krannert art museum

A very varied line-up every year. Top groups from around the world. U of I theatre is also excellent.

The Krannert Art Museum is a block or two from Memorial Stadium, the huge football area at U of I, yet the Krannert, while much smaller, is huge if you are interested in art. The collection here is wide-ranging and the exhibits always interesting, sometimes quite thought provoking. We have seen exhibits on Carrie Mae Weems, African masks, photos of an overstuffed chair, Egyptian art, Henry Moore. The museum usually has about 4 rotating exhibits, so there's always something new. Much of the non-changing art is downstairs in a space that is even larger than the upstairs gallery. A large auditorium is downstairs as well and sometimes has speakers. The small cafe can be good or just ok, but at least it is available. Parking is adjacent and requires quarters.

Krannert Art Museum, located on the campus of the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, opened in 1961. With the addition of the Kinkead Pavilion, which nearly doubled the museum's size to 63,000 square feet, the property is the second largest art museum in the state of Illinois. A significant portion of the museum's permanent collection of over 10,000 works of art is displayed in 10 galleries, ranging from ancient Egyptian and Pre-Columbian to contemporary art to modern art to Renaissance. In addition, Krannert presents from 12 to 15 changing exhibitions each year, bringing in works of art from nationally and internationally notable museums and collections to the local community. When I was informed that the museum attracts over 132,000 visitors annually, my first reaction was: "Why so few?" Its mission is "to strive to enrich the human experience by inviting visitors to make connections through the visual arts between the past and present, between what is understood and what is unknown." To that end, the museum fulfills its mission by acquiring, preserving, exhibiting, researching and interpreting its collection of art from world cultures from ancient times to present day and exhibiting diverse and contemporary artists. Some of its current exhibitions include 80 etchings of Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, works by artists who served in World War I and II, Japanese woodblock prints from the 1950s and 1960s and the Arts of Africa. Krannert's permanent collection includes Arts of Asia, Arts of Europe, Art of the Americas and Ancient Mediterranean art. It reminds me of the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, diverse and mesmerizing, even controversial, but totally compelling. Even for someone, like me, who doesn't spend many hours in art museums, it is worth the time.

Small, but what they have is very nice. Doesn't take too long to tour around and there is no fee. They have lots of variety in their offerings ranging from Renaissance to Modern Art, greatest interest probably statues in front by Illinois artist.

Beautiful theatre with state of the art facilities. Easy access with parking ramp convenience and large public areas for crowd control.

I was disappointed with this museum. I was expecting vast, well organized, interesting art collections. The masks created by school students cannot be characterized as "art". The exhibition of pre-columbian artifacts is disorganized and doesn't even have professional lighting. I think the board of directors need to have a meeting and take a hard look at the entire museum. There are hundreds of more interesting art museums across the nation.

This is a wonderful art gallery right on the University of Illinois campus. We have been there a few times. They always have a featured showing, then lots of beautiful and varied art pieces. You can spend a few hours or just stop for a few exhibits.

Although Krannert has been around for a while, it still is a beautiful place. We attended a concert in one of the smaller theatres and it was very comfortable.

Who would have guessed there would be such a neat art museum in Champaign! They have a eclectic range of art to see. Its mini version of the moma :-) Theirs a section, far in the back with south american art, a must see. If your needing a bit and coffee, they have an espresso royal on the main level. Cool place to hang and see art!

I had the privilege of working with William S. Kinkead for many years and visiting this facility has been on my "bucket list" for a long time (since Mr. Kinkead's death in 1982). We had the privilege of having a private tour and viewing of the many galleries within the museum and pavilion. It was the highlight of our trip (my son came from Oklahoma and I came from Tennessee to see it). A donation is suggested since there is no admission charge.

A jewel for the C/U and surrounding area. Fabulous displays of art that the average individual would not have the opportunity to experience without the Krannert.

I haven't been through the whole museum, but the recently re-installed African exhibition is amazing. The museum displays some contemporary pieces with older artworks to juxtapose the "traditional" with the "modern." Their new exhibition does a good job in questioning stereotypes of Africa. I can't speak about much of the rest of the museum, except to say that the contemporary US exhibitions have often been engaging.

Ever wanted to have an art museum to yourself? That’s basically what happened to me on my visit to Krannert Art Museum. I went on a Saturday, & was surprised by how few patrons were there. I counted about nine other visitors during my entire visit!The staff member I talked to when I arrived was friendly, & helped me navigate the renovation on the main floor. I went through the lower level first, where the highlight for me was the section of ancient Egyptian artifacts. There was also a large size gallery dedicated to artifacts from Peru, & I thought the museum made a good choice to go in-depth on that particular ancient culture. There were some good paintings on the large curved wall on the main level, and I also liked the small room dedicated to the artist who sculpted the Alma Mater statue on campus. That said, the contemporary art gallery was hit or miss; I only liked three paintings out of that bunch.There’s room for improvement at the museum though. There are two large size rooms on the lower level that are completely empty; which is awkward, because you have to walk through one of the big empty rooms to continue browsing the museum. The wooden floors are creaky in some spots on both the lower & main level, which is really weird when you can hear one of the only other visitors in the entire museum walking around a whole two rooms away! I feel bad for the security guys too; I’m sure one of their goals is to not be a distraction, but they’re hard not to notice when it’s only you & them in a huge exhibit space.Several rooms on the main level were undergoing (sometimes noisy) work for a new exhibit, so if I’m in the area again, I might stop by. Be aware the University can be a stickler about parking, especially during the school year. I parked near the basketball arena and walk to the museum (a long hike), because you don’t need a parking pass there on weekends (excluding when major events are going on). There’s a great, free to use bus system that covers campus and parts of the surrounding cities; a good way for locals to visit or to get you to the museum if you found alternative parking. When you consider the fact the museum is free to visit, it’s a pretty high quality experience overall.

Had some nice pieces. It is a free art museum on the University of Illinois campus. Traffic and parking can be a problem. There was some weird interactive motion and light thing that was actually a bit creepy. The bronze statues off the hall with paintings were pretty amazing. The glass work was neat. I'm not trained in the modern arts at all, so I had a hard time appreciating what was "artistic" about the entire East Wing. The Inca pottery and jewelry downstairs was really cool. It is free, and a nice distraction if you've lived here for a while and just want to see something different.

rembrant, definite like! exhibits include many different types and periods of art. i was pleasantly surprised!