Art Champions
Art Champions
The restoration and conservation of artworks in Mia’s collection is an ever-present concern. Art Champions is a program that connects art lovers with artworks that require conservation to be displayed to the public.
Want to get involved?
As a public trust, the Minneapolis Institute of Art holds, preserves, and presents great works of art for our visitors. Many artworks need care before they can be put on view. There are two ways you can help depending on your interest and budget:
Art Champions connects generous supporters with artworks in need of conservation from across all curatorial departments.To get started, simply review the available artworks, select the one you would like to Champion, and contact the curatorial department listed with that artwork. We’ll be happy to answer your questions and help you with the next steps.
You can Champion an artwork individually or as a group. As a Champion, you’ll receive the following:
- A short dossier on the work you have chosen
- An invitation to visit the Midwest Art Conservation Center lab, where you can see the treatment in progress and have an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the restoration process
- Before and after photographs of your sponsored artwork
- A credit line on the gallery label recognizing your support: “Conservation of this artwork was made possible by ________, through Mia’s Art Champions program”
As valued supporters of our curatorial departments and Mia, we thank you in advance for helping us to care for the collection in this very important way.
2. Make a donation of any size to Mia’s Art Conservation Fund.
This fund supports Mia’s mission to care for the collection through conservation projects large and small. Click here to donate.
Artworks for Adoption
Artworks for Adoption
Mia’s curators have worked with conservators to identify these artworks in need of conservation.
Success Stories
Inherent vice: Saving a beloved George Morrison painting from itself
An untitled painting by George Morrison, made in 1960, spent eighteen years lying on its back in storage—and for good reason. It certainly wasn’t unloved. The striking abstraction of an urban landscape had been hanging in an office at Mia for years, a favorite of one of the museum’s former directors.
New frame of mind: Monet’s grainstack gets a fresh look in a new frame
What do you notice when you look at a painting? Perhaps the composition strikes you first—the shapes, the colors, the lines. You might notice the depth created by thick or thin brush strokes. Then your field of vision zooms out and you notice the painting’s frame.