From its modest beginnings in the basement of the Visual Arts, the UW Art Museum has evolved into an internationally recognized academic museum.
Yet, as an academic art museum, we serve a varied audience and have a broad mandate to support PreK-12 students, the academic and local communities, and visitors to the area. Situated in Laramie, Wyoming, we are often asked, “Where is the Western Art?” The question reflects both curiosity and assumption. The university’s slogan is “The World Needs More Cowboys” after all. The answer reflects our purpose: while we honor Wyoming’s Western heritage, we distinguish ourselves by presenting nationally and internationally acclaimed contemporary artists. In doing so, we complement—not compete with—other museums across the state that focus on regional, Western, or wildlife art.
Our goal is to demonstrate that world-class art isn't confined to New York, London, or Paris—it is right here in Wyoming. Through exhibitions by Judy Pfaff, Deborah Willis, William Kentridge, and others, we show that art of global significance can be experienced in Laramie. Our audiences not only view extraordinary art; they also often have the opportunity to meet the artists through public talks, workshops, and academic engagement – opportunities that might not be available in bigger cities. That closeness—to creativity, to dialogue, to process—is a defining trait of an academic museum.
The Art Museum is also a space of experimentation, where artists and audiences together push the boundaries of what art can be. Major installations such as Sharon Louden’s Windows and the immersive Where the Heck is Yucca Fountain? have transformed our galleries into laboratories of imagination, inviting students and visitors alike to explore their own creative practice. When Tibetan artist Tashi Norbu performed a live painting in our rotunda—on a cold November election night—the community came together to connect and engage, an experience that resonated far beyond the state’s borders in a national publication.
At the same time, we remain deeply rooted in our place. We recognize how the collecting and making of Western art have shaped the idea of community in the region, and we continue to share that legacy through important family collections and through the work of contemporary artists who reinterpret the West’s stories and symbols for our time.
The UW Art Museum stands proudly among its peers on the national and international stage. Our exhibitions, programs, and partnerships contribute to the same conversations shaping museums across the world—on access, education, creativity, and the role of art in civic life. To visit the Art Museum is to experience that dialogue firsthand: world-class art and ideas brought to Wyoming, and Wyoming contributing its own voice to the global cultural landscape.
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Nicole M. Crawford
Director and Chief Curator
University of Wyoming Art Museum
