Museum As Collector: Across Time and Place
July 9, 2026
Every museum collection tells two stories. The first is told through the objects themselves—the artists, cultures, materials,
and histories they represent. The second is told through the people, relationships,
and decisions that brought those objects into the collection.
No museum collects everything. Every collection is shaped by choices: what to acquire, what to preserve, which stories
to tell, and how to steward resources for future generations. These choices reflect
the values, priorities, and relationships that define an institution and make each
museum unique.
The University of Wyoming Art Museum’s collection predates the museum itself. What began as a teaching collection assembled by Art Department Chair James M. Boyle
has grown into a collection of more than 11,000 works of art spanning cultures, time
periods, artistic traditions, and media. More than an accumulation of objects, the
collection is a record of the people, relationships, opportunities, and acts of stewardship
that have shaped the museum over time.
Museum as Collector explores the many ways works of art enter a museum collection. Presented throughout the museum, these exhibitions examine collecting as an active,
ongoing process—shaped by artists, donors, collectors, exhibitions, scholarship, and
community. From global collections and relationships with artists to archives, gifts,
and exhibition-driven acquisitions, each installation reveals a distinct pathway through
which art becomes part of a shared public resource.
Together, these exhibitions invite visitors to look beyond the objects on display and consider the choices that shaped the collection. In doing so, they reveal not
only what the museum collects, but how a museum becomes a museum.
Explore Museum as Collector: Across Time and Place
- Andy Warhol: 15 Prints - January 24, 2026 - May 30, 2026
- Andy Warhol: 10 Clips - January 31, 2026 - December 23, 2026
- Global Collection: Masks of the World - May 2, 2026 - April 25, 2027
- Artist & Museum: Hung Liu - May 16, 2026 - May 1, 2027
- Andy Warhol: 99 Photos - June 20, 2026 - December 23, 2026
- Gifted Collection: Brett Weston Archive - July 9, 2026
- Exhibition Collection: Contemporary Works - July 9, 2026
