University of Iowa Museum of Art works return to campus

Nearly 250 works of art from the University of Iowa Museum of Art (UIMA) permanent collection are now available for viewing by appointment, thanks to a collaboration between the Museum of Art and University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections.

This broad cross-section of prints, drawings and photographs will be stored in Special Collections, located on the Third Floor of the UI Main Library.

"The Museum of Art's top priority since the flood has been to find creative ways to make selections from the collection available for UI classes," said UIMA Chief Curator Kathleen Edwards, who chose the works to return to campus with input from UI faculty. "We are grateful that Special Collections can accommodate these key works and work with the UIMA on student and faculty access."

The 197 prints, 38 photographs and 13 drawings are the first works from the museum's collection to return to campus since the June floods forced evacuation of the building and removal of the collection to art storage in Chicago.

Instructors at the UI and other schools may make appointments for their classes to view selections from the group in a classroom adjacent to Special Collections. Individuals, including students, may make appointments to see specific works in the Special Collections Reading Room. Please contact Nathan Popp, UIMA curatorial graduate assistant, at nathan-popp@uiowa.edu for more information or to set up a Special Collections visit. Visit the UIMA Web site at http://www.uiowa.edu/uima for a link to a list of available works.

At least one class has already made use of the selection. On Oct. 2 students enrolled in "History of Prints" taught by UI art history faculty member Julie Hochstrasser were able to view and interact with 55 of these prints under Edwards' supervision.

"The opportunity for students to see these original artworks is an essential and tremendously rich component of their art historical education," Hochstrasser said.

"They have read about these prints in their textbook, and they have seen them in lecture as digital projections, but there is quite simply no substitute for the real thing. This is our 'lab.' This is what it's really all about. We are enormously grateful that we have been able to continue with some semblance of business as usual."

The remainder of the museum's permanent collection remains in storage in Chicago. Several members of the UIMA staff visited the storage and conservation facilities in late August and left feeling optimistic. Limited access to the collection will likely be available for class use, research and future exhibition and educational planning.

In addition, new purchases and gifts to the UIMA collections can be stored in these facilities, ensuring the continued growth and vitality of the museum's collections during this transitional time.

The UI Museum of Art was evacuated from its building in June due to the flood. Some exhibitions and events slated to be held at the UIMA have been moved to alternate venues. For more information on the UI Museum of Art and the latest schedule information visit http://www.uiowa.edu/uima.

For UI arts information and calendar updates visit http://www.uiowa.edu/artsiowa. To receive UI arts news by e-mail, go to http://list.uiowa.edu/archives/acr-news.html and click the link "Join or Leave ACR News," then follow the instructions.

STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa Arts Center Relations, 300 Plaza Centre One, Suite 351, Iowa City, IA 52242-2500

MEDIA CONTACTS: Maggie Anderson, Museum of Art, 319-335-1739, Margaret-anderson@uiowa.edu; Peter Alexander, Arts Center Relations, 319-384-0072 (office) 319-541-2846 (cell), peter-alexander@uiowa.edu