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

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Addl Info Tour Planners: We offer a free guided tour every Saturday at 10:30 am.
Free Admission:

Beyond Dreamings: The RIse of Indigenous Australian Art in the United States

Address: 400 Worrell Drive
Location: Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum
Dates: Recurring weekly on Friday until July 5, 2019

(434) 244-0234

Categories: Arts

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Beyond Dreamings is a colorful selection of artworks from Kluge-Ruhe’s permanent collection and includes eight artworks on loan from significant private collections in the United States, in media ranging from painting and photography to wooden, porcelain and fiber works. Thirty years ago, Indigenous Australian art was catapulted onto the world... more

Guided Tour of Indigenous Australian Art

Address: 400 Worrell Drive
Location: Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection
Dates: Recurring weekly on Saturday

(434) 244-0234

Categories: Arts, Family, University of Virginia, Historical, Educational

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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

Tots and Dots

Address: 400 Worrell Drive
Location: Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum
Dates: Recurring monthly on the 1st until December 1, 2018

(434) 244-0234

Categories: Family

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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

Overview

Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum

Amenities

General

Beyond Dreamings: The RIse of Indigenous Australian Art in the United States

Guided Tour of Indigenous Australian Art

Tots and Dots

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