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Get an art education
While many flock to cities in search of impressive art museums, they don’t always think to first head to the local college campus. College-run museums are frequently free to the public, and often offer additional resources like lectures, guided tours and more.
Check out one of these 10 museums, or do some exploring of your own at your nearby university campus.
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University of Michigan Museum of Art | Ann Arbor, Michigan
Located in the heart of Ann Arbor, UMMA’s art collection is among the oldest in the nation and boasts over 20,000 objects. Spot original works by Picasso and Monet, a robust collection of African art of the 19th and 20th centuries, Chinese and Japanese works dating back to antiquity and so much more.
Enjoy family programs including story times, gallery talks, tours and a visiting writer’s series.
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Hammer Museum | Los Angeles, California
Now open for nearly 30 years, UCLA’s Hammer Museum in Los Angeles is a constant hub of activity nearly every day and night of the week. There’s a heavy emphasis on European and American art via the Armand Hammer Collection, alongside impressive rotating exhibitions from international artists (such as Judith Hopf).
From film screenings and happy hours to poetry readings and art talks, there’s never a dull moment at this incredible (and always free) art museum.
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Saint Louis University Museum of Art | St. Louis, Missouri
First opened in 2002, the Saint Louis University Museum of Art is home to an impressive permanent collection with a focus on modern and contemporary art, Asian decorative arts and artifacts from the Western Jesuit Missions.
A visit to this four-story art museum always begins with a walk through their rotating exhibitions, which in the past have included works by MC Escher, Tennessee Williams and Patricia Watwood. Afterward, spend a few hours perusing the works of Jasper Johns, Dale Chihuly, Kiki Smith and others spread across the rest of this beautiful 20th century building.
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Weisman Art Museum | Minneapolis, Minnesota
Designed by architect Frank O. Gehry (who is also responsible for the Guggenheim in Bilbao and the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, among others), it’s clear before even setting foot inside that you’ll be entering a space that truly appreciates creativity.
The Weisman Art Museum’s permanent collection is home to more than 25,000 works of art – plenty to keep any visitor busy. WAM also houses the Target Studio for Creative Collaboration, a space where artists and scholars can come together for performances, workshops, classes and exhibitions in an effort to make art even more accessible.
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Yale University Art Gallery | New Haven, Connecticut
Over 250,000 objects can be found in the Yale University Art Gallery’s seriously impressive permanent collection. These works of art represent cultures from all around the world, with departments dedicated to, among other things, the art of the ancient Americas, Indo-Pacific art, African art and American paintings and sculptures./p>
Gallery talks, teen and family programs, film screenings, multiple rotating exhibitions and more round out the experience.
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Princeton University Art Museum | Princeton, New Jersey
The Princeton University Art Museum welcomes over 200,000 visitors each year, all looking to explore their massive, world-renowned collections. In fact, Princeton boasts over 100,000 permanent objects, including breathtaking colorful mosaic pavements from Antioch-on-the-Orontes.
You’ll also find masterful Chinese calligraphy and the work of artists like photographer Naomi Savage and Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne. And if you’re unsure of where to begin or find yourself short on time, make sure to take one of their regular highlights tours, always free of charge.
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Allen Memorial Art Museum | Oberlin, Ohio
Located in Oberlin College, the Allen Memorial Art Museum has been impressing students and art lovers with their collection of now nearly 15,000 objects (13,000 of which can be viewed online) since 1917.
Here you’ll find a heavy emphasis on European and American sculpture and art, but also Pre-Columbian and African art, as well as Asian paintings and scrolls. Make sure to drop in for Tuesday Tea Talks, Sunday Object Talks, and free evening programs on the first Thursday of the month.
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Williams College Museum of Art | Williamstown, Massachusetts
The historic Williams College in Massachusetts is where you’ll find this next impressive art museum. Outside, you’ll find the quirky Eyes (Nine Elements) sculpture by Louise Bourgeois, as well as other public works, welcoming you.
Inside, however, you’ll discover more than 15,000 permanent objects from Egypt, India, the Americas and beyond, including works by Robert Rauschenberg, Diane Arbus and more.
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Brigham Young University Museum of Art | Provo, Utah
BYU’s 102,000-square-foot, four-story art museum is truly a sight to behold against the mountains of Provo, Utah. Among the most notable items housed within the collection are over two dozen Rembrandt etchings, plus works by Maynard Dixon, Minerva Teichert, Dorothea Lange and Albrecht Durer.
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Cantor Arts Center | Stanford, California
Over 38,000 works of art can all be found within Stanford’s own Cantor Arts Center – a Bay Area fixture since the late 1800s. Cantor hosts 15 special exhibitions annually, meaning there’s always something new on view. But if that isn’t enough, touring their 24 galleries, attending film and art events, or participating in their family programs just might do the trick.
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