By Kimberley Brown

Hello, I am planning to revisit the UMMA to see their newly-unveiled presence! I’ve heard it’s wonderful. One friend said it rivaled the MoMA! Busy-ness made it impossible for me to get there for the grand reopening last weekend but I’m going to get there as soon as I can and report back.

I reflected on an interview with University of Michigan Museum of Art Director James Steward from Summer 2005 where he discussed the plans for the new museum renovations. I was inspired by him then so you can imagine how eager I am to visit!

Below is the article from 2005.

Sailing the Seas of Change

by Kim Brown July 2005

University of Michigan Museum of Art Director James Steward transcends old perceptions about art museums, introducing new and exciting exhibits from far away lands.

If you’ve been to Ann Arbor’s University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) recently, you have probably noticed an ever-increasing diversity of art collections and exhibitions. Art from Korea, Africa, the Middle East, Russia and beyond has made its way to this small Midwestern town under UMMA Director James Steward’s leadership. “What we offer is attractive and varied, particularly relative to the scale of the museum,” said Steward.

Increasing the geographic scope of art acquisitions and programs helps fulfill the museum’s purview — to develop exhibits that appeal to the lay community and enhance their interest in art, and simultaneously to challenge University art students and stimulate seasoned art professors. Not accidentally, the art exhibits found at the UMMA are also a big part of the cultural cornucopia that draws people to visit Ann Arbor, or to relocate here for work or study.

“We serve as both an anchor and a magnet for visitors, particularly to this part of Ann Arbor,” said Steward. “This location is an intersection between the city and the University. It has the vibrancy of two worlds coming together.”

Since Steward’s arrival in 1998, attendance to the museum has risen from 80,000 to 130,000 annually. In an age when museums compete with other forms of entertainment such as stage performances and concerts for attendees, Steward and the museum staff must build maximum impact into each exhibit. One effective technique involves exploring new ideas about art and artists while building upon a framework of familiarity.

“To bring people in, the programs here have to be real somehow for people — they must deliver something people can relate to,” Steward said. Steward clearly has a respect for all art audiences, and a faith in their ability to learn and think in new ways. His philosophy is reflected in a movement among university museums to appeal to both academic and non-academic audiences through thematic-based exhibits as opposed to blockbusters — shows by household-name artists like Monet and Picasso. For example, last year’s Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit expanded beyond a presentation of the artist’s giant, well recognized flowers to display her landscape studies and a discourse on her role in modern art in America.

“We give people what they expect to see at a museum, while at the same time stretching their comfort zones to a degree,” said Steward. Steward is a member of numerous professional museum organizations, and holds a board position on the Michigan Museums Association. Yet it’s worth noting that he isn’t looking to model the UMMA after another institution. Steward writes in the May/June issue of Insight (UMMA’s periodical): “Some museums make the mistake of aspiring to a kind of sameness — building on the idea that there is a mold out of which all good museums spring….In my view, museums must tailor themselves to specifics, understanding the uniqueness of their individual contexts and the opportunities and responsibilities these create while honoring their histories.”

With education and professional experience at Oxford and Berkeley, Steward has a sophisticated background and a very polished presentation. He speaks with eloquence and professorial tone reflecting his other position as professor of Art History at the U of M. His demeanor, meanwhile, is welcoming and he seems very much at home in Ann Arbor. By his praise of Ann Arbor and its fine arts and cultural events, one gets the impression that the very thing James Steward works to augment in this city may have helped draw him here. The museum’s future includes a planned 2007 expansion that will, in Steward’s words, “enhance the bridging of scholarship and public engagement,” and is intended to amplify the role of the UMMA as an art destination. Steward envisions that more people will be enticed to spend an entire evening, or make an engaging stop en route to dinner or a performance elsewhere. Until then, the UMMA’s current enticing exhibits go on uninterrupted. Be sure to visit soon!