Museum of Fine Arts Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH) located in Houston's museum district is a wholesome organization that strives to bring art to a whole new level. This cultural complex has two main galleries in two separate buildings, the Beck Building and Law Building. Its campus has the Cullen Sculpture garden where modern and contemporary sculptures by notable artists are showcased, a movie theater (Brown Auditorium), and libraries (Hirsch Library and Kitty King Powell library). It has two house museums, namely, the Rienzi where European decorative paintings, arts, and programs are displayed and offered, and the Bayou Bend where American decorative and fine arts are shown. It is also the home of the Glassell School of Art which offers wide ranging workshops andclasses for a diversity of students.

MFAH has a visitor's center, cafe, and gift shop to cater to the needs of everyone who visits the museum. It is home to over a hundred collections coming from a variety of geographic regions including Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, South Pacific, and many more. It also has featured collections from wide ranging artists highlighting collection such as the Straus and Glassell Collection of African Gold.

The Museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm during Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 am to 9 pm on Thursdays, 10 am to 7 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 12:15 pm to 7 pm every Sunday. It is closed during Mondays except on holidays that fall on this day. It is also closed during Thanksgiving and Christmas Days.

Anyone is welcome to visit the MFAH. Visitors with disabilities can be very well assisted inside the museum. The organization even has programs for partially sighted or blind visitors, visitors with Dementia or Alzheimer's, deaf or partially deaf visitors, and visitors with limited mobility. Anyone can become a member of the MFAH and members get great discounts for tickets and Cafe food.

Purpose

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH)is all about interpreting art works from angles that discover the uniqueness of certain cultures and at the same time emphasizing common connection of humanity. The organization is dedicated towards serving everyone by practicing quality in arts through education, exhibition and collections.

As one of the largest museums in America, the MFAH stays true to its mission, which aims at dedication towards joint efforts that take full advantage of educational, scientific, and artistic resources. MFAH is strongly committed towards catering the public programs and services that offer visitors opportunities to appreciate art to the fullest. It not only caters to visitors but also to those who are looking for chances to work in a trusted organization. Employing over five hundred people, anyone interested can join the team of dynamic MFAH staff members.

The museum caters to people who want to volunteer or help out in the museum through different ways. Thus, the MFAH aims to welcome as many volunteers as they can in order to bring art into the hearts of many throughout Houston, America, and the world.

Through its art school, MFAH also caters eager learners through its education program. Its ultimate goal is to offer experiences that clinch the significance of the museum and its art. It aims at positioning museum and art as an important factor of a life that is well rounded.

With shared interests and values the organization strongly works with its partners to support the greater community. As a research based institution, its in-house resources including archives, libraries, publishing programs, and research centers aim at supporting the needs of the schools, the museum's programs and exhibits, and the community in general. For over a hundred years, the museum has been encouraging public interest in the area of fine arts. Education in a wide ranging manner is therefore the MFAH's ultimate mission.

History

The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston was founded in 1900. It is, by far, the oldest museum in the entire state of Texas. The museum did not actually have its present name. Its roots can be traced back to the Public School Art League which was formed during the nineteen hundreds. It was formed by five women spearheaded by Emma Richardson Cherry. In 1913, it became the Houston Art League reflecting its wide ranging goal.

In 1926, the original museum had two new wings but was not fully completed due to lack of funds. In 1929, its state charter was subsequently amended and its name was formally changed to the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston. The name was then shortened to its present name during the early 1960s. James Chillman Jr., its founding director, created a program that showcased local shows and this was then known as the Houston Artists Annual Exhibition.

In the United States, the MFAH is among the top visual arts organization and has the biggest and most brilliant art collections in the Southwest. When its very first funding was established during the 1960's, gifts helped in the development of different collections in a variety of scopes and sizes.

Its original neoclassical building, the Law Building, dates back to 1924. Between 1934 & 1942, the museum's gardens strongly evolved. The garden used to be avid gardener Ima Hogg's private estate when she donated it to the city in 1957. 1937 became a significant year for the museum when Ruth Pershing Uhler became an instructor and education curator for so many years until she passed away in 1967. By 1954, Lee Malone succeeded founding director Chillman. In 2000, Rafael Moneo, a famous Spanish architect designed the Audrey Jones Beck Building. Today, MFAH has become a complex filled with amazing history.

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