University art collection has new name: GVSU Art Museum

Grand Valley's art collection - the second largest in the state - will now be known as the Grand Valley Art Museum to better reflect its breadth and impact.

The change from previously being known as the Grand Valley Art Gallery aligns with the growth it has seen since 1999 not only in the size of the collection but also the accompanying educational initiatives, exhibitions and community outreach, said Nathan Kemler, GVSU director of Galleries and Collections.

"This transition to 'GVSU Art Museum' better aligns with our commitment to enhance the visibility and impact of what we want to do and better communicate that to our general public and to our students," Kemler said. "It also signifies our intention to be an interdisciplinary hub."

Kemler often refers to the GVSU art collection as a "borderless museum" where everyone is continuously surrounded by art on the grounds and in every building on GVSU's campuses statewide. That commitment to ensuring art is accessible means about 50 percent of the collection's pieces are on display at any given time; he notes the standard for most museums is about 10 percent.

Pieces are chosen with intentionality that reflect the spaces that house them, such as the more than 400 pieces placed in the DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health .