University of Michigan Museum of Art

This museum is great if you like art and are in town! The admission is donation based and it is quite large for a University art museum. There were a few works by big name artists like Picasso etc. and they have a fantastic collection of Tiffany glass and vases. Their current exhibit by Tomaselli of New York Times covers with his additions to the covers is definitely worth seeing, especially if you are a news buff. If you are comparing this to museums in Chicago (ex. Art Institute) or New York (MoMA, Met, etc.) then you will be a little disappointed but compared to most other museums, especially free museums, it stands out and is worth checking out!

A wonderful museum with so much to see! I really enjoyed the special exhibits:
Paramodel, an art collaborative established by two contemporary Japanese artists, Yasuhiko Hayashi and Yûsuke Nakano is really cool and is an art piece with a construction theme. Hills made of styrofoam and toy trucks and cranes. So much attention to detail and fun to walk around in.
The Times by Fred Tomaselli is a series of cover pages from the New York Times with new main images created as collages adding to the meaning of the surrounding text.
If you haven’t seen them yet, looks like they will be there until January 2015! Go see them!

Really excellent museum, especially considering the free (donation based) admission. All of the rotating exhibits that were going on when I went (Shangri La, and some experimental pieces) were excellent, as were their permanent collections.
They have a few big ticket artists, but all the other, lesser known pieces are far more interesting. Great way to spend an afternoon.

The University of Michigan Musuem of Art is a beautiful building on a beautiful part of campus. While it isn’t the largest art museum in the area, it is a very good size and larger than some art museums in smaller cities.
They have a very nice selection of Asian and Korean art as well as art from American and European artists. I was really excited to see works by Man Ray, Andy Warhol and a few by Claude Monet and Pableo Picasso!
The Taubman portion of the museum is light and airy and beautiful!
They have a beautiful study area for students, a nice family activity center, and a small gift shop with jewelry, cards, and home décor.
Admission is free and its a great place to spend a few hours enjoying some magnificant art!

I think this is one of the highlights of the University campus, and it was a highlight of my student years in Ann Arbor. I used to come here a lot as a student to check out exhibits and special events. I went here for a play (that my friend was in), and that was an amazing experience. I couldn’t think of a better venue for the play. I also attended a music social night (kind of like an «after hours at the museum» event). That was another memorable experience.
The museum was great for dates and great for meeting up with a group too. More than anything though, when I needed a quiet place to just think about things or relax this is where I’d go.
The collection is by no means as impressive as another (somewhat) close, world class museum like the Detroit Institute of Arts (the DIA). However, the University of Michigan Museum of Art (the UMMA) has a warmer and more personal feeling.
Like the DIA, the selection of rotating or touring exhibits that I’ve seen at the UMMA have been very educational and enriching. There are also plenty of impressive permanent pieces here too that give a good ntroduction to the diversity of world art. By far, the most wonderful part of this museum though are the docents. They will answer all of your questions and share their wisdom with you in a kind manner.
If you are a visitor to Ann Arbor, I encourage you to check out this wonderful museum. I’ll have to go back there soon.

The University of Michigan Museum has some really great art exhibits! Granted, it doesn’t have a huge collection, but there is quite a bit of diversity.
When we were there we were fortunate enough to catch the Doris Duke/​Shangri La exhibit, which in my opinion was fascinating! I never really even knew about this wealthy woman’s palace in Hawaii until visiting this exhibit. Her Islamic art collection is beautiful!
The UMM also has other fascinating exhibits from around the world, to include Chinese, Japanese, Turkish and African art. Furthermore, there’s a reasonable amount of modern art on display as well.
The gift shop has some really interesting things from local artists for sale, including pottery and glass ware.
If you’re in the area and you’re into art, this little museum is definitely worth a visit.

Why visit the UMMA? The Woon-​Hyung Lee and Korea Foundation Gallery of Korean Art. Okay, I am a wee bit obsessed with all things Korean, but this gallery really is fantastic. There are pieces that date back to the Three Kingdoms period, and pieces that would be as useful in today’s world as they were when they were created (e.g., wine vessels). I especially appreciate the detailed explanations that accompany many of the pieces. For example, there is a fascinating placard next to a display of various types of roofing tiles. The text explains how the pieces fit together to create a functional roof. The museum also houses collections from other parts of the world and displays the works of household names such as Monet, Picasso, and Frank Lloyd Wright. In addition, the museum is just the right size to fill a perfectly wonderful afternoon. The University of Michigan and the City of Ann Arbor are fortunate to have this wonderful museum in the heart of the community.

I’m not necessarily an art guru — nor do I frequent a ton of events, centers, etc. I have to say though — UofM has a great facility and collection to visit.
It quickly caught my attention once inside and I found myself enjoying the art collection and the overall environment.
Call it a pleasant surprise. It has me thinking I may want to check out some similar gallery’s /​centers in the region — sometime in the future.
Doing something different for a change is not always a bad thing. Thumbs up.

It’s not uncommon for higher-​education to provide free museums. UMMA is arguably one of the better ones out there. Not only free to students but free to the public. Surprisingly other public schools (COUGH: UCLA) don’t offer large museum spaces freely to the public. UMMA is a multi-​building but self-​contained museum that has permanent exhibitions on colonial art, asian art, african art, and more. Additionally they curate a great rotating exhibits that that range from classical to modern, and occasionally contemporary. Located next to the diag, law school, and state street it’s an easy place to drop by when you’re touring the rest of the Ann Arbor Area. Be sure to check out the collection of sculptures around the perimeter!

A little less than impressed by this museum. I came here for a class where we had to choose art and write about it. I was particularly interested in the modern & contemporary collections, but this place seems so linear that you don’t encounter that until the very end. My recommendation… definitely get a map as soon as you walk in, and beeline it to the gallery you would like to see most.
This place is small for a museum, compared to something like the Detroit Institute of Arts. But the nice thing about it being small is that they have much more art than they have space to hang it… which means they are constantly rotating the exhibits. Each time you go, you will see something new.

What? Are we in Ann Arbor? I thought all they spent their money on was beer, cozy houses and sports facilities?
This was quite the surprise. First of all, it is free. Second, my partner and I spent a SOLID three hours viewing the collections and exhibits. I am not one to loaf around museums and if they don’t grab me in the first hour it is a lost cause. Granted the collections are a bit piece-​meal, of course, but the Chinese Block Print exhibit was extremely prolific and extensive.
All you haters should go to any other non-​ivy league school’s «museums». Oh wait they probably don’t even have one.
Only critique I have is the new building is a bit difficult to navigate.

Perhaps not the most in-​depth collections but definitely a nice smattering of art from different eras and locations across the globe.
ART COLLECTIONS:
There is a fairly small collection of about 30-​some modern art pieces that span small sculpture, paintings, and drawings. Mostly lesser-​known works from bigger-​name artists.
I’ve found their contemporary rotating exhibits to be the most interesting and surprising. There are three galleries/​rooms that contain these as far as I can tell: 1) in the old building, smaller exhibits in a small room next to the entrance and behind the desk to the left 2) On the second floor of the old building 3) on the first floor of the new building next to the café (student work). Because these are rotating, often they are closed in between exhibitions for what seems like long periods of time. This mildly vexes me.
Then they have East Asiatic work and many masks and ritual objects from other areas of the world (forgive me for the lack of specifics, here). Great textures and interesting histories and uses for sure. In other words, you don’t feel as though you wasted your time reading the adjacent information plaque.
Also there is a room full of Catholic/​Christian historical art and artifacts (my ex would slaughter me for not knowing the period or the correct name of this — never was good with history!).
THINGS ABOUT THE BUILDING:
The new extension of the gallery is surprisingly welcoming inside, even with all its glass and severe architectural lines. I do tend to get a little disoriented if I enter from that side, though. You can always see where you want to end up but you’re never sure quite how to get there! And good luck finding the bathroom — the only two women’s I’ve found are in the basement of the old building and on the third floor of the addition.
There is a coat room where you can leave your belongings though it is not directly attended. No beverages allowed so stash ‘em in the coat room. Photography is allowed in some areas and not in others (particularly the contemporary stuff).
There aren’t swarms of visitors here and the place keeps nice and quiet.
For what it is and where it is, I approve. It’s no MOMA but it ain’t no hick-​town museum either.

The best part is it’s free, if you want it to be. The second best part is the new building, which puts the old, rundown building to shame. (It was sad to see, with its cracked and shifty floors, just how much the original museum building has degraded in just a few years.)
I used to love the old place, though. It was intimate, and I always experienced some little bit of enlightenment there. I always felt a connection with whatever exhibit was on display.
Now, though, not so much. Maybe I was just in the wrong mindset when I went, but I didn’t see anything outstanding. Nothing made me feel anything or spoke to me. Except the new building… It really is nice and worth a look.
I will go back eventually, in hopes of having my eyes opened again.

It had been several years since my last visit to the University of Michigan Museum of Art… and what a difference those years have made.
What used to be a smallish, lightly staffed & interpreted collection of art has, in my opinion, made the leap into being an excellent museum and learning center.
The highlights for me:
–The shadow-​controled map/​computer table. This thing is amazing. It made me feel like I was in Star Wars.
–The modern art collection – with exception of the «Absolom» canvas… which is ridiculous.
–The African art section.
Weaknesses:
–I was underwhelmed by the Chinese section. which is usually the highlight of most museums for me.
–The Whistler exhibit bored the crap out of me. But I think the blame for this one falls on Whistler, not the museum.
If you have not been to UMMA (or been there recently), it is worth a visit.

Hit up the UMMA last night for a 9:30 showing of a documentary (Herb & Dorothy, which I also recommend, FYI). You can’t beat their little-​ish viewing room for a comfortable, quiet FREE movie. Ok, I think technically they suggest a donation, but if you’re broke, like I am at the moment, you’ll really appreciate the UMMA. Only wish we had made it earlier in the day so we could have explored the newly renovated museum.

I love the new addition, however the old addition still seems boring to me. I love the temporary exhibit gallery! It was a great idea to have it on the first level surrounded by glass. Even better then the exhibits are the events they have. Although these events are geared more to University students. The museum’s intended audience are students. So if you want to bring your kids, they might not find it very exciting.

The UMMA underwent a major renovation and expansion early last year (celebrating with a 24-​hour reopening party-​which was packed when we dropped in around 11 p.m. that evening March 2009).
The $ 41.9 million expansion kept the museum largely closed for almost two years, but the expansion joined the original 41,000-square-foot 1910-​vintage Beaux Arts style building with a new 53,000-square-foot modern-​style wing. The two parts meld seamlessly into each other, and the fact that the UMMA more than doubled in size means visitors see a lot more of the collection at any given time.
My favorite parts of the museum include the expanded display of Tiffany architectural artifacts in display and the open study-​storage galleries (glass cases containing an eclectic group of things surrounding several interactive computer stations where you can click on a virtual cabinet to learn more about a particular item – or just chill in the cool Herman Miller Aeron chairs).
Our most recent visit was for a special exhibit of photography and Impressionist paintings of scenes along France’s Normandy Coast. Scored the $ 80 show catalog book for $ 20 in the museum gift shop because it was the last day of the show!
Admission is free, although there are numerous drop boxes stationed around the museum so you can throw a couple of bucks into them.

The couple times I’ve come here, I’ve really enjoyed myself. I particularly like that they have it broken down into collections from different cultures. The Asian section is especially nice.
They also have temporary exhibits which tend to be really high quality. I was fortunate enough to have caught the Rodin exhibit, which was outstanding, a few years ago.
You can spend hours and hours walking through here and checking the various permanent exhibits out. One of the last times I visited, I had a really nice time walking through it with a female friend and then going out to the Tk Wu Chinese restaurant which was just a few minutes walk away.

This was by far, the highlight of my 2006 trip I took to Ann Arbor. I was overwhelmed at how good of an art museum this was, for the size of Ann Arbor. Almost as good as Milwaukee’s art museum, too.
Can’t wait to make a return trip to this museum too, once the expansion wing is complete, and they return to operating out of their regular location again, as I see from their website that they’re operating outta a temporary exhibition location (whatever that means, as I presume not all of the museum’s collection would be viewable in their temporary location).

If you’re worried that it won’t hold up to the museums you visited in Europe or on the coasts, stay away – it won’t hold up! But the museum is still a great assett for Ann Arbor.
You can see a few big-​name pieces, including a Picasso, a Monet, and a Whistler, but don’t go for those. Most people find one or two favorite-​but-​obscure pieces and the rotating exhibitions on the second floor will keep you coming back occasionally.
I’ve always liked the medieval art in the gallery at the northwest corner of the building, so it will be interesting to see what has happened there once that huge new wing is completed.
Admission is free, but you can leave a donation in a box near the front door if you choose.