University of Michigan Museum of Art
One of the most agreeable aspects of owning property in the Ann Arbor area is the wealth of resources associated with the University of Michigan. Among the best of these is the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA.) Founded in 1909, UMMA is one of the largest university art museums in the United States, with a permanent collection that includes nearly 19,000 objects.
About the Museum
The University of Michigan Art Museum is housed in a 94,000-square-foot exhibition space that combines the historic Alumni Memorial Hall with the new Frankel Wing. The remodeled museum, opened in 2009, houses a variety of permanent and temporary exhibits. Highlights of the museum's permanent collection include works by Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, James Whistler, Claes Oldenburg and Max Beckmann. The collection includes examples of American, European, Asian, Middle Eastern and Asian art and spans from the pre-Columbian era to modern times.
Visiting the Museum
UMMA is located on State Street on the U of M campus. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5:00 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays. Admission to the museum is free, but donations are encouraged.
Special Museum Programs
In addition to the permanent and temporary art exhibits, UMMA hosts a full schedule of classes, lectures and special programs. These include drop-in art classes, poetry readings, parent and children art workshops, film screenings and gallery talks. The museum also offers a variety of art tours that focus on examples in the collection of a particular artist, period or genre.
Other Ann Arbor Area Museums
UMMA isn't the only museum in the greater Ann Arbor area. The Cranbrook Museum in Bloomfield Hills features a changing array of modern art exhibits. The Detroit Institute of Arts, located two miles north of downtown Detroit, houses one of the largest and most diverse art collections in the United States. And, the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn features a huge collection of historic objects and Americana.
