LSU Museum of Art Selected for National Smithsonian Initiative; Recognized for Excellence
The LSU Museum of Art has been selected as Louisiana’s participating institution in “50 for 50,” a landmark national initiative from the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Art Bridges Foundation. As one of only 51 museums—one representing each U.S. state and Puerto Rico—the LSU Museum of Art will receive long-term loans of significant American artworks from the Hirshhorn’s world-renowned collection.
The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Art Bridges Foundation have chosen the 51 institutions that will participate in “50 for 50,” a national collection-sharing initiative coinciding with America’s 250th anniversary. The program will loan important American artworks from the Hirshhorn collection for three- to five-year periods to one museum in each U.S. state and Puerto Rico between 2026 and 2029. The program is the largest and most geographically extensive loan effort ever undertaken by an American museum, and it is free to participating organizations. The initiative supports the Hirshhorn’s and Art Bridges’ shared interest in expanding public access to significant works of American art spanning from the 19th century to the present day and from Modernism to contemporary art.
This extraordinary opportunity places the LSU Museum of Art among a distinguished group of museums across the country and reflects the museum‘s commitment to bringing exceptional works of art and meaningful cultural experiences to Louisiana.
“This is an exceptional opportunity for LSU, for the Baton Rouge community, and for the state more broadly,” said Arne Flaten, Dean of the College of Art & Design and LSU Museum of Art advisory board member. “The selection underscores the importance of the LSU Museum of Art, and heightens its strong reputation among so many distinguished institutions across the country.”
“LSU MOA has built a genuinely consultative partnership with the College of Art & Design leadership, one that touches nearly every corner of our curatorial and education programming,” said Mark Tullos, Executive Director of the LSU MOA and LSU School of Art ’84 alumnus. “Dean Arne Flaten’s background in art history means we’re not just coordinating logistics, we’re engaging in meaningful dialogue about our exhibitions and mutually beneficial programs that serve students. It’s the kind of collaboration that lets a university museum and academic college grow stronger together.”
The LSU Museum of Art (LSU MOA) is also among the first museums in the nation to earn certification from the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG), recognizing the museum‘s commitment to excellence as an academic museum serving Louisiana State University and the broader community.
Located on the fifth floor of the Shaw Center for the Arts in downtown Baton Rouge, LSU MOA comprises 13,000 square feet distributed among 14 galleries. In addition to holding one of the largest university-affiliated art collections in the South—over 6,000 works—the museum presents touring exhibitions of regional, American, and European painting, sculpture, decorative arts, works on paper, and photography. The museum also supports and hosts lectures and workshops by local and visiting artists and boasts a robust schedule of school and community programs open to the public.
The museum is a great resource for College of Art & Design students—gallery talks, receptions, art unveilings for new acquisitions, community programs, and exhibitions from renowned local, national, and international artists are just some of the events the Baton Rouge and LSU community has come to cherish and embrace.
College-Museum collaborations include opportunities for LSU students to view art and artifacts, gain “behind the scenes” experiences, contribute to exhibitions and even exhibit their work in the museum, and even advance their research (such as Doctor of Design candidate Meredyth Yorek, who worked on an archive digitization project for museum visitors to access virtually as part of her doctoral thesis.) LSU art & design faculty exhibit their work and co-curate award-winning exhibitions as well. These opportunities will continue to grow in the future, Flaten said.
On a personal note, Tullos remembers his time as an LSU student fondly. “I spent five of the happiest years of my life as a student in CoAD!”
Visit lsumoa.org for more information about visiting hours, events, and current and upcoming exhibitions.