Change in Focus at Loyola University Museum of Art
Over the past 14 years, Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA) has become a valuable resource for our faculty, staff, and students and an important venue for student art expression, internships, and intellectual inquiry. The museum has served as an integral part of Loyola University Chicago, contributing much to the University’s academic landscape and affirming our Jesuit, Catholic traditions through art and culture.
As its spring exhibitions come to a close in June, LUMA’s scope of operations will be adjusted from its current operating model. It will remain—as it has since its inception—within the administrative services structure of the University and will not migrate into any particular school. It will no longer be open to the public for daily admission, but will function as both a special event and exhibition space for internal and external groups. It will also continue to serve classes that arrange museum visits throughout the year, supporting academic enterprise across the University through its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs.
The University will maintain its care for and display of the D’Arcy Collection of medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque art. The museum will continue to show its beloved annual Crèche exhibition and solicit both internal student and/or faculty exhibitions as well as periodic external exhibitions. Additionally, the museum will also have the ability to showcase numerous other University-owned holdings, including many pieces from the Cuneo Mansion.
Loyola has begun a search for LUMA’s new curatorial leader, who will be responsible for not only caring for and leading exhibitions of the museum’s internal collections but also engaging the University with both internal—especially student-led—and external exhibitions and shaping student internship opportunities.
In addition, the University has voluntarily withdrawn LUMA’s accreditation with the American Alliance of Museums, as the alliance’s rigorous requirements were a primary driver of the continued and increasing operating deficits. It will also integrate other staff members from across the University into the operations of the museum. This will allow the University to prioritize resources in support of the museum’s academic focus and use the museum space for special events, while maintaining the visibility of its collections and exhibitions.
We encourage you to continue to incorporate LUMA into your curricula and academic careers and look forward to many more years of enjoying its incredible collections.