The University Museum of Contemporary Art: Celebrating 50 Years of Art on Campus

Content

Located on the lower level of the Fine Arts Center, is the University Museum of Contemporary Art, a multidisciplinary teaching museum that holds 4,000 pieces of art. The museum holds rotating exhibitions, boasts a large permanent collection, and hosts educational programs to showcase its expansive collection. Admission to the museum is always free.

University Museum of Contemporary Art Celebrates 50 Years of Artistic Legacy

Beginning in Fall 2025 and continuing through Spring 2026, the museum will celebrate its 50th anniversary. The celebration will highlight the legacy of the Fine Arts Center as a whole and shine a spotlight on the museum’s future. The Fine Arts Center was built in 1975, but individuals began collecting art for the museum in 1962. Eventually, the collection of art grew to be too large to not have a space for it to be stored and displayed, so the collection became what we know today as the University Museum of Contemporary Art. To celebrate the anniversary, the museum invited Camille Turner, a Canadian-born artist, to be in residence and create a special project to highlight the 50 years. The pieces she creates will be displayed in the Spring.

Image

The museum aims to act as a space where celebrated and emerging artists can explore their discipline and display their works of art to a unique audience consisting of university students, the local community, and visiting guests. 

Image

Currently on display from February 14th to May 9th, are 100 drawings by Laylah Ali and the collection is titled Is anything the matter? The drawings date from 1993 to 2020 and were created using a mix of formats - including ink, pencil, crayon, marker, and other mixed media. This exhibit occupies the Main and West galleries of the museum and is joined by the interactive exhibition High Five/ Take Five in the adjacent room. This collection showcases pieces that are accompanied by prompts that are intended to activate the viewer’s senses. 

Engaging Exhibits and Unique Opportunities at the UMCA

The museum also hosts a variety of exhibits, with some collections curated by students enrolled in Collecting 101—a 1-credit course where students research, select, and purchase art for the museum’s permanent collection. Open to students of all majors, the course aims to inspire curiosity and engagement in the creative process. Currently, it is focused on increasing the representation of works created by women and People of Color.

The museum is open Tuesday–Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. On the first Thursday of every month, it remains open until 8:00 p.m. for 'Mindfulness at the Museum,' an event where attendees can draw and take part in a 30-minute mindfulness session led by artist and writer Mike Medeiros.

Admission to the museum is always free, so don't miss the chance to visit!

The museum is a wonderful place we are lucky enough to have right on campus. The staff at the museum curates each exhibit and event to show visitors how art can connect across any discipline and bring people together. If you are interested in what the museum has to offer, be sure to check out the upcoming events and exhibitions.