The University’s Museum of Contemporary Art, MuAc

The University’s Museum of Contemporary Art, also known as the MUAC has, as its mission, the displaying, preservation and study of current art. Its main goal is to make art available to all students and people in general. It is located on Insurgentes Sur 3000, at the Cultural Center of the university’s campus, in the Coyoacán precinct.

The building is a design of architect Teodoro Gonzalez de León, who holds an honoris causa doctorate from the UNAM. In the 3,300 square meters of exhibition halls, we find pieces that make the visitor a part of the exhibition. It has great handling of light, good distribution of spaces and there is an integration of the museum with the natural reserve of El Pedregal.

There are nine rooms in the museum, a conference room, the Arkhei documentation center, and some temporary exhibitions. It’s well known for their care in preserving the artwork and for the use of technology in their exhibits, using audio and video as resources. As a warning for the reader, I must tell you that it usually shows contemporary artwork (from 1952 onwards), and the experience can be sometimes perplexing, difficult to understand and even controversial.

Before criticizing its exhibitions, I would like to share what my art teacher, Professor Guillermo Bosco, once said: “Art is any work that conveys a feeling or evokes emotions, and everything that the artist wants to call art”. It’s simple, the idea is as they say, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'.

The collection of artwork owned by the museum started in 2004 with the Art Acquisition Program at the UNAM. The "recycling" program is worthy of praise as it restores those objects that we consider as waste, turning them into works of art. The museum features a rotation on artists (what is called ‘art in motion’) and since the beginning, it sparked arguments about the selection of the works displayed. One of the most discussed was the presentation of material concerning the Holocaust during World War II.

In the preserved works section, it shows material from the campus founders, contemporary photography and some experimental and innovative work.

It should be noted that during 2010 the museum is displaying the exhibition called “Coordenadas”, which shows the influence of cartographic sketches on art. Worth mentioning is “Beuys y más allá”, that teaches some of the graphic work of this character and his innovations in the space and materials.

One of the most remarkable showrooms is the experimental “Space for the Construction of Meaning”. Here, visitors donate material, express their views, listen to others and talk about the art on display at the museum. Finally the museum’s store has several books on international art, as well as some art for sale.

The admission to the museum is $40 pesos and you can get a 50% discount if you’re a student, teacher or INAPAM accredited. Entrance for children under twelve is free.

If you wish to visit the museum, it’s open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Thursdays and Saturdays from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm. You can check out current activities, photos of present exhibitions and make comments on Facebook regarding the MUAC at Facebook Profile

Photo: Ally de Villers
Artículo Producido por el Equipo Editorial Explorando México.
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