Museum of Art - A Memorial Turned Gallery

A stop on University of Michigan Campus Walk, a free self-guided tour.

The museum began with its classical building, Alumni Memorial Hall. The idea dates to 1864, when the university wanted to honor the students, faculty and alumni who died in the Civil War, but the hall was not dedicated until 1910, with stone columns flanking its bronze doors. In 2009 the University of Michigan Museum of Art reopened after a $41.9 million expansion that added the boldly modern Frankel Family Wing, designed by architect Brad Cloepfil.

Inside is one of the largest university art museums in the country, with more than 20,000 works, including pieces by Whistler, Picasso, Monet and Hokusai. Admission is free, so it's worth coming back when you have more time.

Out front, look up at Orion, a 53-foot sculpture of orange-red steel beams by Mark di Suvero. It first arrived in 2008, came down for conservation in 2018, and returned for good in 2019. Walk around it and watch the beams shift as your angle changes.

Getting here: Head west on North University Avenue to State Street, then walk south along State past the Diag to the museum at the corner of South University Avenue.

Did you know?: Near the State Street entrance is Behind the Walls by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, a 25-foot white head of a young woman covering her eyes with her hands, installed in November 2020.

Photo op: From across State Street, frame Orion's tilted steel beams against the columns of Alumni Memorial Hall.

More on Wikipedia: University of Michigan Museum of Art · Mark di Suvero · Brad Cloepfil · Jaume Plensa

Museum of Art - A Memorial Turned Gallery

Stops on this tour