Museum History

 

 

ASU Art Museum was founded in 1950 with a significant gift of American and Mexican art works purchased by Oliver B. James, a local lawyer. James donated 149 works of art over five years. Originally, the art was installed among the stacks of books in the Matthews Library. When the Hayden Library was completed in 1965, the books were removed and the art remained.

Beginning with one gallery, the space gradually increased and by 1978 the museum occupied the entire second floor of the Matthews Center, with 10,000 square feet of exhibition space. Due to the prohibitively high cost of adding to the historical American painting collection, the museum expanded the collection through prints and a significant American craft collection. The ceramic collection increased dramatically in 1977 when a National Endowment for the Arts matching grant was awarded to the museum for the purchase of contemporary American ceramics. Ongoing gifts by collectors and supporters have greatly enhanced the collection and the museum now has one of the largest contemporary American and British ceramic collections in the United States.

In April 1989, ASU Art Museum opened additional space within the newly constructed Nelson Fine Arts Center. The new museum facility includes five large galleries, storage and processing areas and administrative offices. The staff nearly doubled with the addition of a curator of education, a print collection manager and more office and security personnel.

With the arrival of Marilyn A. Zeitlin as the new director in 1992, came a commitment to new approaches in exhibitions and collections. Traditional art forms are not precluded, but opportunities are sought to address the theoretical issues of more traditional work while promoting the investigation of new viewpoints. The craft and print areas remain an important part of the museum’s holdings. More emphasis has been given to contemporary artists, both regional and international, and to Latin American art. The museum continues to be housed in two facilities: the Nelson Fine Arts Center and the new Ceramics Research Center, which opened to the public in March 2002.

The Nelson Fine Arts Center, at the west edge of campus, is a landmark building by architect Antoine Predock. It serves as the primary museum exhibition space. The Ceramics Research Center is situated just north of the Nelson Fine Arts Center in Tempe Center.

Today, the museum continues to grow through the enhancement of its collections, innovative approaches to educational programs, scope of exhibitions, efforts to reach new audiences, the addition of key education and fund-raising staff and expanded community representation on the ASU Art Museum Advisory Board.

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