Last updated: 7/26/2012
5550 S Greenwood AveChicago, IL 60637
5550 S. Greenwood AvenueChicago, IL 60637
Galleries closed Mondays and major holidays.
Sunday, Tuesday - Saturday
10 AM - 5 PM
Galleries closed Mondays and major holidays.
Sunday, Tuesday - Wednesday, Friday - Saturday
10 AM - 5 PM
Admission is always free.
Free
As the art museum of the University of Chicago, the Smart Museum of Art is home to thought-provoking special exhibitions and a permanent collection that spans five thousand years of artistic creation.
Today, as in the past, the Smart Museum serves as a leading voice on behalf of the arts, both on campus and in the community, and maintains its role as an energetic presence on the cultural landscape
Named in memory of David and Alfred Smart—the publishers of Esquire, Coronet, and other magazines—the Smart Museum of Art first opened to the public in 1974. The fledgling institution became the central repository for the University of Chicago’s fine arts collection, consolidating departmental holdings that date to the University’s founding in the 1890s. From the beginning, the Smart was guided by an educational mission focused on teaching and research, and by a commitment to making the arts accessible to the University community and wider public through our collection and special exhibitions.
In the past decades, the Smart’s broad-based collection has expanded significantly, both through major gifts and through the initiation of an active acquisitions program. Likewise, the scope of the Museum’s mission has grown substantially. Initially run from within the art history department, the Smart gained administrative autonomy in 1983 and adopted a new focus on public outreach, first within the campus community and then throughout the city. In the 1990s, the Museum began a seminal phase of programmatic expansion, launching an innovative educational outreach program for local public schools, as well as a faculty-curated exhibition program funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. On the eve of our thirtieth anniversary, the Smart earned accreditation by the American Association of Museums.
Built on four main pillars—Asian art, European art, modern art and design, and contemporary art—the collections include recognized masterworks as well as clusters of works that introduce important, though lesser known, areas of art history. Strengths across the collections include figurative art, works on paper, and small-scale sculpture, as well as materials that illuminate artists' working methods and contexts.
Our episodic, rather than encyclopedic, approach to collecting serves our core mission of teaching and research, allowing for both deep explorations and unexpected comparisons across aesthetic approaches, eras, and cultures.
Tours of the Smart Museum are available to all schools. Our staff works in close consultation with teachers to plan these docent-led or self-guided tours, tailoring each visit to ensure that they complement broader classroom lessons.
The Smart regularly hosts workshops and other programs for art and other teachers interested in integrating aspects of the Museum into their curriculum. Topics generally include teaching with objects, special exhibition themes, and arts integration. To register for a teacher workshop, e-mail Lisa Davis, Manager of Tour and Teacher Initiatives, or call 773.834.1066.
The Smart also teams up with teachers to create lesson plans and thematic tours based off of our collection and exhibitions. See our website for examples or contact Lisa Davis to discuss how to fit these or other themed tours in to your classroom plans.
The Smart Museum’s bright and airy café is home to the finest coffee on campus, offering freshly brewed illy coffee and espresso drinks. The menu includes great food from Hyde Park and beyond: sandwiches and salads from Medici Deli and Pizza Capri, assorted hot noodles from Snail Thai, salads and soups from foodism, and baked goods from Medici. Grab your favorite drink from one of our baristas and spend a quiet morning reading in the café or enjoy an afternoon debating art with friends in our outdoor sculpture garden.
The Museum Shop offers a collection of Smart publications featuring in-depth essays by leading academics and emerging scholars, including catalogues from past exhibitions. The Shop also carries a variety of children's books aimed at cultivating a love of art.
Beyond books, the Museum Shop carries unique gifts like handmade jewelry from Via Mia design, one-of-a-kind recycled vinyl messenger and tote bags, hand-woven textiles, Moleskine notebooks, and a variety of paper products. Become a Smart Partner and receive a 10% discount on all purchases at the shop and café.
Named to the Knot’s list of 10 best museums for a wedding, the Smart Museum is a unique and affordable place for your special event. Featuring large-scale art and sculptures, the Smart’s striking Ratner Reception Gallery and outdoor Elden Sculpture Garden provide crisp, contemporary spaces that are suitable for a wide variety of events—including wedding receptions, intimate dinners, University events, and music recitals.
During your event, you and your guests will have a private opportunity to explore the Museum’s galleries. Tours of our special exhibitions and permanent collection are available as well.
Gift Shop
Special Event Rental
Restaurant
Group Tours
Wheelchair Accessible
Parking
Restrooms
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