Thursday, January 8, 2015
Written by: Office of Strategic Communication

The University of Iowa Museum of Art (UIMA) set an all-time museum record for  participation and attendance at events during the 2013-14 academic year. The UIMA drew 538,260 people, significantly surpassing the previous historical record of 146,470 for 2012-13.

A major contribution to this total was the highly successful Jackson Pollock Mural exhibition at the Getty in Los Angeles, rated by the Wall Street Journal as one of the world’s five “most-talked-about exhibits of the year.” At 304,349 visitors, it was the “highest weekly attendance for any show since the Getty started tracking that data in 2000.”

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 1,151 people in senior living centers across 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 25,505 K-12 school students, including 513 presentations to 491 classes in 99 locations in 16 communities in 9 counties. This vastly exceeds the previous year’s total of 18,465 K-12 students in 49 locations.

Additionally, 96,219 visitors viewed the UIMA’s outreach exhibitions in Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Maquoketa, and Davenport, and the UIMA’s Iowa Memorial Union location on the UI campus saw 5,902 visitors. There were 8,166 other visitors and participants in various smaller programs in Iowa City, such as public video installations, special tours, and lectures. Also included this year is the industry-standard practice of counting website visits, which totaled 96,968 in 2013-14.

The UIMA is expanding its outreach efforts during the upcoming year with museum partnerships in Sioux City and Dubuque, in addition to current work with partners in Davenport and Cedar Rapids. There are currently talks with organizations in other parts of Iowa.

“The UI Museum of Art is clearly one of the most successful art and education organizations in the state of Iowa, and has a proven to be an outstanding cultural ambassador outside the state for the university and for the citizens of Iowa,” says Sean O’Harrow, UIMA director. “This year’s performance demonstrates why the UIMA is so important to the mission of the university, for public higher education, and for economic development in Iowa.”

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. Visit the UIMA temporary locations: