The Museum of Art/WSU was established in the fall of 1973 as an independent department of Washington State University. The Museum was given the responsibility for caring for and providing access to the permanent collections; presenting changing exhibitions in the museum gallery; and developing complementary programming such as lectures, films, catalogues and gallery tours. The Museum’s touring exhibitions have traveled to dozens of museums throughout the United States, and its books have been distributed all over the world.
The Museum was originally funded through state funds as a base and through grants from state and national agencies. As the program has become increasingly ambitious, additional sources of revenue have become essential; those sources include private donations, foundations and endowments.
The Museum of Art/WSU is a member of the Washington Art Consortium, a group of seven museums in the state, who co-own three distinct collections of drawings, prints and photographs by significant modern and contemporary artists.
See also Exhibition Archive and Permanent Collection
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