University of Oregon Museum of Art in Eugene, OR

The University of Oregon is designed not only as a place for secondary education, but also to get public interest. The University of Oregon Museum of Art or Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art provides a number of galleries with art from around the world. The galleries are split into American, European, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese art. There are also revolving galleries for new art exhibits. The museum of art just underwent a major renovation to increase its displays.

Museum hours are 11am to 5pm on Tuesday, 11am to 8pm Wednesday, and Thursday through Sunday 11am to 5pm also. The museum is not open on Mondays or major holidays. There is a museum store and cafe on the premises. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, and children 18 and younger are free. College students and museum members are also free. The Schnitzer Museum pairs with the natural history museum to offer discounts. For anyone attending the art museum on the same day as the natural history museum, a discount of $1 into the history museum is given.

The university decided to open the art museum in 1932 to the public. The building was designed by Ellis F. Lawrence, the dean of architecture and allied arts at the time. Originally the museum housed the Murray Warner Collection of Oriental Art, with over 3,000 pieces as part of the exhibit. Mrs. Warner donated the collection in 1921. Many of the pieces are original works from Korea, Mongolia, Cambodia, and Russia. There are also a few American and British pieces with Asian influence.

Prince Lucien Campbell, president of Oregon University was the first to design the building from 1902 to 1925. Lawrence provided input between 1914 and 1946. The construction didn't actually begin until 1929. The exterior offers elegant brickwork with decorative molding and iron grillwork.

Each year there are exhibitions at the museum. For 2009 the Faster than a Speeding Bullet exhibit depicts superheroes from comics, specifically Superman. The exhibit ends in 2010. Another exhibit is the Korean Funerary Figures which will be at the museum until October 2009. From the past there are other exhibits like the Iconicity that depicts religious imagery, and cultural and political icons. 14 Views of Mt. Fuji is an ongoing exhibit that is not permanent. It shows Mt. Fuji in a variety of paintings and art work.

One of the more popular works of art is the Claude Lorrain Landscape of Egeria Mourning over Numa. It is an 18th to 19th century work. This work is displayed in the Discover a World of Art area of the museum. There are colorful prints of Japanese origins as well as other Asian countries. The collection has 12,500 pieces total in the museum. Another beautiful work is the Mountain Spirit, Korean, Joseon Period 19th century work of ink and color on cloth. The cloth has seen some wear, but it is nonetheless exceptional, and one of the more interesting pieces on loan to the museum.