Phoenix Art Museum

The Phoenix Art Museum is the largest museum for visual art in the southwest United States. It is in Phoenix, Arizona and is a very big building. It covers 285,000 square feet (26,500 m²). Inside, visitors can see over 18,000 artworks from many places around the world. These artworks are from America, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and more recent art.

The collection includes Claude Monet's Flowering Arches, Giverny (1913)

Since 1959, the museum has been a fun place for people to visit. It has festivals, live shows, movies about art, and learning programs for everyone. There is a special area called The Hub: The James K. Ballinger Interactive Gallery just for children to explore. The museum also works with the Center for Creative Photography to show photographs. It has a beautiful garden with sculptures, and places to eat and shop.

The Phoenix Art Museum is very important to the city and has been named a Phoenix Point of Pride. It is a great spot for anyone who loves art and wants to learn more about it.

History

An art exhibit with objects hanging from strings from the ceiling

The Phoenix Art Museum opened in 1959 on the Central Avenue Corridor. It started when the Women's Club in Phoenix began collecting art. The museum has grown over time, adding new spaces for art shows, a theater, a library, and special galleries. Today, it is one of the biggest art museums in the southwest United States, with thousands of artworks from around the world.

Collections

Young couple examining a painting

The Phoenix Art Museum has a large collection of art with over 19,000 pieces. The art includes American, Asian, European, Latin American, Western American, modern, contemporary, and fashion design. The museum also shows photography thanks to a partnership with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona.

The collection has famous European paintings and American paintings, as well as modern and contemporary art. There are also 20th-century sculptures in the galleries.

Education

The Phoenix Art Museum has many programs to help people learn about art. These programs work for different ages and ways of learning, in school or just for fun.

The museum also has an Internship program for college students and recent graduates. This program is very competitive and needs the right experience and background. Internships are available all year, and sometimes there are special project-based internships too.

Lemon Art Research Library

The Lemon Art Research Library is a special library where people can learn about art. It has more than 40,000 books, magazines, and files about artists. It is the largest art library in the area and is free to visit during open hours.

Funding

Most of the Phoenix Art Museum's money comes from visitors, members, and people who use the museum’s store or rental spaces. This support makes up about 80% of what the museum needs. The government helps with about 3% of the budget, and companies give about 10%. The rest, around 7%, comes from money saved just for the museum.