Utah Museum of Fine Arts facts for kids
UMFA in 2008
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| Established | May 6, 1951 |
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| Location | University of Utah Marcia & John Price Museum Building 410 Campus Center Drive Salt Lake City, Utah 84112 |
| Type | Art museum |
| Accreditation | American Alliance of Museums |
| Architect | Machado Silvetti and Prescott Muir Architects |
| Public transit access | Red Line (TRAX) University South Campus station |
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) is an art museum located in Salt Lake City, Utah. It's found on the University of Utah campus. The museum is in the Marcia and John Price Museum Building. It's close to Rice-Eccles Stadium. UMFA has a huge collection of nearly 20,000 art pieces. These artworks are shown in different exhibits throughout the year.
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Discover the Utah Museum of Fine Arts
The UMFA is a special place that has been approved by the American Alliance of Museums. Inside the building, you'll find a cafe and a store. There are also more than 20 galleries filled with art. The museum's permanent collection includes almost 20,000 works of art. These pieces come from many different cultures. You can see art from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. There are also works from ancient times.
A Look at UMFA's History
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts started small in the early 1900s. It began as an art gallery on the top floor of the University of Utah's Park Building. At first, this three-room gallery showed paintings by local artists. Over many years, the university's art department received many art gifts. Donors also asked for the gallery to become a museum.
After some updates, the university president, A. Ray Olpin, officially opened it. This happened on May 6, 1951, and it was named the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. In 1967, Frank Sanquineti became the first professional director. The museum then started to grow a lot. This growth led to the need for a brand new building.
The museum moved to a new location in 1970. Around this time, the Annual Friends of the Art Museum Acquisition Fund was created. This fund helps the museum buy more art for its collections. It also supports art education programs. Thanks to many generous people and groups, UMFA's collection now covers 5,200 years of art.
The collection grew from about 800 pieces in the mid-1900s to over 13,000. This big increase meant they needed an even larger building. Architects Machado Silvetti and Prescott Muir designed the new museum. The UMFA opened its current 70,000-square-foot building on June 2, 2001. This building is named after Marcia and John Price.
Since its second move, the UMFA has continued to grow. In 2005, the Utah State Legislature recognized UMFA as an official state institution. This showed how important the museum is for art, culture, and education in Utah. Gretchen Dietrich became the Executive Director in August 2010.
Explore the Art Collections
As of 2017, the UMFA holds nearly 20,000 art objects. These pieces come from all over the world and different time periods.
You can see European art from the 14th to the 19th centuries. Some famous artists include Filippo Lippi, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, and Thomas Gainsborough. American artists like Benjamin West and John Singer Sargent are also featured. The museum also has modern and contemporary art by artists such as Helen Frankenthaler and Yayoi Kusama. UMFA's collection is especially strong in art from India, Polynesia, and Mesoamerica.
Returning Stolen Art
In 2004, the museum found out that a painting in its collection had been stolen a long time ago. This painting, from the 18th century, was by François Boucher. It had been taken from its original owner during a difficult time in history. The museum quickly decided to do the right thing. They returned the painting to the family of its first owner. This showed the museum's strong commitment to honesty and fairness.
Fun Events and Programs
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts offers many activities for everyone. There are programs for families, adults, and children. You can also take tours of the museum.
Activities include exploring the galleries on your own. You can also try hands-on art projects. The museum hosts films, lectures, and guided tours too. Family programs often have art activities on the third Saturday of each month. Adults can enjoy painting classes, talks, and film series about art. Children's programs include special summer classes. Here, kids can learn about history while making art. There are even classes for parents and young children (ages 2–5) to learn painting and sculpting together.
Past Exhibitions to Remember
Exhibitions at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts usually change every two to three months. Here are some examples of cool shows they've had:
- Power Couples: The Pendant Format in Art (July 11, 2019 – Dec. 8, 2019). This show displayed art from the 16th century to today. It explored how art can be shown in two parts that go together.
- American and Regional Art: Mythmaking & Truth-Telling (2018 – ongoing). This exhibit looks at how American art showed the story of people moving west in the 1800s.
- The British Passion for Landscape: Masterpieces from National Museum Wales (Aug. 28 - Dec. 13 2015). This was a major show of landscape paintings from Britain. It included works by famous artists like J. M. W. Turner and Claude Monet.
- Splendid Heritage: Perspective on American Indian Art (February 10, 2009 – March 1, 2010). This exhibit showed beautiful cultural and artistic treasures. It featured 149 objects from Native American people of the Northeast and Plains.
- Monet to Picasso from the Cleveland Museum of Art (June 23 – Sept. 21 2008). This exhibit brought together famous European paintings from 100 years of art history.
- Andy Warhol's Dream America: Screen prints from the Collection of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation (Oct. 4, 2007 – Jan. 6 2008). This show featured about 100 screen prints by the well-known artist Andy Warhol.
See also
- Mormon art
