the university art museum

The museum is quite larger than you would expect. It has interesting, different, but interesting exhibits which change frequently. It is an education. I was surprised at the size of the staff. The quality and size of the stff shows in the exhibits they have. Definitely worth a trip or two to check it out.

My wife and I frequently travel the U.S. and sometimes Europe to visit museums and enjoy local culture. Lafayette, just four hours travel by car from our home in Houston is a favorite because of the great local food, genuinely nice people and the Hilliard Art Museum on the campus of the University of Louisiana. The great thing about college museums are the variety of art being exchanged between artists and other small museums from across the country. You will typically find one traveling exhibit in addition to art by local artists and student work. They also have a nice bookstore where they will be happy to recommend a great restaurant. The museum and neighboring alumni house gardens lined with majestic oak trees are perfect for a picnic. Dress for very warm weather mid April to mid October.

There are always interesting exhibits of all kinds. We always go to the previews. The snack are quite delicious. They run out of red wind before the evening is over. A secret jewel in Lafayette.

While touring the university we visited this museum and really enjoyed it. The campus, as a whole, is very pretty, with huge live oaks, flowering shrubs, and gardens. The grounds of the museum are just as pretty. The brick pathways and traditional architecture, as well as the unique exhibits will make a stop here worthwhile . We walked around the university campus too and enjoyed the swamp . A new student union is being built, but we went around to the other side so we could take photos of the cypress trees and lagoon. It was very hot, but we were comfortable walking in the shade of the enormous trees.

This museum, also known as Hilliard Art Museum, specializes in folk art, especially that of southwestern Louisiana. At any one time part of its permanent collection is on display. Photography (nonflash) is allowed, but only for the permanent collection, not for special exhibits by outsiders. When we were there some prison art was on display, along with work in many media such as wood carvings, quilts, oil paintings etc. Some of the art was humorous, and many were attractively colorful. The collection compared favorably with other art museums and galleries we’ve visited. The special exhibit was of John Buck’s woodcut prints and animated wood sculptures. The numerous and amazingly intricate wood sculptures have parts that move when activated by a switch. We had fun picking out the details in those displays, which were commentaries on current and past societies. Although our prime activities were outdoor-oriented, we spent two enjoyable hours in the museum. Parking seemed ample and was free. The museum does have a small charge to take in its exhibits. It’s housed in a modern glass building on the University of Lousiana campus at Lafayette.

Outstanding exhibits in a world-class museum design offer a rich experience for visitors to Lafayette.

We had a nice, quiet visit at this relatively small but very contemporary museum. There was a very interesting exhibit of extraordinary monumental wood sculptures that moved when activated. They also had a very nice collection of regional folk art. The old Southern mansion house in front of the museum was remarkable, but alas, we couldn't find out much information on it.

I liked the fact that this is a small museum. You can cover it in a couple of hours without being rushed or overwhelmed by too many displays. Every thing is well presented in a very pleasing atmosphere.

The University Art Museum galleries are set in a beautiful building. Sometimes exhibits are specially curated, and other times they include items in the permanent collection. Either way, there are always beautiful and interesting works to see. The museum is well worth a visit.

Great collections come through here time to time. Just keep checking.

Le jeune musée se cherche toujours mais il contient des oeuvres intéressantes qui font découvrir la réalité artistiques locales et nationales. Les heures d'ouverture sont sporadiques.