Grinnell College Museum of Art Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The Grinnell College Museum of Art (GCMoA) is celebrating 25 years of bringing the joy and excitement of art to Grinnell College and the wider community. GCMoA — opened in 1999 under the name Faulconer Gallery — promotes the arts, features various major exhibitions of national and international arts and artists, and conducts outreach initiatives. The museum also encompasses the Print and Drawing Room in Burling Library, which contains the College’s collection of works on paper by artists such as Rembrandt van Rijn and Pablo Picasso. Faculty and students regularly use this space to study the artists and their works as well as to aid their teaching and learning of various subject areas.  

This fall, GCMoA is featuring the exhibition And Gladly Teach: The Museum as a Classroom. This exhibition emphasizes how the museum’s art collection serves as a catalyst for dialogue. According to Susan Baley, director of the GCMoA, each year Grinnell faculty, staff, and students request thousands of objects from the museum’s collection — many of which have inspired student-curated exhibitions over the years.  

Baley shares, “I hope the works elicit questions and provoke discussions about critical topics such as racism, immigration, patriotism, identity, and civil rights.” She also notes, “During the past academic year, 84 classes visited the print room to study works of art from the collection, and 62 classes made trips to the gallery to study works from the collection and objects on loan to the museum.” 

The celebration of this milestone anniversary marks a commitment not only to excellence in teaching and learning, but also a dedication to community outreach. In partnership with Drake Community Library (DCL) and other community partners, GCMoA has a history of hosting free programs and sharing the museum’s resources with individuals, families, and community organizations. Programs such as StoryTime Art in the Park have succeeded in extending the reach of GCMoA and its resources to the larger Grinnell community.  

The College commemorates 25 years of excellence at the Grinnell College Museum of Art with the exhibition And Gladly Teach, which is on display through Dec. 15, 2024, for all to visit during museum hours. Admission is always free. For more information, please visit GCMoA’s website.