Tucson Museum of Art facts for kids
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| Established | 1924 |
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| Location | 140 N. Main Street Tucson, Arizona |
| Type | Art museum |
The Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block (TMA) is a cool art museum and a place where you can learn about art. It's located in downtown Tucson, Arizona. The museum covers a big area, about four acres, which is like four football fields! It has a modern main building and also old homes from the 1800s. These old homes are now used for a restaurant, a pottery school, and more art galleries.
The museum usually has many different art shows at the same time. These shows include art from all over the world, special shows put together by the museum, and art from their own huge collection. The museum has over 8,000 pieces of art! This art includes modern and contemporary art (art from today), art from Latin America, art from the American West and Native American artists, and Asian art.
Since it started in 1924, the museum has been a place for people to learn about art. They have staff and volunteers called docents who teach and run fun art programs.
The museum also has beautiful outdoor spaces where they hold many events. You can find artisan markets, festivals, live shows, and even a yearly Día de los Muertos celebration. There's a special area called Creative Space, which is an interactive place just for kids and families. You can also find Cafe a la C'Art, a restaurant that has been called one of the best museum restaurants in the United States! And don't forget the Museum Store, where you can find unique art and crafts made by local artists.
In 2015, the Tucson Museum of Art was named one of the best Western Art Museums in the United States by True West magazine.
Contents
Museum History
The Tucson Museum of Art started on March 20, 1924. It was first called the Tucson Fine Arts Association (TFAA). It was created by members of the Tucson Women's Club and 50 other people from Tucson. At first, it was a small gallery and a place for monthly talks.
In 1927, the group moved to a new building called the Temple of Music and Art. Their art shows grew bigger. In 1941, they had a show called Southwestern Oils with famous artist Maynard Dixon. This show hinted that the group would soon become a major art museum.
In 1947, local artists and craftspeople put on a show called A New Look at Art. This was the city's first art show where anyone could enter their work. It brought in over 7,400 visitors!
In 1950, they started the Craft Show, which later became the Arizona Biennial. This is now the longest-running art show in Arizona that happens every two years.
Growing the Art Collection
In 1967, the museum started its permanent art collection. They received many important donations. These gifts included amazing collections of pre-Columbian art (art from before Columbus arrived), Spanish Colonial art, and Western American art.
One of the biggest donations was from Frederick R. Pleasants. His pre-Columbian collection has almost 600 objects. These include jewelry, special pots, small statues, masks, and textiles. These pieces show about 3,000 years of history from different cultures in places like Mexico, Central America, and South America.
The Main Museum Building
The main museum building opened on May 1, 1975. It was designed by Andy Anderson. The first show there was called Tucson Collects. It featured art borrowed from 43 different people in Tucson. This show included art from 2,000 years ago all the way to paintings by famous artists like Picasso, Renoir, and Monet. In its first year, the museum had 50,000 visitors!
The main galleries in the Tucson Museum are designed in a special way. They are like an open spiral that goes downwards around a central "well." This design is a bit like the famous Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
The museum often creates its own unique art shows. They use art from local collections, local artists, and regional history. They also host traveling art shows from other places. In 2014-2015, a show called The Figure Examined broke attendance records. More than 30,000 people came to see it! This show featured works by very famous artists like Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin, and Henri Matisse.
Art Collections
The museum's permanent collection has more than 8,000 objects. These are divided into different areas: modern and contemporary art, Latin American art, Western and Native American art, and Asian art.
Latin American Art
The Latin American collection includes pre-Columbian art. This art was made by Native Americans before the Spanish arrived in the 1500s. Some pieces are very old, dating back to 500 BC. Examples include the Stela from Central Mexico and the Feline Head Fragment from Peru.
Modern and Contemporary Art
The museum started collecting modern art in the early 1970s. A big donation from Lawrence J. Heller added works by European and American modern artists like Marsden Hartley and Max Weber.
The contemporary collection has art by artists like Chuck Close, Jasper Johns, and James Turrell. It also includes works by modern artists from Arizona, such as Barbara Rogers and James Pringle Cook.
Art of the American West
The Art of the American West Collection began in the 1980s. It has art from the last 200 years. You can see works by Native American artists like Maria Poveka Martinez and Fritz Scholder. There are also paintings by famous Western artists from the late 1800s and early 1900s, such as Charles Marion Russell and Maynard Dixon. Plus, you'll find art by modern Western artists like Howard Post.
Research Library
The museum has a Research Library with over 13,000 books and other materials. You can't check out books, but you can read them there. The library has art magazines, museum publications, and information about visual arts and Arizona artists.
It also has materials about the museum's history, the Presidio San Augustin del Tucson (the historic area), and different types of art like American West art, Latin American art, modern art, and Asian art. The library can help you find information for your art projects or research.
The Research Library also has some very old and rare books. For example, it has early research on Native American, African, and pre-Columbian art. It also has copies of ancient pre-Columbian books called codices.
