Established | October 3, 2003 |
---|---|
Location | Auburn, Alabama |
Type | public |
Director | Cindi Malinick |
Website | www |
The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art is an accredited art museum[1] on the campus of Auburn University in Alabama.[2][3] When it opened on October 3, 2003, the museum contained six exhibition galleries within its 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2) of interior space.[2][4]
The museum includes an auditorium, cafe, and a museum shop. Outside the main building, the grounds encompass 7 acres (28,000 m2) of land, featuring an English-inspired formal area and woodland landscape, outdoor sculpture, and landscaped walking paths around the lake.[4]
In 2000, the university named as director Michael De Marsche who oversaw the facility's design and construction.[5] He was replaced by Joseph Ansell as interim director who was also head of the university's Department of Art.[2] In 2006, Marilyn Laufer was named interim co-director, then director in 2007, remaining in that position until retiring in 2018.[6]
In spring of 2013, the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) recognized the museum as an accredited museum. In 2022, the AAM awarded the museum re-accreditation.[7]
The museum is named after Jule Collins Smith, the wife of Albert Smith, who graduated from Auburn University in 1947. Smith donated $3 million to the project as a gift to his wife, in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary.[2]