Visual Arts Building Update

A view of the new Visual Arts Building with the Centennial Complex to the west. Photo courtesy of Doug Russell.

It's been exciting for Art Museum staff members to watch the construction of the new Visual Arts Building to our east. Progress continues as landscapers were on site this past week to plant tress and sod, situate boulders, and put some finishing touches on the exterior. The construction fences have started coming down along Willett Drive and 22nd Street. The Art Department is scheduled to move into their new facility over the winter break. The Art Museum is anticipating new opportunities for collaboration with faculty and students with their close proximity!

Final Days to See the UW Art Department Faculty Exhibition

Installation view of some of the work from the UW Art Department Faculty Exhibition. Courtesy of the Art Museum.

The last day to see the UW Art Department Faculty Exhibition is this Saturday, March 19. This exhibition features work by faculty members Ashley Hope Carlisle, Jessica Perry, Jenny Venn, Patrick Kikut, Shelby Shadwell, David Jones, Margaret Haydon, Mark Ritchie, Diana Baumbach, Nate Abel, Ricki Klages, Leah Hardy, and Doug Russell. A variety of media and methods can be seen, ranging from installation pieces to painting, graphic design, and drawing, just to name a few.

The Art Museum is open this week, including Saturday, from 10 am to 5 pm, and admission is free. Be sure to stop by and see this exhibition before it closes! It's a great way to see what the art faculty does in their own studios, and to explore the wide range of creativity on campus!

Opening Reception Tomorrow Evening

You're invited to join the UW Art Museum tomorrow evening, Friday, January 28, for the reception celebrating the opening of all new exhibitions. The reception will be from 6 to 8 pm.

Exhibitions that are opening include: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States, Richard Barnes: Animal Logic, American Regionalism: Selections from the Art Museum Collection, UW Art Department Faculty Exhibition, and the ever popular Annual Juried UW Student Exhibition.

An award ceremony for the student exhibition will begin at 6:30 pm with 48 awards to be distributed to student artists.

The reception is free and open to the public. Please join us as we celebrate our student artists and an array of exciting new artwork.

For more information, please call the Art Museum at 307.766.6622 or visit the website.

Visual Arts Building Rising East of the Art Museum

View of the new Visual Arts Building from the Art Museum

The new Visual Arts Building is under construction east of the Art Museum.  The facility, which will house the Studio Art and Art History, is scheduled for completion in the fall 2011.  Classes will begin in the new facility in the spring semester 2012.

A Big Day for the Arts!

All Things Seen Naked, a diptych by Wyoming artist Neltje.

It was a day of exciting arts related announcements and progress on the UW campus today. Today was the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Fine Arts building, to be built over the course of the next 18 months at 22nd and Willett, adjacent to the Art Museum. This new building will hold all of the visual arts classrooms, studios, and a new gallery. The building, situated closely to the Art Museum, will mean even greater collaboration between the museum and the department.

Also announced today was an unprecedented gift from Wyoming abstract expressionist, Neltje. You can read more about all the details in this UW press release. Neltje's generous gift exemplifies her philanthropic spirit and her continued support of the arts in the state. Her gift changes the role of the university in the arts within Wyoming and across the nation. The Art Museum thanks Neltje for her generosity and is excited to see all of the possibilities emerge!