The Speed Art Museum Offers a Lot for a Tiny Price
Kentucky's oldest and largest art museum, the Speed Art Museum boasts more than 13,000 pieces in its permanent collections, ranging from a 6,000-year-old earthenware jar from Upper Egypt to up-to-date post-modern canvases.
The holdings range from a 17th century bronze altar from Benin (now Nigeria) to an ancient Roman epitaph, an Andy Warhol screenprint, Birmingham Race Riot, 1964, and a portrait of a French princess, a daughter of King Louis XV. The museum even houses an actual room from an early 17th century English stately home in Devonshire called the Grange, once owned by an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I.
Located on the University of Louisville's Belknap campus, the Speed Art Museum also has assorted special exhibitions. As befits the Bluegrass State's premier art museum, the Speed showcases works by Kentucky artists, particularly from the 19th century. Among them is a sculpture of President Abraham Lincoln by Albert P. Henry (born in Versailes, Ky.) — one of the few times in which the 16th president actually posed.
Young Picassos aren't left out, either. The museum's Art Sparks Interactive Gallery features 30 activities, multi-media presentations and works of art. Kids can create their very own masterpiece, explore a 17th century Dutch ship and kitchen, learn about texture and pattern in African art and more.
Due to its educational mission, the Speed provides school tours of four different types. They can be scheduled Tuesday through Friday, as well as weekends. In addition, the Speed Art Museum offers professional development sessions for teachers, free curriculum consultations, free lesson plans and free classroom writing prompts.
Posted on May 12, 2011 by Ivonne Rovira
