Weatherspoon Art Gallery
Auniversity art museum that collects, preserves, presents, and interprets the work of nationally recognized American artists.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10.0k | Grant | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
The Weatherspoon Art Museum, an institution located at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), represents a significant cultural asset with a specialized focus on modern and contemporary art. Founded in 1941 by Gregory Ivy, the first head of the Art Department at what was then Woman's College, the museum originated as a university teaching gallery. Its purpose was to serve as an educational resource for the campus and the surrounding community. Ivy, an artist and educator with degrees from Columbia University, envisioned a space that would challenge traditional perspectives and championed the acquisition of contemporary works. The museum was named in honor of Elizabeth McIver Weatherspoon, an alumna and art educator.
The museum's operational model is that of a non-profit, university-affiliated institution. It serves a diverse audience that includes UNCG students and faculty, the local Piedmont Triad community, and national visitors, attracting approximately 36,000 visitors annually. As an academic resource, it is deeply integrated into the university's curriculum, with art history courses taught on-site and the collection used for direct study. Its financial structure relies on university support, grants from foundations such as the Henry Luce Foundation and the Helen Frankenthaler Climate Initiative, and fundraising activities managed by the Weatherspoon Art Museum Council.
A pivotal moment in the museum's history was the 1950 bequest from the estate of Etta Cone. Etta and her sister, Dr. Claribel Cone, were pioneering collectors of modern art who befriended artists like Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso in Paris. Following a suggestion from her sister-in-law and Woman's College alumna Laura Cone, Etta bequeathed 242 works to the fledgling gallery, including a significant group of prints and bronzes by Matisse. This donation formed a cornerstone of the permanent collection and established its direction. The collection has since grown to nearly 7,000 works, primarily focusing on American art from the 20th century to the present. It features pieces by major artists such as Willem de Kooning, Andy Warhol, Eva Hesse, Cindy Sherman, and Ai Weiwei. Other key collection areas include the Dillard Collection of Art on Paper and the Lenoir C. Wright Collection of Japanese Prints.
The museum's primary service is presenting its collection and a robust schedule of 15 or more temporary exhibitions each year. These exhibitions range from showcases of internationally recognized artists to thematic explorations of cultural issues and thesis shows for UNCG's MFA students. Housed in the Anne and Benjamin Cone Building since 1989, the 42,000-square-foot facility includes six galleries, a sculpture garden, and an auditorium. The museum also delivers extensive educational programming, including lectures, panel discussions, and the Falk Visiting Artist program, which brings professional artists to campus for residencies. Keywords: Weatherspoon Art Museum, modern art, contemporary art, UNCG, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Gregory Ivy, Etta Cone, Claribel Cone, American art, museum collection, art education, non-profit, Japanese prints, Dillard Collection, Art on Paper, Cone Collection, Henri Matisse, Willem de Kooning, Andy Warhol, public art museum, Greensboro art, Southeast art collection, Falk Visiting Artist, university museum, art gallery, arts education