About

the ASU Art Museum and Plaza at the Nelson Fine Arts Center

The ASU Art Museum, named “the single most impressive venue for contemporary art in Arizona” by Art in America, is part of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. Admission to the museum, and participation in nearly all of our events and programs, is free. Hours are 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Tuesdays (during the academic year), 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and closed on Sundays and Mondays. We offer additional educator hours by appointment, Mondays and before 11 a.m. Tuesdays – Thursdays.

The museum is located on the southeast corner of Mill Avenue and 10th Street, just one light south of University in downtown Tempe, Arizona. The museum’s Ceramics Research Center is located across the street, on the northeast corner of Mill Ave. and 10th. Free parking is available in marked spaces outside of the Ceramics Research Center- please sign in at the security desk of either building when you park there.

Our entrance is subterranean – go down the front stairs to come in!- and we have three floors of amazing art from around the world. If you’re unsure of where to go once you get inside, just ask anyone in security or guest services, or any of us on staff you may see around the museum while you’re here. We’re always happy to help!

We host events! Please contact Vanessa Cornwall at 480.965.2787 for information on holding your next event in one of the museum’s many beautiful spaces.

Welcome to ASU Art Museum!

To learn more about the museum, call 480.965.2787 or visit http://asuartmuseum.asu.edu.

2011-2012 Holiday Closings

Independence Day: July 4, 2011

Labor Day: Sept. 5, 2011

Veteran’s Day: Nov. 11, 2011

Thanksgiving:  Nov. 24-25, 2011 *We will be open Saturday, Nov. 26, 11am – 5 pm.

Holiday Break:  Dec. 24-27, 2011

New Year’s: Jan. 2, 2012.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day:  Jan. 16, 2012

Memorial Day:  May 28, 2012

A little history:

The ASU Art Museum was founded in 1950 with a significant gift of American and Mexican artworks purchased by Oliver B. James, a prominent local lawyer. James donated 149 works of art over a five-year span. The art collection originally was installed among the stacks of books in the Matthews Library. When the Hayden Library was completed in 1965, the books were removed and the art remained.

In April 1989, the ASU Art Museum opened additional space within the newly constructed Nelson Fine Arts Center. At the west edge of the Tempe campus, facing Mill Avenue, the Nelson Fine Arts Center is a landmark building designed by architect Antoine Predock and serves as the primary museum exhibition space. This museum facility now includes five expansive galleries, storage and processing areas, and administrative offices. The Ceramics Research Center is just north of the Nelson Fine Arts Center in the Tempe Center.

Architect Antoine Predock visiting ASU Art Museum, Dec. 09