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Hallie Ford Museum of Art

Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Logo has the museum's name and a "W" in a circle above it, Willamette University's seal.
Hallie Ford Museum of Art is located in Salem OR
Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Location in Salem, Oregon
Established 1998
Location Salem, Oregon, United States
Type private: art
Visitors 30,000 (2003)
Director John Olbrantz
Website Hallie Ford Museum of Art

The Hallie Ford Museum of Art (HFMA) is the museum of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is the third largest art museum in Oregon. Opened in 1998, the facility is across the street from the Oregon State Capital in downtown Salem, on the western edge of the school campus. Hallie Ford exhibits collections of both art and historical artifacts with a focus on Oregon related pieces of art and artists in the 27,000 square feet (2,500 m2) facility. The museum also hosts various traveling exhibits in two of its six galleries.

Prior to the creation of the Hallie Ford Museum, Willamette University previously collected various pieces of art donated to the university. By 1896 the collections were housed in a museum located on the fourth floor of Waller Hall. By 1940 the museum had moved to the second floor of the gymnasium (now the Theatre Playhouse). At that time the museum's collection included birds, various documents, minerals, wood specimens, shells, plant specimens, and Native American artifacts, among others.

In 1990, the school received a donation of around 250 pieces of ancient, European, Middle Eastern, and Asian art from the Sponenburgh family. Alumnus Dan Schneider suggested to an art faculty member, Roger Hull, that the school should have a museum to display the university’s art collection in 1992. Then in 1994 Roger Hull made a presentation to the school’s trustees to push for the creation of an art museum. Over the next two years plans were developed and donations were made that led to the purchase of a building near campus for a museum. One large donation came from Hallie Ford and the Ford Family Foundation that allowed the purchase and remodel to move forward. The museum officially opened in 1998 with over 3,000 pieces of art, and was the second largest art museum in the state at that time.

The museum was named top fine arts venue and art gallery in the local region in 2002 by residents. In 2003, the facility received a Certificate of Award from the Oregon Art Education Association, and was named as the third best art gallery in Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley region. Attendance at the museum was approximately 16,000 in the first full-year of operation and increased to around 30,000 people per year in 2003.


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