ICA - Boston - Massachusetts - U.S.A.

.

Founded in 1936 as The Boston Museum of Modern Art, the museum was conceived as a laboratory where innovative approaches to art could be championed. In pursuit of this mission, in its early days, the museum established its reputation for identifying important new artists and changed its name a final time to become the Institute of Contemporary Art in 1948.

 

For more than a half century, the ICA has presented contemporary art in all media—visual arts, film, and video, performance and literature—and created educational programs that encourage an appreciation for contemporary culture.  As the ICA’s reputation grew around the nation, it paved the way for institutes and museums of “contemporary art” as well as artists’ spaces and alternative venues. In particular, the ICA led the field in its pioneering support of video art and new media. At the close of the 1990s, several innovative programs strengthened the ICA’s public role, including the teen filmmaking program Fast Forward, where participants become the producers of their own documentaries, and ICA/Vita Brevis, whose temporary installations throughout public spaces in Boston draw critical and popular acclaim.

 

Throughout the ICA’s history it has been at the fore in identifying and supporting the most important artists of its time and bringing them to public attention.  Among the artists whose work was introduced to U.S. audiences by the ICA are Cubist Georges Braque, Expressionist Oskar Kokoschka and Edvard Munch. Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Laurie Anderson, and Roy Lichtenstein were each the subject of ICA presentations early in their careers. And more recently, The ICA was pivotal in the museum exhibition careers of Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Carol Rama, Vanessa Beecroft, Kara Walker, Cildo Meireles, Ellen Gallagher, Tony Oursler, Cindy Sherman, Bill Viola, Rachel Whiteread, Janine Antoni, and Cornelia Parker.   

 

Website & source

 

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

 

 

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - Boston - Massachusetts - U.S.A.

.
Visitors to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum are greeted by the visual splendor of the courtyard garden and surrounding galleries—a feast for the senses. The Museum was designed as a work of art in totality

True to the ambitious vision of its founder and her spirit of creative risk-taking, the mission of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is:

to bring to life and preserve the rich historic collection;

to cultivate talent in the pursuit of knowledge and acts of creation in the arts and humanities;

to support artists, landscape architects, musicians, scholars and students; and

to engage local and global audiences in a sanctuary of beauty and the arts where deeply personal and communal adventures unfold.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Bolinas Museum - Bolinas - California - U.S.A.

.
Founded in 1983, the Bolinas Museum is the premier fine arts museum in Marin County. Visitors are surprised to find a museum of this caliber in such a country setting. The beauty of the area and its proximity to the metropolitan Bay Area has always attracted highly creative people to coastal Marin communities. The Museum reflects regional interests and  the remarkably rich talent pool of artists from Coastal Marin, while stimulating the appreciation of visitors from all over the world.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Indiana University Art Museum - Bloomington -Indiana - U.S.A.

.
Since its establishment in 1941, the IU Art Museum has grown from a small university teaching collection into one of the foremost university art museums in the country. Today, the IU Art Museum's internationally acclaimed collection, ranging from ancient gold jewelry and African masks to paintings by Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso, includes over 45,000 objects representing nearly every art-producing culture throughout history.
This website is intended to serve as your guide to accessing the museum, including introducing you to many of the most important objects on display in the permanent collection galleries, providing information about how to view collections in storage, guiding you to museum research and resources, and engaging you with lively, interactive web modules designed for visitors of all ages, from pre-K to seniors.
Our vision is to enrich the lives of all our visitors with our unique and diverse collection of the world’s great art. We hope you enjoy your visit to this website—but more so, we hope you are encouraged to visit the museum, where you can experience this wonderful resource the way it is best appreciated, in person, in the original.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Birmingham Museum of Art - Birmingham - Alabama - U.S.A.

.
Founded in 1951, the Birmingham Museum of Art has one of the finest collections in the Southeast supported by a strong educational program designed to make the arts come alive for children and adults throughout the region. More than 25,000 objects represent a rich panorama of cultures, including Asian, European, American, African, Pre-Columbian, and Native American. Highlights include the Museum’s collection of Asian art, considered the finest and most comprehensive in the Southeast, and its collection of Vietnamese ceramics, one of the finest in the world; a remarkable Kress collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts from the late 13th century to the 1750s; the collection of 18th century European decorative arts, which includes superior examples of English ceramics and French furniture; and the Museum’s world-renowned collection of Wedgwood, the largest outside of England.

The Museum connects with the community through educational programs and curatedexhibitions that engage, entertain, and enlighten visitors. Programs are designed around the Museum’s permanent collection and changing exhibitions, and provide opportunities for all ages and levels of experience to connect with art.

The Birmingham Museum of Art is located in the heart of the City’s cultural district. Erected in 1959, the present building was designed by architects Warren, Knight & Davis of Birmingham, with a major renovation and expansion by Edward Larrabee Barnes of New York completed in 1993. The facility encompasses 180,000 square feet, including a splendid outdoor sculpture garden.
The generosity of the City of Birmingham and other private and municipal funders has allowed the Museum to remain free of charge to visitors since its opening.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Binghamton University Art Museum - Binghamton-NY - U.S.A.

.
The mission of the Binghamton University Art Museum is to collect, document, preserve, and present works of art from diverse cultures for the education and enjoyment of students, faculty, staff and members of the general public.

The museum presents exhibitions featuring works of art drawn from the permanent collection of approximately 3,000 objects, as well as objects on loan.
Exhibitions are installed in the Main Gallery, the Susan M. Reifer '65 and Stanley J. Reifer '64 Mezzanine Gallery and the Nancy J. Powell Gallery, which itself consists of several small galleries. Exhibitions rotate regularly and are curated by museum staff, faculty members, and students.

In addition to exhibitions, the museum offers other opportunities for visitors to engage with art. The Kenneth C. Lindsay Study Room provides students, faculty members and the general public a space in which they may view any work in the permanent collection. This room is also used for university classes and the short-term display of selected objects for educational purposes. An area leading into the Lindsay Study Room has recently been transformed into visible storage. Here, visitors may view objects that would otherwise be in vault storage, but are instead densely installed in glass cabinets. A specially designed tablet tour allows individuals to read short labels written by students from different disciplinary perspectives.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Ohr- O'Keefe Museum of Art - Biloxi - Mississippi - U.S.A.

.
The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art mission is to promote and preserve the unique legacy of Biloxi potter George E. Ohr and the diverse cultural heritage of the Mississippi Gulf Coast; and to exhibit works which exemplify the independent, innovative, and creative spirit of George Ohr, emancipated craftsman Pleasant Reed, and Ohr-O’Keefe Museum architect Frank Gehry. This mission is served through compelling exhibitions and educational experiences viewed from a fresh perspective relevant to our community, the region, and the nation with a strong focus on ceramic arts.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

BAM/PFA - Berkeley - California - U.S.A.

.
BAM/PFA provides the UC Berkeley and Bay Area communities with an ambitious schedule of exhibitions exploring international art, both historical and contemporary. Each year, we present diverse and important temporary exhibitions that range from classical Asian art to challenging work by today’s artists.

Our exhibition program includes installations that highlight the richness and scope of our collections, recent avant-garde work presented in the MATRIX Program, thematic exhibitions, artist retrospectives, and the annual UC Berkeley M.F.A. exhibition. We have mounted important exhibitions of the works of Ant Farm, Joe Brainard, Joan Brown, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Robert Colescott, Jay DeFeo, Juan Gris, Eva Hesse, Paul Kos, Robert Mapplethorpe, Barry McGee, Richard Misrach, Bruce Nauman, Peter Paul Rubens, Martin Puryear, Sebastião Salgado, William Wiley, and many others.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art - Bentonville - Arkansas - U.S.A.

.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art welcomes all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. We explore the unfolding story of America by actively collecting, exhibiting, interpreting, and preserving outstanding works that illuminate our heritage and artistic possibilities.

General admission to Crystal Bridges is sponsored by Walmart. There is no cost to view the Museum’s permanent collection, which is on view year-round.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Bellevue Arts Museum - Bellevue - Washington - U.S.A.

.

Bellevue Arts Museum is the Pacific Northwest's center for the exploration of art, craft, and design. The Museum's mission is guided by the belief that craft and design are essential to the conversation on art and are equally transformative. From objects made for everyday use to cutting-edge sculpture, furniture, and jewelry, BAM celebrates the creative process, skill, and vision of today's most talented makers. International exhibitions are placed side-by-side some of the region's most promising artists, fostering global exchange and providing a platform for thought-provoking ideas.

 

BAM is one of few museums that grew out of an art fair. Started by a handful of dedicated volunteers, the first fair was held in 1947 and eventually led to the founding of the Museum in 1975. After undergoing a series of transformations, BAM opened the doors to its first permanent home, designed by renowned architect and Washingtonian Steven Holl, in 2001. Exclusively dedicated to art, craft, and design since 2005, the Museum has grown to be an important contributor to the region's cultural vibrancy and a leading institution in its field.

 

Bellevue Arts Museum is a leading destination in the Pacific Northwest to experience art, craft, and design. BAM engages the community through exhibitions, programs, and publications, featuring regional, national, and international artists.

 

Website & source

 

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Art Museum of Southeast Texas - Beaumont - Texas - U.S.A .

.
Incorporated in the state of Texas on September 14, 1950, the Beaumont Art Museum was originally housed on the lower floor of a two-story rented house on Calder Avenue in Beaumont. In September of 1956, the S. Perry Brown family donated funds to build a facility on the Southeast Texas State Fairgrounds. This building now houses the Beaumont Art League. In 1969, the family of J. Crooke Wilson donated their estate to the City of Beaumont for the purpose of housing the Beaumont Art Museum. The donation was contingent upon the City of Beaumont providing professional direction and a serious educational focus to the Museum. The five-acre property was located in Old Town, Beaumont’s historic district.

 

On September 10, 1987, after completing a comprehensive capital drive which brought in $4.2 million, the Beaumont Art Museum was re-born as the Art Museum of Southeast Texas and found its current home at 500 Main Street in Beaumont.

 

Website & source

 

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Baltimore Museum of Art - Baltimore - Maryland - U.S.A.

.
The Baltimore Museum of Art’s outstanding collection encompasses 90,000 works of art, including the largest holding of works by Henri Matisse in the world, as well as masterpieces by Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, and Vincent van Gogh.

A summertime oasis, the BMA’s Sculpture Gardens feature a 100-year survey of modern and contemporary sculpture on nearly three landscaped acres in the heart of the city. Admission to the collection is free to everyone, every day.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

The Ransom Center - Austin - Texas - U.S.A.

.
The Ransom Center is an internationally renowned humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin. Its extensive collections provide unique insight into the creative process of writers and artists, deepening our understanding and appreciation of literature, photography, film, art, and the performing arts. Visitors engage with the Center's collections through research and study, exhibitions, publications, and a rich variety of program offerings including readings, talks, symposia, and film screenings.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

University of Maine Museum of Art - Bangor - Maine - U.S.A.

.

The University of Maine Art Collection was established in 1946 under the leadership of Vincent Hartgen. As the initial faculty member of the Department of Art and curator of the Art Collection, Hartgen’s goal was to provide the people of Maine with significant opportunities to experience and learn about the visual arts and their diverse histories and cultural meanings.

 

In the early 1980s the University Art Collection became the University of Maine Museum of Art. Through the cooperative effort and vision of the City of Bangor and the University of Maine, the museum relocated in December 2002 to downtown Bangor where it has taken on a new role as a regional fine arts center. The facility was designed by the Boston firm, Ann Beha Architects, an now occupies the first floor of Norumbega Hall, a historic downtown building that formerly housed a department store. The Bangor facility, while allowing the museum to showcase a greater proportion of its collection, also enhances the burgeoning arts scene of the region’s largest city.

 

The Museum of Art remains the only institution owned by the citizens of the State of Maine to house a permanent fine arts collection – one which has grown to a stature that makes it a nucleus in the state for historic and contemporary art. Consisting of more than 3500 original works of art, the collection is particularly strong in American mid-20th century works on paper. Contemporary highlights of the collection include works by David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Edward Hopper, Pablo Picasso, and Edward Burtynsky. Additionally, the museum’s permanent collection celebrates the long heritage of Maine art and artists; including works by artists such as Berenice Abbott, Marsden Hartley, Winslow Homer, John Marin, Carl Sprinchorn, and Andrew Wyeth. In addition to making the University’s collection more accessible to the public, the downtown location enables the museum to expand its educational programs beyond the confines of the Orono campus.

 

The Museum of Art hosts an annual calendar of exhibitions featuring contemporary artists and ideas. Among the museum’s educational offerings are art camps for children lectures, special events, family programming, and educational classes and workshops for adults.

 

Website & source

 

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

 

 

Walters Art Museum - Baltimore - Maryland - U.S.A.

.
You are invited to discover some of the most talented artists from around the globe and across the ages. The Walters Art Museum is one of only a few museums in the world to present a panorama of art from the third millennium B.C. to the early 20th century. The thousands of treasures range from mummies to arms and armor, from old master paintings to Art Nouveau jewelry. The Walters' Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ethiopian and Western Medieval art collections are among the finest in the nation, as are the museum's holdings of Renaissance and Asian art and a spectacular reserve of illuminated manuscripts and rare books. Every major trend in French painting during the 19th century is represented in the collection.
The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland is internationally renowned for its collection of art, which was amassed substantially by two men, William and Henry Walters, and eventually bequeathed to the City of Baltimore.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

The Contemporary Austin - Austin - Texas - U.S.A.

.
Mission: The Contemporary Austin reflects the spectrum of contemporary art through exhibitions, commissions, education, and the collection.

Vision: The Contemporary Austin aspires to be the contemporary art museum for Austin and an essential part of city life. Through its unique combination of urban and outdoor sites, The Contemporary will embody an eclectic and collaborative spirit.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Morris Museum of Art - Augusta - Georgia - U.S.A.

.
The Morris Museum of Art, located on the Riverwalk in downtown Augusta, Georgia, is the first museum dedicated to the art and artists of the American South. The collection includes holdings of nearly 5,000 paintings, works on paper, photographs, and sculptures dating from the late-eighteenth century to the present. In addition to the permanent collection galleries, the museum hosts eight to ten temporary special exhibitions every year.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Hammonds House Museum - Atlanta - Georgia - U.S.A.

.
Hammonds House Museum boasts a permanent collection of more than 350 works dating from the mid-19th century by artists from America, Africa, and the Caribbean.  Highlights of the collection include 18 works by master artist Romare Bearden and the oldest known painting by acclaimed landscape artist Robert S. Duncanson.  Benny Andrews, Elizabeth Catlett, Sam Gilliam, Richard Hunt, Jacob Lawrence, P.H. Polk, Hale Woodruff, and James Van Der Zee are among the scores of important regional, national, and international artists represented in the collection. 

The Museum’s yearly calendar of events includes 4-5 visual art exhibitions by significant mid-career and established artists, artist talks, panel discussions, workshops, and art camps for young people, as well as book readings and music concerts.  The Museum’s Resource Center is a valuable repository of printed, photographic, and digital information on hundreds of artists and exhibitions.

For 25 years, Hammonds House Museum has been a mecca for people seeking inspiration, interaction, and intellectual stimulation centered on art of the African Diaspora.  The Museum has redefined the experience of art by providing thought-provoking exhibitions and cultural events in an environment that is at once comfortable, mind-expanding, and uniquely attuned to the interests and needs of patrons of every age. 

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Atlanta Contemporary Art Center - Atlanta - Georgia - U.S.A.

.
Atlanta Contemporary Art Center is a leader in the presentation of consequential contemporary art from around the world, and a destination for diverse art-loving audiences. The state-of-the-art facility allows a diverse range of exhibitions and educational programs including an expanded Studio Artist Program. These programs play a significant role in the advancement of the careers of artists and arts professionals as well as the engagement of diverse audiences. The Contemporary is empowered by a significant financial endowment, coupled with foundation, corporate, individual, and member support. With a four-decade long commitment to experimentation, understanding, and collaboration, The Contemporary is a driving force in Atlanta’s cultural community.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Georgia Museum of Art - Athens - Georgia - U.S.A.

.
The Georgia Museum of Art, on the campus of the University of Georgia, in Athens, is both an academic museum and, since 1982, the official art museum of the state of Georgia. The permanent collection consists of American paintings, primarily 19th- and 20th-century; American, European and Asian works on paper; the Samuel H. Kress Study Collection of Italian Renaissance paintings; and growing collections of southern decorative arts and Asian art.

From the time it was opened to the public in 1948 in the basement of an old library on the university’s historic North Campus, the museum has grown consistently both in the size of its collection and in the size of its facilities. Today the museum occupies a contemporary building in the Performing and Visual Arts Complex on the university’s burgeoning east campus. There, 79,000 square feet house more than 8,000 objects in the museum’s permanent collection—a dramatic leap from the core of 100 paintings donated by the museum’s founder, Alfred Heber Holbrook.

Much of the museum’s collection of American paintings was donated by Holbrook in memory of his first wife, Eva Underhill Holbrook. Included in this collection are works by such luminaries as Frank Weston Benson, William Merritt Chase, Stuart Davis, Arthur Dove, Georgia O’Keeffe, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, Jacob Lawrence and Theodore Robinson. Over the years it has been impossible to separate the history of the museum from the story of Holbrook’s generosity.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Aspen Art Museum - Aspen - Colorado - U.S.A.

.
The Aspen Art Museum is a non-collecting institution presenting the newest, most important evolutions in international contemporary art. Our innovative and timely exhibitions, education and public programs, immersive activities, and community happenings actively engage audiences in thought-provoking experiences of art, culture, and society.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.

Asheville Art Museum - Asheville - North Carolina - U.S.A.

.
Innovative programming utilizing an outstanding collection of American art of the 20th and 21st centuries has established the Asheville Art Museum as a leader in the arts for Western North Carolina and the Southeast.

It is the only organization of its kind providing cultural and educational experiences for residents and visitors to the 24 county region.

Established by artists and incorporated in 1948, the Asheville Art Museum is committed to being a vital force in community and individual development and to providing life-long opportunities for education and enrichment through the visual arts.

Website & source

FIC123.BE THE CULTURAL PORTAL.