Photo courtesy of Destination Ann Arbor
University of Michigan Museum of Art | Ann Arbor, MI
Located in the heart of Ann Arbor, UMMA’s art collection is one of the oldest in the country and has over 20,000 objects. Spot original works by Picasso and Monet, a solid collection of 19th- and 20th-century African art, Chinese and Japanese works from antiquity, and more.
Enjoy family programs that include storytimes, gallery talks, tours, and a series of guest writers.
Photo courtesy of Eric Staudenmaier
Hammer Museum | Los Angeles, California
Now open for nearly 30 years, the Hammer Museum at UCLA in Los Angeles is a constant hub of activity most days and nights of the week. The focus is on European and American art through the Armand Hammer Collection, as well as impressive rotating exhibitions by international artists (like Judith Hopf).
From movie screenings and happy hours to poetry readings and art talks, there’s never a dull moment at this amazing (and always free) art museum.
Photo courtesy of Saint Louis University Art Museum
Saint-Louis University Art Museum | St. Louis, Missouri
First opened in 2002, the Saint Louis University Museum of Art houses an impressive permanent collection focusing on modern and contemporary art, Asian decorative arts, and artifacts from Western Jesuit missions.
A visit to this four-story art museum always begins with a stroll through their rotating exhibits, which in the past have included works by MC Escher, Tennessee Williams and Patricia Watwood. Then, spend a few hours browsing the works of Jasper Johns, Dale Chihuly, Kiki Smith, and others spread throughout the rest of this magnificent 20th-century building.
Photo courtesy of Weisman Museum of Art
Weisman Art Museum | Minneapolis, Minnesota
Designed by architect Frank O. Gehry (who is also responsible for the Guggenheim in Bilbao and the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, among others), it is clear even before you set foot there that you will enter a space that really appreciate creativity.
The permanent collection of the Weisman Art Museum houses more than 25,000 works of art, enough to occupy any visitor. WAM is also home to the Target Studio for Creative Collaboration, a space where artists and scholars can come together for performances, workshops, classes and exhibitions with the goal of making art even more accessible.
Photo courtesy of Jessica Smolinski
Yale University Art Gallery | New Haven, Connecticut
More than 250,000 objects reside in Yale University Art Gallery’s impressive permanent collection. These works of art represent cultures from around the world, with departments dedicated to, among others, the art of the ancient Americas, Indo-Pacific art, African art, and American paintings and sculptures.
Gallery lectures, teen and family programs, film screenings, multiple rotating exhibits and more round out the experience.
Photo courtesy of Princeton University Museum of Art
Princeton University Art Museum | Princeton, New Jersey
The Princeton University Museum of Art welcomes more than 200,000 visitors each year, all eager to explore their huge, world-renowned collections. In fact, Princeton has more than 100,000 permanent exhibits, including breathtakingly colorful mosaics from Antioch on the Orontes.
You’ll also find masterful Chinese calligraphy and the work of artists like photographer Naomi Savage and post-Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne. And if you don’t know where to start or are short on time, be sure to join one of their regular, always free, guided tours.
Photo courtesy of Allen Memorial Museum of Art
Allen Memorial Art Museum | Oberlin, Ohio
Located at Oberlin College, the Allen Memorial Art Museum impresses students and art lovers with its collection of nearly 15,000 objects (13,000 of which can be viewed online) dating back to 1917.
Here you will find a particular emphasis on European and American sculpture and art, but also on pre-Columbian and African art, as well as Asian paintings and scrolls. Be sure to attend Tuesday Tea Talks, Sunday Object Talks, and free evening programs on the first Thursday of the month.
Photo courtesy of Jessica Smolinski
Williams College Art Museum | Williamstown, MA
Historic Williams College in Massachusetts is where you’ll find this next impressive art museum. Outside you will find the unusual sculpture Eyes (Nine Elements) by Louise Bourgeois, as well as other public works, welcoming you.
Inside, however, you’ll find more than 15,000 permanent objects from Egypt, India, the Americas and beyond, including works by Robert Rauschenberg, Diane Arbus and more.
Photo courtesy of Nathalie Van Empel/BYU Museum of Art
Brigham Young University Art Museum | Provo, UT
BYU’s 102,000-square-foot, four-story art museum is truly a sight to behold against the mountains of Provo, Utah. Among the most notable objects in the collection are more than two dozen prints by Rembrandt, as well as works by Maynard Dixon, Minerva Teichert, Dorothea Lange and Albrecht Durer.
Photo courtesy of the Cantor Arts Center
Cantor Art Center | Stanford, California
More than 38,000 works of art are all housed within Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center, a Bay Area staple since the late 1800s. Cantor hosts 15 special exhibitions each year, which means there are always has something new to see. But if that’s not enough, visiting their 24 galleries, attending film and art events, or participating in their family programs just might do the trick.
