The Tuscaloosa Museum of Art may look more like a dojo than your typical art museum. Located on Jack Warner Parkway behind several pine trees in an Asian-style building, the museum can be a quiet getaway from fast-paced university life.
The museum is home to the 1,000 works of fine and decorative arts amassed by Jack Warner over a period of 50 years as investments for Gulf States Paper, now the Westervelt Company. The Westervelt Collection is considered by experts to be one of the greatest collections of American art.
Alex Vawter, a junior majoring in Latin and interdisciplinary studies, visited the museum and said she enjoyed the variety of art.
“We got to see multiple perspectives of American culture because we got to see Native American and western landscapes as well as the more atypical revolutionary art,” she said. “They had some interesting furniture to look at, too. Seeing the original upholstery on the pieces was pretty cool.”
Vawter said the quiet and picturesque atmosphere of the museum makes it a great local place for a date.
“The whole place is really pretty,” Vawter said. “The grounds are very Asian in style and the landscape is very nice. It is pretty cool and unique for Tuscaloosa.”
Admission is free. Visitors receive a guest pass when they enter the building and can then walk around and view the art at their leisure.
“It’s really quiet and kind of hidden, and the museum is pretty surprising,” Vawter said. “If you don’t have future knowledge of what the art collection is like it would be quite a surprise compared to the actual style of the building itself, but the architecture adds a multicultural dimension.”
Kathie Thurman, administrative coordinator for the museum, said Warner started collecting art when he received some Audubon prints. Much of the collection was then probably purchased through auctions. Thurman said Warner may have originally become interested in art through his grandmother and mother, who enjoyed antique furniture. Thurman said she believed the museum and the art to be a great asset to the community.
“It is very close to the University and other significant areas of Tuscaloosa,” she said. “It is free to the public and can be used as a resource for classes and tours. It is a great learning tool.”
William Hawkins, museum coordinator, said that the Westervelt Collection found in The Tuscaloosa Museum of Art is comparable to what you find in a New York City art museum, and all the art is American-based.
“It is a unique collection,” he said. “It is itself a walk through American history, from the pre-colonial era and on. There are a lot of people in Tuscaloosa who want to look at authentic art and they don’t have the option to go somewhere like New York City to do it. It is a wonderful education tool for students, and there are a variety of things we are able to do with the collection. ”
Both Hawkins and Thurman said the Westervelt Collection will remain at The Tuscaloosa Museum of Art for the foreseeable future. They currently have no plans of moving the artwork or selling it.
“We really wanted to stay here and we believe it’s a great asset to the community,” Thurman said.
The Tuscaloosa Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. For questions or additional information, visit tucaloosamoa.org or visit their Facebook page.
