In the middle of the Princeton campus, tucked away into the newly renovated McCormick Hall, lies one of the finest art museums in the country, the Princeton University Art Museum. But to many students who pass its doors daily, the museum remains uncharted territory.
Director Susan Taylor describes the Museum's primary goal as "providing a sustained cultural and educational experience for students," yet surprisingly few students make use of the museum's numerous resources. Last year the museum boasted 95,592 visitors, 2,662 of which were students in University precepts, but how many of us actually take full advantage of this exceptional treasure on campus? Upon being questioned on their familiarity with the museum, student responses largely fell within the range of "What museum?" to "Oh ya, I had to go for a class."
A new look
Despite recent construction on McCormick Hall, which buried the complex and thereby temporarily diminished the museum's visibility, visitation was still up 38%. With an uncovered entrance and renovated grounds, the museum now hopes to increase its prominence on campus:
"We want to rethink and reorganize new gallery space this fall and to foster ties between the university and the community, providing a bridge like McCarter has done," Taylor said.
Attracting visitors
In an attempt to further involve the student body, the museum has created numerous programs that offer anything from pre-professional experience to food and music.
The "First Friday" series, which occurs on the first Friday of every month and is specifically targeted at students, highlights a certain aspect of the museum by featuring food, music, and guided tours in the evening. Other opportunities for student involvement include internships, student guides, and a museum greeters program.
In addition, the museum offers regular lectures, gallery talks and tours. Last but not least, the student body is welcome and encouraged to access the extensive storage facilities containing art not currently on display.
"We want to be able to reach out to the student community by identifying and accommodating a huge range of interests," Taylor said.
The musuem's many assets and facets
The Princeton University Art Museum's collection features around 60,000 works, ranging from ancient to contemporary art with particular strengths in Asian art, photography, pre-Columbian art and Old Master Drawings. An additional asset of the museum, says Taylor, is its comprehensive facility: "We can teach comfortably in many areas, which is unusual."
Taking on the role of a teaching museum in a University setting adds a level of complexity as well as excitement to the museum, according to Taylor. "We are differentiated by providing educational resources for original research and study through academic collaboration with faculty and students."
Taylor added: "We also provide a cultural experience and a forum for current issues and ideas, particularly those informed by artistic expression." Not only does the museum enable professors to build courses around the collection, but also innovative programming offers numerous opportunities for further scholarship and collaboration.
Now showing
Beyond its services to the University and local community, the museum also boasts an active loan program and organizes major touring exhibitions of its works. Opening this October and traveling nationally, "The Centaur's Smile: The Human Animal in Early Greek Art" will be the first US exhibition of its kind. The Museum will present 100 objects of various media, many from it's own collection, examining the role of the composite creature in Greek art.
The exhibition will also feature masterworks on loan from such collections as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Bibliotheque National of Paris. Of course, for those who miss the exhibition at the Princeton Art Museum, it will be at Houston's Museum of Fine Arts in February, but central campus, somehow, seems more convenient. And by the way, it's free.
Read More
Princeton Zoning Board of Adjustment approves renovations to Tower and Charter Clubs
Sena Chang and Isaac BernsteinOn March 27, the Municipality of Princeton’s Zoning Board of Adjustment approved construction developments for Tower Club and Charter Club. Renovations for both clubs are aimed towards improving accessibility.
On March 27, the Municipality of Princeton’s Zoning Board of Adjustment approved construction developments for Tower Club and Charter Club. Renovations for both clubs are aimed towards improving accessibility.
Students support local businesses with new platform Zage
Jack AllenAfter hearing about the struggles faced by a number of these restaurants after students left campus in mid-March, Dilbagi created Zage, an online platform that allows community members to send money to local businesses now to redeem as credits on their purchases in the future.
This fall, go beyond the 'Bubble'
Dora ZhaoEven though classes are picking up, weekends are the perfect time for students to escape the Orange Bubble. While going out to eat on Nassau is enjoyable, there is so much to see beyond Princeton. For those looking for a day trip or a chance to explore the area outside of Princeton, here is a list of ideas to do this fall.