Arizona is world-renowned for its rich Western and Native American artistic heritage, but there’s a hidden gem in northern Arizona that wants to bring your attention to what’s happening in the world of contemporary art. Northern Arizona University’s Art Museum opened in 1989, largely in order to house the eclectic Marguerite Hettel Weiss Collection. When Dr. George Speer was hired as the museum’s director in 2008, he wanted to take the museum in a “separate, distinct and valuable direction uncharacteristic of what you find in other parts of the state.” In other words, George wants to challenge your perceptions of contemporary art – and art in general.
Now, the museum presents four major exhibitions a year, each one curated to cause viewers to consider cultural and political resonances in art, says George. NAU faculty will frequently bring students to the museum as part of classroom curriculum, as do teachers from schools across northern Arizona. “Above all, we are an education resource for the campus and the community,” says George.
Students and scholars also benefit from the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation Study Collection, which includes more than 200 works of Asian art available for physical examination. “As far as I know, it’s without precedent around the state for students to have this kind of gloves-off, hands-on opportunity,” says George. “Even beyond the state, it’s very rare.”
The public is also welcome to visit the two-floor, four-gallery space. The museum’s permanent collection contains approximately 1,800 works of art. Spring exhibitions include the post-industrial ceramic sculptures of Todd Volz and the illustrations of Cyrus Leroy Baldridge. This summer, the Arizona chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union will bring its traveling exhibit, In This Together, to the museum in conjunction with the chapter’s 60th anniversary. Check the museum’s website for dates and information.
MORE ART GALLERIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA: Shows, exhibitions and happenings
