Collection of Old Master and 19th-Century Drawings.
- The Janos Scholz Collection of 19th-Century European Photographs.
- The Mr. and Mrs. Russell G. Ashbaugh Jr. Collection of Meštrović Sculpture and Drawings.
- The George Rickey Sculpture Archive.
- The Virginia A. Martin Collection of 18th-Century Decorative Arts.
A special outdoor space for art was created thanks to a gift from Charles S. Hayes. This is the Charles B. Hayes Family Sculpture Park. It reopened in 2017. The park was designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh and covers eight acres. It is part of the Snite's permanent collection and has twelve sculptures by important artists from around the world.
The Snite Museum also has paintings by famous artists like Georgia O'Keeffe, Joan Miró, and Josef Albers. It also displays sculptures by Ivan Meštrović.
Outreach Programs
The museum offers many programs for the community throughout the year.
- It provides tours for about 7,000 school children from the area. These tours are linked to their school lessons.
- It has after-school and summer programs at the Robinson Community Learning Center.
- It runs summer art camps for children who might be at risk.
- It gives art lessons to student teachers.
- It holds workshops for local teachers from kindergarten to 12th grade.
