Phoenix Art Museum

The Phoenix Art Museum is the largest museum for visual art in the southwest United States. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, this huge building covers 285,000 square feet (26,500 m²). Inside, visitors can see over 18,000 artworks from many places around the world, including America, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and more recent art.

The collection includes Claude Monet's Flowering Arches, Giverny (1913)

Since 1959, the museum has been a place where people gather for fun activities. It holds festivals, live shows, movies about art, and learning programs for everyone. There is a special area called The Hub: The James K. Ballinger Interactive Gallery just for children to explore. The museum also works with the Center for Creative Photography to show photographs, has a beautiful garden with sculptures, and even places to eat and shop.

The Phoenix Art Museum is very important to the city and has been named a Phoenix Point of Pride. It is a wonderful spot for anyone who loves art and wants to learn more about it.

History

An art exhibit with objects hanging from strings from the ceiling

The Phoenix Art Museum opened in 1959 on the Central Avenue Corridor. It began when the Women's Club in Phoenix started collecting art and grew over time. The museum has expanded many times, adding new spaces for art shows, a theater, a library, and special galleries. Today, it is one of the largest art museums in the southwest United States, with thousands of artworks from around the world.

Collections

Young couple examining a painting

The Phoenix Art Museum has a big collection of art with more than 19,000 pieces. These include American, Asian, European, Latin American, Western American, modern, contemporary, and fashion design art. The museum also shows photography exhibitions thanks to a special partnership with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona.

The museum's collection includes famous European paintings and American paintings, as well as modern and contemporary art pieces. There are also sculptures from the 20th century featured in the galleries.

Education

The Phoenix Art Museum has many educational programs to help people learn about art. These programs are designed for different ages and ways of learning, whether it’s in a school setting or just for fun.

The museum also has an Internship program that is very competitive. This program is for college students and recent graduates who have the right experience and background. Internships are available year-round, and sometimes there are special project-based internships too.

Lemon Art Research Library

The Lemon Art Research Library is a special library that helps people learn about art. It has over 40,000 books, magazines, and files about artists. It is the biggest library for art in the area and is free to visit during open hours.

Funding

Most of the Phoenix Art Museum's money comes from people who visit, become members, or use the museum's store and rental spaces. This support makes up about 80% of what the museum needs to run. The government helps with about 3% of the budget, and companies give about 10%. The rest, around 7%, comes from money set aside just for the museum.