Terra Museum
Encyclopedia
The Terra Museum of American Art was an art museum founded by Daniel J. Terra
in Evanston
, Illinois in 1980. The museum was relocated to Chicago
in 1987. Charged by the Terra Foundation for the Arts, now known as the Terra Foundation for American Art
, with exhibiting and interpreting original works of American art, the museum opened to the public in 1980. During its tenure, the museum presented more than 200 exhibitions on American art and provided related programs and events for schoolchildren, teachers, families, general adult audiences, and scholars. The museum closed on October 31, 2004 after 24 years of operation. The site is being redeveloped as a condo/hotel tower for the Ritz-Carlton
.
, his alma mater. In 1980, with a collection of approximately fifty paintings, a small governing board of directors, and a handful of employees, the foundation opened the Terra Museum of American Art in Evanston, Illinois. The museum both displayed the foundation’s collection and held special exhibitions of American art. Two years later, in recognition of his efforts in promoting American art and culture, among other contributions, Daniel Terra was appointed Ambassador-at-Large for Cultural Affairs — a position created specifically for him by President Ronald Reagan
.
, the site of a popular international artists colony beginning in the late-nineteenth century and home to celebrated French painter Claude Monet
. The Musée d’Art Américain Giverny, open spring through fall, first exhibited paintings from the Terra collection by American artists who sojourned in France. Soon, however, exhibition and education programs encompassed a wider range of American artists and topics, most with a transatlantic focus.
In addition to supporting the exhibition and education programs of two museums, the Terra Foundation has fostered scholarship on American art by underwriting scholarly symposia and publications and by awarding dissertation fellowships, research assistantships, and other education grants. Many of these awards have been offered in partnership with institutions such as the College Art Association
, the American Council of Learned Societies
, and the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art. Since 2001, the foundation has administered the Terra Summer Residency program in Giverny, which affords scholars and artists the opportunity to work within a community of interdisciplinary and cross-cultural exchange.
Before the museum closed, Judith Terra, the founder's widow and his second wife, plus several board members, tried to relocate the museum to Washington, D.C. This attempt was viewed by many, including the founder's son, as an attempt to boost her social standing in the nation's capital. The matter was ended in 2004, through a legal case with the foundation required to stay in the state of Illinois for 50 years.
The works displayed at the museum continue to be owned by the Terra Foundation for American Art
, which has lent out a number of them, particularly to the Art Institute of Chicago
.
Daniel J. Terra
Daniel J. Terra was a scientist, businessman, and art collector. A first-generation Italian-American, Terra earned a chemical engineering degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1931, and founded Lawter Chemicals in Chicago in 1940...
in Evanston
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, Illinois in 1980. The museum was relocated to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1987. Charged by the Terra Foundation for the Arts, now known as the Terra Foundation for American Art
Terra Foundation for American Art
The Terra Foundation for American Art was created in 1978 by Daniel J. Terra. The governing mission of the nascent foundation was to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of the country’s rich artistic and cultural heritage through the acquisition, preservation, exhibition,...
, with exhibiting and interpreting original works of American art, the museum opened to the public in 1980. During its tenure, the museum presented more than 200 exhibitions on American art and provided related programs and events for schoolchildren, teachers, families, general adult audiences, and scholars. The museum closed on October 31, 2004 after 24 years of operation. The site is being redeveloped as a condo/hotel tower for the Ritz-Carlton
Ritz-Carlton
The Ritz-Carlton is a brand of luxury hotels and resorts with 75 properties located in major cities and resorts in 24 countries worldwide...
.
Origins
Terra first exhibited his personal art collection in 1977 at the Palmer Museum of Art, on the campus of Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
, his alma mater. In 1980, with a collection of approximately fifty paintings, a small governing board of directors, and a handful of employees, the foundation opened the Terra Museum of American Art in Evanston, Illinois. The museum both displayed the foundation’s collection and held special exhibitions of American art. Two years later, in recognition of his efforts in promoting American art and culture, among other contributions, Daniel Terra was appointed Ambassador-at-Large for Cultural Affairs — a position created specifically for him by President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
Expansion
The museum's collection of fifty canvases grew to encompass hundreds of paintings and works on paper. In 1987, the Terra Museum of American Art moved from suburban Evanston to a busy stretch of Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, and in 1992 the foundation opened the Musée d’Art Américain Giverny in France. Ambassador Terra had a longstanding interest in the work of artists associated with the Norman village of GivernyGiverny
Giverny is a commune in the Eure department in north-western France. It is best known as the location of Claude Monet's garden and home.-Location:Giverny sits on the "right bank" of the River Seine where the river Epte meets the Seine...
, the site of a popular international artists colony beginning in the late-nineteenth century and home to celebrated French painter Claude Monet
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
. The Musée d’Art Américain Giverny, open spring through fall, first exhibited paintings from the Terra collection by American artists who sojourned in France. Soon, however, exhibition and education programs encompassed a wider range of American artists and topics, most with a transatlantic focus.
In addition to supporting the exhibition and education programs of two museums, the Terra Foundation has fostered scholarship on American art by underwriting scholarly symposia and publications and by awarding dissertation fellowships, research assistantships, and other education grants. Many of these awards have been offered in partnership with institutions such as the College Art Association
College Art Association
The College Art Association of America is the principal professional association in the United States for practitioners and scholars of art, art history, and art criticism...
, the American Council of Learned Societies
American Council of Learned Societies
The American Council of Learned Societies , founded in 1919, is a private nonprofit federation of seventy scholarly organizations.ACLS is best known as a funder of humanities research through fellowships and grants awards. ACLS Fellowships are designed to permit scholars holding the Ph.D...
, and the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art. Since 2001, the foundation has administered the Terra Summer Residency program in Giverny, which affords scholars and artists the opportunity to work within a community of interdisciplinary and cross-cultural exchange.
Museum closing
In 2003, after conducting a comprehensive two-year study to plan the foundation’s future mission and goals, the board of directors of the Terra Foundation for American Art decided to expand the reach of the foundation and to close the Terra Museum in Chicago at the end of October 2004.Before the museum closed, Judith Terra, the founder's widow and his second wife, plus several board members, tried to relocate the museum to Washington, D.C. This attempt was viewed by many, including the founder's son, as an attempt to boost her social standing in the nation's capital. The matter was ended in 2004, through a legal case with the foundation required to stay in the state of Illinois for 50 years.
The works displayed at the museum continue to be owned by the Terra Foundation for American Art
Terra Foundation for American Art
The Terra Foundation for American Art was created in 1978 by Daniel J. Terra. The governing mission of the nascent foundation was to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of the country’s rich artistic and cultural heritage through the acquisition, preservation, exhibition,...
, which has lent out a number of them, particularly to the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
.