Museum as classroom

The University of Virginia Art Museum is now at the center of the Arts and academic enterprise at the University. Core to its mission are the following: bringing the very best in art to the University of Virginia, increasing access to collections, providing new opportunities for research, and engaging the diverse communities we serve. What has traditionally been viewed by museums as "behind the scenes" facilities are now at the center of the U.Va Art Museum's programming for students, faculty, visiting scholars and the local community. In effect, we have turned the whole Museum into an innovative classroom experience. The Museum, as a space for intellectual inquiry now features three new areas of on-sight storage including Painting Storage, the Print Study Gallery, and the Object Study Gallery. Exhibitions are no longer viewed as the definitive statement on a subject, rather, they are seen as the starting point for students, faculty and others to generate new investigations about the objects and themes presented in the exhibition. My hope is that you visit the Museum and use these new spaces to discover world cultures and create new ideas through hands-on work with our collections.

—Bruce Boucher, Director

---

Eyes on Art

A new pilot program with the Alzheimer's Association, creates opportunities for individuals with Alzheimer's to explore the Museum.

Our partnership with the Alzheimer's Art Project of the Central and Western Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association uses art to engage people with Alzheimer's in meaningful discussions. Specially trained docents lead the individuals with Alzheimer's on small-group tours when the museum is closed to the public. The tours, which also include family members and care givers, typically focus on paintings that encourage group dialogue and personal communication.

Eyes on Art is supported by Jo Rowan, Lisa Milbank, and Caspari, Inc. The Alzheimer's Art Project is sponsored by the blue moon fund.

“Working with the Eyes on Art program is a truly inspiring experience; each time we give a tour, everyone involved seems to benefit in some way.”

— Sharon Celsor-Hughes, UVaM Docent Coordinator

“The program is designed to provide quality-of-life experiences through engagement with the museum's artwork. We are thrilled to work with Charlottesville's local Alzheimer's Association to bring art therapy to a special sector of our community. Research has demonstrated that looking at art elevates the mood of those suffering from Alzheimer's and their caregivers. This program embraces the museum's mission of outreach to the community in a special and rewarding way.”

— Bruce Boucher, Director U.Va. Art Museum

---

Alfred Stieglitz, Gallery 291 & Georgia O'Keeffe
Nature, Art, and Abstraction

Georgia O'Keeffe's Red Hills, Lake George is on view this fall at the U.Va. Art Museum. This important loan from The Phillips Collection continues the special the University has developed with this Washington DC art institution. Academic programming related to this loan includes the exhibition Alfred Stieglitz, Gallery 291 and Georgia O'Keeffe: Nature, Art and Abstraction curated by Elizabeth Hutton Turner's fall seminar on American modernism.

Visit exhibition site >