ANN ARBOR – Located on State Street on the University of Michigan's central campus is the University of Michigan Museum of Art.
During the school year, students can be seen rushing past the stately building on a daily basis to get to and from their classes.
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But have you ever been inside?
If you're in Ann Arbor, it is a must-see for lovers of art, architecture and design.
Here's why:
The museum is free and open to the public and houses an impressive 20,000-plus objects, 10 percent of which are on display.
Its grand rooms are pieces of art in their own right; the building itself, built in 1910, is a remarkable architectural structure.
With more than 160 years of art collecting, the university started the art gallery years before the Detroit, Chicago and Toledo civic art museums were established.
Being a university museum, one of its top priorities is education. It houses several "open storage galleries," conservation labs and study rooms so that visitors can get a closer look at the art and see how conservation work is conducted.
It has five gallery spaces, each with a distinct feel and design.
As for the art itself, according to the museum's website:
"UMMA’s collections are particularly strong in European art of the Renaissance period to the 19th century, Chinese and Japanese art from antiquity to the 19th century, African art of the 19th and 20th centuries, and American art from the 19th century to the present. Works by Whistler and Picasso, Chinese and Japanese paintings and ceramics, and sculpture from central Africa are among the finest in North America."
Gallery Hours:
- Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- The museum is closed on Mondays
Building Hours:
- Daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
To learn more about the museum, visit umma.umich.edu.