Many incoming students get lost amongst the sea of buildings that comprise MU. Keen on finding classes, they often pass by the treasures often housed inside these buildings. Columbia is home to a plethora of art galleries (the several galleries located in the North Village Arts District, for example). Leaving campus is not necessary to find interesting art, though. Museums on campus provide students access to paintings, sculptures, artifacts and more — free of charge. Here are three great galleries to stop by during those breaks between classes.
**Museum of Art & Archaeology**
Art lovers looking for variety should head to the Museum of Art and Archaeology. Located on Francis Quadrangle, the museum maintains a collection of paintings and sculptures ranging from classical to modern design. Currently, the museum is hosting paintings focusing on Missouri artists, such as Thomas Hart Benton.
In addition to temporary exhibitions, the gallery keeps many pieces on display continuously. The museum also offers tours, as well as classes for all ages.
The museum is also home to the annual “Art in Bloom” exhibition each March, in which local floral artists design fresh-cut floral creations based on a piece in the museum’s collection.
**Museum of Anthropology**
Also located on the Quad, the Museum of Anthropology is a hidden gem of culture. The museum has a wide array of artifacts from Missouri’s past. Not limited to a local focus the museum houses collections encompassing many cultures, such as the Ethnographic Collection, which includes pieces from Japanese ivory carvings to musical instruments and masks from Africa. There are really no limits on what a visitor might encounter inside the Museum of Anthropology, and each piece is rich with history.
The museum provides the public with educational programs about history and other cultures, and also makes collections that are not on exhibit available to students and faculty when necessary.
Pieces not available in the museum can be found at The Museum Support Center, which is not far from campus. Home to the rest of the collection and its research, the center is unique in that it is the sole federally-approved archaeological curation facility in Missouri.
Even if you aren’t keen on researching arrowheads, the Museum of Anthropology is full of interesting, rare, and well-documented artifacts, and is right on the way to class.
**George Caleb Bingham Gallery**
Interested in more modern and local art? The George Caleb Bingham Gallery, located in the Fine Arts Center, frequently exhibits art by students and faculty of the Art School. The gallery hosts an annual faculty show, a graduating senior exhibition, a graduate showcase and more. The Bingham Gallery is small and cozy, with the clean lines of the gallery keeping the focus on the widely varied and original art displayed within.
The Gallery is not restricted to modern art, but the personal creativity of the students and faculty showcased never fails to shine through. One of the best ways to experience the gallery is to attend receptions, usually held on Thursdays or Fridays. Often, the artists showcased are at the receptions, ready to discuss their artwork.
The Bingham Gallery is presenting “The Larry Show,” consisting on representations of Larry Bauer, a Columbia resident and figure model, and starting next week it will run the exhibit “Work by New Faculty.”
