11am-4pm
Free and open to all.
A multifaceted project to amplify the legacy of Mexican photographer Enrique Bostelmann (1939-2003), whose artistic experimentation remains largely unknown in the US.
The project includes:
Enrique Bostelmann: Apertures and Borderscapes has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
An exhibition celebrating the Berman’s relationship with the late artist and emphasizing her identity as an artist independent from the men in her life.
The exhibition will be accompanied by:
The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College believes art is for everyone, and it strives to eliminate visitors’ perceived socioeconomic, language, and educational barriers to enjoying museums. The Berman serves both the general public and the Ursinus community, acting as a laboratory for students’ experiential, inquiry-based learning.
Presenting artists as people using a visual language to ask questions and engage with larger conversations, the Berman cultivates curiosity, exploration, and critical thinking.
601 East Main Street
Collegeville, PA 19426
(610) 409-3500
Open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed during college holidays.
Admission to the Berman Museum of Art is always free. All of the Berman’s public galleries are accessible to wheelchair users and other visitors who cannot use stairs. A folding wheelchair is available for visitor use.
Philanthropists Philip (1915-1997) and Muriel (1914-2004) Berman were interested in further promoting the study of visual arts at Ursinus College, and discussions of establishing a fine arts museum for the college’s growing art collection began in 1986. The proposed museum would serve the undergraduate liberal arts program and communities in the surrounding region, enhancing the college’s position in the broader cultural community of Philadelphia and beyond. The Bermans believed, “Art should be seen; sculpture should be in public places and art should be in the arena of learning such as colleges and universities.” The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art opened in October 1989.
With the establishment of the museum came a large donation of works from Philip and Muriel Berman’s private collection. This gift, combined with the previously existing artwork holdings at Ursinus College, served as a foundation and basis of the museum’s permanent collection. Today, the museum’s permanent collection is comprised of more than 8,000 objects. This includes an Outdoor Sculpture Collection with about 80 pieces on display throughout Ursinus College campus.
The Berman Museum’s collection has continued to expand, due largely to the generosity of a growing group of donors. The collection now includes significant holdings in modern and contemporary prints, paintings, and sculpture; 19th- and 20th-century American and European art; Pennsylvania German Fraktur and material culture; Japanese prints; and a growing collection of photography. Highlights include over 270 works and the personal archives of Françoise Gilot, over 160 sculptures by British artist Lynn Chadwick, and a large collection of sculptures, maquettes, frescoes, and archival materials by Bucks County artist George Anthonisen.
The Berman positions artists as people using visual language to ask questions and contribute to larger conversations. Aligning with Ursinus College’s inquiry-based curriculum, the museum invites contemporary artists with a conceptual approach or research-heavy process in their practice to participate in exhibitions.
The Berman presents an average of eight exhibitions a year, including pieces from the museum’s permanent collection, original research, traveling shows, and works by contemporary artists working in the region.
The Berman designs its programs and events to cultivate deeper engagement with current exhibitions. There are several opportunities during the run of each exhibition to hear the artist speak on their work. The museum also organizes panel discussions and lectures with guest speakers on exhibition-related topics, art-making activities that help build a stronger appreciation of the medium on display, and community celebrations of the work.
With few exceptions, programs and events at the Berman Museum of Art are free and open to the public.
Ursinus students from all areas of study are welcome at the Berman Museum of Art. They are invited to all programs and events, and they can explore the exhibitions at any time during open hours.
The Berman works most closely with Studio Art students and Museum Studies Minors. Ursinus student artists have the option to participate in the museum’s Annual Student Exhibition every April, and museum studies students have the opportunity to co-curate an exhibition at the Berman. The museum also runs the artist-in-residence program, which permits any student to join an artist’s research cohort.
Students curious about museum work can pursue employment as Museum Assistants. The Berman’s Assistants have the opportunity to gain experience in reception and visitor experience, leading tours, exhibition installation and de-installation, and collection conservation.
The museum has five gallery spaces with rotating exhibitions. The Berman Classroom is suitable for academic and event use, and the Works on Paper Study Room is available by appointment for research and class exercises. The Outdoor Sculpture Collection is on view year-round throughout Ursinus College’s campus grounds and on the Berman’s Sculpture Terrace.
Free parking is available in the visitor lot across from the museum and the visitor spaces lining Main Campus Drive in front of the museum. The Sculpture Terrace facing Main St. has an exit-only door. The main entrance and wheelchair access are on the other side of the building.
The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College opens a new exhibition this summer to honor the late Françoise Gilot and highlight their expansive collection of her works and archives.
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Running June 18 to December 15, Apertures and Borderscapes at the Berman Museum of Art is the first solo exhibition of Bostelmann’s work since 2013 and the most comprehensive to be shown in the U.S. to date.
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The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum at Ursinus College opens three exhibitions this spring, all featuring the work of woman-identifying artists: Kukuli Velarde: Free, Total, Faithful, and Fruitful; Sahar Tarighi: Şamaran شاماران; Adriane Colburn: Paths of Extraction.
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