The Art Museum of West Virginia University celebrated its seventh birthday last month. Since its opening in August 2015, the museum has inspired and educated more than 35,000 visitors.

The Art Museum of WVU’s mission to provide a welcoming and stimulating educational and research environment for diverse audiences to experience the transforming power of art wouldn’t be possible without incredible donors who helped fund the building, the museum’s collection of more than 4,000 works of art, programming and traveling exhibitions.

“Donors recognize and understand the importance of the Art Museum’s mission in reaching both campus and community through engaging visual art programming,” said Museum Director Todd J. Tubutis. “They financially support the three distinct ways we do our work: through acquisitions of artwork by purchase and donation, through the presentation of high-quality exhibitions, and through educational programs that reach students and learners of all ages.”

Throughout the years, the Art Museum has hosted a wide-range of exhibitions with your support. Some highlights include:

FABRICation
January 19 - March 19, 2017

"FABRICation," was a traveling exhibition focused on textiles using a variety of materials that range from oil and acrylic paint, yarn, vintage clothing, aluminum screens, wool, silk, plastic, thread, vinyl, burlap, rug-hold, glass, recycled objects and found fabrics. 

Support for the exhibition at WVU was provided by Friends of the Art Museum and program underwriting was made possible by the Judith Gold Stitzel Museum Education Fund.

“Form and Balance:  Ceramics from the Collection”
March 2 - Oct 7, 2018

“Form and Balance” highlighted the museum’s diverse collection and features stylistically distinctive, functional work as well as contemporary non-functional approaches. William and Linda Hagerty and the Friends of the Art Museum provided funding for “Form and Balance.”

Collective Insight: The Harvey and Jennifer Peyton Collection
March 20, 2019 - Jan 19, 2020

Donors and Friends of the College, Harvey and Jennifer Peyton have assembled one of the premier collections of art in West Virginia. It is significant for being both regional and national in scope, and for representing a diversity of American artists—including a number who were committed to advancing social justice through their artistic pursuits. 

Collective Insight was supported by the Friends of the Art Museum, William and Linda Hagerty, and the Joyce Ice Fund for Acquisitions and Exhibitions. 

Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press
August 29 - December 13, 2020

There is no singular way to look at the complexities of race and representation in contemporary art. Drawing on the diverse practices of several African American artists from across the US, this exhibition features more than 50 prints, paintings, quilts, and sculptural objects. This important exhibition was sponsored by Sally Hazard and Mark & Hannah Jenkins.

From the Mountain: Malcolm Davis and the Art of Shino
January 22—May 13, 2022

Malcolm Davis was an internationally recognized ceramic artist who maintained a studio for more than 25 years in Upshur County, West Virginia. He discovered ceramics later in life and became a successful potter and teacher renowned for developing a Japanese-style glaze widely known as “Malcolm Davis Shino.” Featuring more than 70 objects on loan from private collections, this exhibition celebrated Davis’ artistic commitment to both beauty and function through a diversity of forms designed for everyday use. From the Mountain was made possible with generous support from Judith Davis.

“Over the last seven years we’ve forged great relations across campus and new partnerships in the community,” Tubutis said. “We’ve borrowed important exhibitions from places like the Museum of Modern Art and received support to create our own touring exhibition about Blanche Lazzell. Our collection has grown intentionally – in a way that reflects teaching and research interests on campus – especially with the new Art Museum Fund for a Diverse Collection.”

To learn more about the museum and sponsoring their mission, visit https://artmuseum.wvu.edu/support.