Seattle Art Museum

A museum is technically a repository of artistic works of all times. It is where artworks are collected and preserved for the forthcoming generations to observe and study. But we know that it is definitely more than just a repository. It is rather a storehouse of the creations of art by some of the greatest artists of history. It is an exhibit of magnificent art, its splendor, worth years of research. The Seattle Art Museum is one such art museum that is located in Seattle, Washington. It is one of the most famed museums of USA.

Seattle Art Museum is one museum on three distinct sites namely Seattle Art Museum downtown, Seattle Asian Art Museum at Volunteer Park and the Olympic Sculpture Park on the downtown waterfront. It is where an association between art and life can be said to be established. It is where the pieces of art reflect the art of living through brilliant portrayals of life.

Merely about 2000 pieces of art were displayed in the Seattle Art Museum in 1933. The collection has grown up to a number as high as 25,000 in 2008. Not only the collection has grown but the museum has also witnessed a striking rise in its facilities and number of visitors. Originally, the museum occupied an area of about 25,000 square feet, whereas today, the facilities provide an area of 312,000 square feet with a spacious 9 acres of land for a park. The museum started with a staff of 7, taking it up to 303, with the passage of time.

Seattle art museum originated from the Seattle Fine Arts Society established in 1905 and the Washington Arts Association that was formed in 1906. The two institutions merged in the year 1917. In 1931, the group was named as the Art Institute of Seattle. During the early years after the establishment of the organization, Richard Fuller was an active member and President of the Seattle Fine Arts Society. He, with his mother funded $250,000 towards the building of an art museum in Volunteer Park. The city provided the land. Later, Carl Gould, a leading architect of the Pacific Northwest designed an Art Deco building for the museum. The art museum opened on June 23, 1933.

The collection with the Art Institute and the artworks donated by the Fullers formed the major portion of the Seattle Art Museum's collection. Fuller assumed the position of museum director. He never took a penny for his service. In 1991, the art collection in the Art Deco building was moved to a newly built Seattle Art Museum building located in downtown Seattle.

The Seattle Asian Art Museum that forms a part of the Seattle Art Museum is located inside the Volunteer Park on Seattle. The Art Deco building, which originally housed the Seattle Art Museum's collection, is now the location of Seattle Asian Art Museum. There is a special facility of a free admission into the museum on the first Saturday and the first Thursday of every month.

The Olympic Sculpture Park, which is one of the striking features of the Seattle Art Museum, opened on January 20, 2007. It consists of an outdoor museum and a beach. Ann and John Shirley, former CEO of Microsoft and the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Seattle Art Museum, donated a gift of $30 million for the Olympic Sculpture Park and became the pioneers in its establishment. Since the park hosts an outdoor display of art; the pieces of art are exposed to the environment. Hence the maintenance of the sculptures is a major concern. Some of the very famous works such as Wake by Richard Serra, Split by Roxy Paine, Eagle by Alexander Calder, Father and Son by Louise Bourgeois and many others, form a part of the Olympic Sculpture Park's collection.

The Seattle Art Museum arranges special visits for school students and discounted tours for large groups. There are special arrangements for physically challenged visitors.
The museum hosts a variety of shows, exhibitions, gallery talks and lectures from time to time. It always encourages new artists to display their works. It has preserved a great treasure of the ‘ancient’ and is looking forward to welcome the ‘contemporary’.