Well before the Art Museum of West Virginia University opened in 2015, Curator Robert Bridges was adding objects to WVU’s permanent collection of fine art. The endless task of securing significant works of art ensures access to these pieces for future generations of West Virginians. “Brilliant: Recent Acquisitions to the Permanent Collection,” celebrates some of the newest additions to the collection as well as several seldom-seen “gems.”

Opening Feb. 7, “Brilliant” features more than 50 original works of art organized around the notion of an interconnected web, with themes ranging from abstraction to current affairs. This multi-faceted selection offers a range of possible conversations around contemporary artistic practices and social issues.

Dancers and modern art enthusiasts alike will want to stop in soon to the Art Museum of West Virginia University, where “Modern Movement: Figurative Works by Arthur Bowen Davies” is currently on display.

Originally organized by the Maier Museum of Art, this exhibition features rarely exhibited works on paper and oil paintings, including loans from the Randolph College and Malcolm Cosgrove-Davies Collections.

The Art Museum of West Virginia University welcomes two new works of art to the permanent collection, thanks to funds awarded by the International Fine Print Dealers Association Foundation.

The Richard Hamilton Acquisition Prize is an annual program through IFPDA Foundation, funded by Champion & Partners, that provides $10,000 for a museum’s acquisition of one or more prints from any period at the IFPDA Fine Art Print Fair.

The Art Museum of West Virginia University Educational Programs Manager Heather Harris was one of 26 museum professionals selected to attend a transatlantic seminar organized by Fulbright Germany and the Leibniz Association, in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. 

The seminar, “Museums as Spaces for Social Discourse and Learning,” focused on museums as unique sites of public discourse and spaces for dialogue, inquiry and engagement. The seminar aimed to deepen international understanding, while simultaneously supporting hands-on professional development, exchange of best practices, and lasting professional connections between curators, educators, and other museum professionals.

For nearly 40 years, Lee Gallery in Winchester, Massachusetts, has maintained an inventory of photography that spans the history of the medium. The Art Museum of West Virginia University will host Owner and Director Michael Lee Wednesday, September 4 for a reception and conversation about collecting photography. 

Lee Gallery emphasizes a number of specific concentrations including nineteenth-century American, British, and French photographs, particularly those made during photography’s first three decades, as well as photographs of the American Civil War and the exploration of the American West. A second focus is the work of photographers of The Photo-Secession and the circle of Alfred Stieglitz. Additionally, Lee Gallery maintains an inventory of work by 20th-century American masters of photography, as well as work by experimental post-war artists who incorporate photography into their broader art-making practices.

West Virginia University students, faculty and professional artists from around the world will show off their talents as part of Curiosity Series , hosted by WVU’s College of Creative Arts.

In its second season, the Curiosity Series is a sampling of the hundreds of events presented yearly in the College of Creative Arts. According to Dean Keith Jackson, this year’s programming has something for everyone in the greater Morgantown community.

The Friends of the Art Museum of West Virginia University are some of the museum’s leading champions. Whether they joined the Friends with an extensive knowledge of art or as an educational opportunity, members are dedicated patrons of our beloved museum.

The Friends of the Art Museum is a membership group for people who enjoy social, educational, and cultural activities that further their understanding of and appreciation for visual art. Events include members-only programs with artists, curators and collectors, as well as behind-the-scenes tours of art collections, gatherings in the homes of private collectors and artist’s studios, and invitations to exclusive dinners designed just for members.

Rose Casey will deliver, “Rooted in Black and White: Racial and Environmental Landscapes in William Kentridge's Universal Archive,” for Lunchtime Looks at the Art Museum of West Virginia University May 3.

Casey, assistant professor of English at WVU, will explore the aesthetics and politics of the tree series in William Kentridge's Universal Archive. She argues that the tree series shows how ideas are constructed—including ideas about race—and as such are open to change.

A large grouping of works donated by two of West Virginia’s most prominent art collectors is now on display at the Art Museum of West Virginia University.

“Collective Insight: The Harvey and Jennifer Peyton Collection,” celebrates the expertise and foresight of the Peytons with a selection of more than 60 paintings, prints and drawings that represent some of the most important artistic movements of the twentieth century.