University Museums: Underrated Gems for Art Lovers in the U.S.—Discover 8 of the Best

Aside from renowned U.S. art museums, those located at public and private universities often go unnoticed. The eight featured here boast collections and exhibits that are not only worthwhile but are also housed in strikingly modern architecture, such as the Broad Museum designed by Zaha Hadid in Michigan. Most are open year-round (including summer) and free to enter, with special exhibits available this fall as well.

1. Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota

• Visiting details: Free admission. Open Wednesday–Friday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday from 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Just one glance and it’s clear who designed this flowing, gleaming structure: Frank Gehry. Inaugurated in 1993, Gehry also oversaw its expansion in 2011, which nearly doubled the gallery space. The collection is particularly robust in American art, ceramics, and Korean decorative arts. This fall, two special exhibits highlight Black Americans and contemporary Black artists. Kara Walker: Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated) will feature 15 large-scale prints (from September 28 to December 29), while Seeking for the Lost showcases portraits by Christopher Harrison, envisioning what formerly enslaved individuals “lost” after the Civil War (now through February 16, 2025).

2. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

• Visiting information: Free admission. Open daily from noon to 5 p.m., except on Mondays. The café and gift shop open at 8 a.m. on weekdays.

Inaugurated in 1982, this modernist structure was crafted by I.M. Pei, emphasizing geometric forms, much like his other museum designs. The museum’s collection, which encompasses around 45,000 pieces, began earlier and is now among the largest in a U.S. university art museum. Seven galleries feature collections of African art, Indigenous art from the Americas, photography, contemporary art, and more. From September 5 to December 15, the Crossroads exhibit showcases paintings by Indiana native and rock star John Mellencamp. A significant donation from the Eskenazis allowed for a complete renovation of the museum in 2016.

3. Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, Michigan State University

• Visiting details: Free entry. Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

This striking structure was designed by Zaha Hadid, one of only four buildings in the U.S. by the renowned Iraqi-British architect and the first woman to receive the Pritzker Prize. With its angular steel facade, the museum emphasizes contemporary art. Recent additions encompass various forms, including video installations, inkjet prints on aluminum, vintage gelatin silver prints, and several works by Hadid herself, featuring silver jewelry and larger creations in marble, Cristalflex, and Lentiflex. A newly commissioned installation titled Complex Dreams by Esmaa Mohamoud will be displayed from mid-September to mid-February. (The Broads are also the benefactors behind the Broad Museum in Los Angeles, which is not affiliated with any university.)

4. Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University

• Visiting fees: $8 for adults; $6 for seniors and children aged 6 to 17. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Emory's collection traces its roots back to 1876; the present museum is a renovation and expansion of the former law school building, completed in 1993, featuring a distinctive postmodern facade designed by architect Michael Graves. This museum proudly holds the largest collection of ancient art in the Southeast, showcasing pieces from Egypt to the ancient Americas, while an additional gallery is dedicated to artworks on paper, including contemporary pieces. This fall, visitors can enjoy two special exhibits: Picture Words: Greek, Maya, and Moche Pottery (September 14 to December 15, 2024) and La Vaughan Belle: Come Ruin or Rapture (September 19 to December 8, 2024).

5. Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin

• Visiting details: $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $8 for youth. Open Tuesday to Friday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

True to the Texas spirit, this is a spacious museum featuring an extensive collection, emphasizing contemporary American and Latin American art, along with Italian Renaissance and Baroque paintings. Since its inception in 1963, the museum has grown to include recent outdoor additions designed by Snøhetta, as well as a unique freestanding structure by minimalist artist Ellsworth Kelly, unveiled in 2015.

Kelly’s sole building is a masterpiece, featuring colored glass windows and contrasting black and white marble panels. It serves as a tranquil space for quiet reflection. Currently, you can explore the Long Live Surrealism! 1924–Today exhibition until January 12.

6. Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University

• Visiting information: Free entry. Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday; and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday.

Designed by Rafael Viñoly, who also managed the renovation and expansion of the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Nasher was inaugurated in 2005. This modern, angular building focuses on contemporary art, especially works from historically underrepresented artists.

The Collection Galleries showcase artworks from the USA, Andes, Africa, and medieval Europe. A new exhibition titled Second Nature: Photography in the Age of the Anthropocene, running from September to January 5, 2025, is part of Duke’s 2024 Centennial Celebration. This exhibit investigates the ways in which humanity has impacted the global environment, featuring pieces by 45 artists from across the globe.

7. Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University

• Visiting details: Free admission. Open from 12 to 8 p.m. Wednesday to Friday; 12 to 5 p.m. on weekends; closed during the summer.

Even avid art enthusiasts can reach a limit before experiencing “museum fatigue.” However, this intimate museum, encased in glass with three galleries, makes that concern irrelevant. The building, designed by Dirk Lohan, who apprenticed under Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (his grandfather), was inaugurated in 1980.

Key highlights of the collection feature documentary photography of the Midwest (1930s–1970s), works by Chicago-based printmakers (1930s–1940s), and prints from South African townships (1980–1990s). The Block also houses a 148-seat auditorium that screens free films. Don’t miss two special exhibits this autumn: the immersive, multiscreen video The Great Farce, an animated satire by Federico Solmi, and Dissident Sister: Bev Grant and Feminist Activism, 1968–72, showcasing photographs of social justice movements in New York City. Both exhibitions will be on display until November 30.

8. Anderson Collection, Stanford University

• Visiting information: Free entry. Open Wednesday to Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This compact yet expansive museum is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a platform for modern and contemporary American art. Designed by Richard Olcott, the two-story structure features a high-ceilinged upper level where the majority of the artworks are showcased, accessible via a wide central staircase. The interior is bright and open, with an airy second floor. Adjacent to it is the older Cantor Arts Center, a neo-classical building housing a larger collection, which is also free to explore.

The Anderson’s permanent collection typically showcases between 90 to 100 artworks, allowing visitors to view nearly everything, including pieces by notable Bay Area artists like Nathan Oliveira and Richard Diebenkorn. The current exhibit, The Expanded Lens, running until August 17, 2025, complements the paintings and sculptures in the collection.