Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum
- 400 Worrell Drive
- Charlottesville, VA 22911
- Phone: (434) 244-0234
- Email: kluge-ruhe@virginia.edu
- Fax: (434) 244-0235
- Website: Click to Visit Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum
The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia is the only museum in the United States dedicated to the exhibition and study of Australian Aboriginal Art. Working with living artists, international scholars and arts professionals, we provide a wide range of learning experiences to the University community and the public through exhibition, research and educational programs.
The museum was established through a gift by American businessman John W. Kluge in 1997. Influenced by the Dreamings exhibition in New York, Kluge began collecting Aboriginal art in 1988. He compiled one of the finest private collections of Australian Aboriginal art in the world with a focus on contemporary works from Arnhem Land and the Western Desert. In 1993, Kluge purchased the collection and archives of the late Professor Edward L. Ruhe of Lawrence, Kansas. Ruhe began collecting Aboriginal art while visiting Australia as a Fulbright Scholar in 1965. He exhibited his collection widely in the United States between 1966 and 1977. Ruhe’s library and archives comprise the core of the Kluge-Ruhe Study Center.
Free admission and parking. Open to the public.
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm; Sunday, 1 – 5 pm
Amenities
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Bus Parking:
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Casual Dress:
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Child Friendly:
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Handicapped Accessible:
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Smoke Free Environment:
General
- Addl Info Tour Planners: We offer a free guided tour every Saturday at 10:30 am.
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Free Admission:
- Address: 400 Worrell Drive
- Location: Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection
- Dates: Recurring weekly on Saturday
Categories: Arts, Family, University of Virginia, Historical, Educational
Join us for a free, guided tour of the only museum in the world that is exclusively dedicated to Indigenous Australian art! While drawing on traditions that are hundreds and thousands of years old, Indigenous Australian art is contemporary, and exhibitions included a diversity of artworks, from paintings on bark and canvas to sculpture and films.... more
- Address: 400 Worrell Drive
- Location: Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum
- Dates: Recurring weekly on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday until June 30, 2018
Categories: Arts, Family, University of Virginia, Educational
This exhibition comprises contemporary paintings and sculpture by Indigenous Australian artists from various regions across the Australian continent, from the central desert to coastal regions and islands. Centering on the theme of "country," the artworks sing melodies of ancestors and land, creation and power, history and memory, community and... more
- Address: 400 Worrell Drive
- Location: Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum
- Dates: April 21, 2018
Categories: University of Virginia
Join us for a free guided tour by nine UVA graduate students of the exhibit they curated called Beyond Dreamings: The Rise of Indigenous Australian Art in the US. This exhibit features artworks from the permanent collection of the Kluge-Ruhe, in addition to eight artworks on loan from significant private collections in the United States. It... more
- Address: 400 Worrell Drive
- Location: Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum
- Dates: Recurring monthly on the 1st until December 1, 2018
Categories: Family
This early visual literacy program features a brief tour focusing on basic elements of visual art and ways to further stimulate visual and interpretive development in young children. The tour is followed by multi-sensory art play for children aged two to four led by Kluge-Ruhe education staff, while babies and caregivers enjoy social play in the... more
- Address: 400 Worrell Drive
- Location: Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum
- Dates: Recurring monthly on the 1st until May 1, 2018
Categories: Books
Writing Circles: A 2018 spring series at Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection Led by Poet Jess Brophy Do you want to write with others in an inspiring environment? Do you want to explore your personal story? Join Kluge-Ruhe as writer Jessica Brophy leads a 90 minute writing circle inspired by the artwork on display. We’ll get to know one another... more
- Address: 400 Worrell Drive
- Location: Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum
- Dates: May 24, 2018
Categories: University of Virginia
Join visiting Aboriginal curators Regina and Henry Wilson for the opening of our new exhibit Ngunguni: Old Techniques Remain Strong. In 2017, the Kluge-Ruhe Collection received a request from the small art center of Durrmu Arts in the West Daly Region for images and information about artworks from their community held in its collection. After... more
- Address: 400 Worrell Drive
- Location: Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum
- Dates: May 26, 2018
Categories: University of Virginia
Join visiting Aboriginal curators Regina and Henry Wilson for a tour of our new exhibit Ngunguni: Old Techniques Remain Strong. In 2017, the Kluge-Ruhe Collection received a request from the small art center of Durrmu Arts in the West Daly Region for images and information about artworks from their community held in its collection. After seeing... more
