More than 146,000 see exhibits, attend programs in 2012-13
Monday, December 16, 2013
Written by: UI Museum of Art

The University of Iowa Museum of Art (UIMA) set an all-time museum record for attendance at events, programs and exhibitions during the 2012-13 academic year. The UIMA drew 146,470 people, just surpassing the previous record of 146,466 for 2011-12.

The UIMA has had to creatively engage with its audiences as a result of the loss of its building in the devastating Flood of 2008. Through exhibitions in temporary locations across campus, including the third floor of the Iowa Memorial Union, as well as in the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, parts of the museum’s permanent collection have remained on display for students, visitors, and researchers.

Likewise, educational programs were provided to 1,182 people in senior living centers across eastern Iowa in what is continuing to be a rapidly growing and popular initiative.

The UIMA has also significantly increased its reach by putting art in the hands of more Iowa citizens. This past year, the museum’s education programs have traveled all over the state, bringing art directly to 18,465 K-12 school students, including 443 presentations to 739 classes in 49 locations in 18 communities in 10 counties. This exceeds the previous year’s total of about 12,000 K-12 students from 48 schools in 30 towns.

Additionally, more than 10,000 visitors viewed the UIMA’s outreach exhibitions in Cedar Rapids and Mt. Vernon, and the UIMA’s exhibition of 19th century French art, Napoleon and the Art of Propaganda, attracted more than 14,000 visitors to the Old Capitol Museum on the UI campus.

The UIMA will expand its outreach efforts in during the upcoming year with museum partnerships in Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Maquoketa, and Dubuque, in addition to current work with partners in Des Moines and Davenport. There are also talks with organizations in western Iowa.

“The UIMA has proved to be a powerful tool for reaching out to citizens across the state of Iowa by providing educational opportunities based on research and material created by University of Iowa professors and academics. This is why the art museum is so important to the mission of the university and for public higher education,” says Sean O’Harrow, UIMA director.

Visit the UI Museum of Art website for more information about the UIMA’s collections, exhibitions, and education programming.

After the June 2008 flooding of the UIMA's former Riverside Drive home, the building was deemed unsuitable for the return of artwork. However, the UIMA collection was saved, and through the use of temporary facilities and creative outreach, the museum continues to offer the invaluable experience of art to the university, the community, the state of Iowa, and beyond. We invite you to visit our temporary locations: