Wright Museum of Art
Located just north of South Beloit Illinois on the Beloit College Campus is the Wright Museum of Art. This museum focuses on experiential learning for students using art. Founded in 1894, the museum was built with the intention of being a teaching facility on top of an extensive art gallery.
The first works in the museum were donations from Helen Brace Emerson’s personal collection that was donated in 1892. Now consisting of three floors, the museum has been building its art collection for years. Some of those collections of art include American Impressionism, Modernist, 19th century plaster castings, German expressionist art, modern Japanese prints, and murals.
Students utilize the facility to learn how to curate exhibits and study the art that resides in the museum. They also learn how to do research on historical pieces and write texts to go on the walls for visitors to read. Assisting museum staff, students also learn how to care for the art which will prepare them for jobs later on in other art museums.
Those interested in learning the ways of art museums will find it in the Wright Museum of Art, and people from South Beloit, IL can visit the building and enjoy the efforts of students. Responsibilities students learn at Beloit College are tracking inventory, research, mounting artwork and photography skills.
This museum is on the smaller side, and is home to 6,000 works of art. It is located on the Rock River in downtown Beloit, just north of South Beloit, IL making it a quick trip for a visit. Being on the Beloit College Campus, visitors can easily access other points of interest such as the Logan Museum of Anthropology and downtown Beloit.
Visitors from South Beloit, IL can view the exhibitions and attend gallery talks that the museum staff puts together. With restrictions in place, visitors will have to contact the museum directly to see what is open to the public.
The Wright Museum of Art is offering virtual viewings of exhibitions and other online events as an option instead of in-person viewing. The college also has an online database open to the public to browse collections and see what is currently on display in the museum.
Currently, The Wright Museum of Art is hosting Donna Ferrato: Feminist Generations untinl March 2022. Her work focuses on the feminist movement and how it is evolving.
