MISSION: The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art at UNLV believes everyone deserves access to the arts. The Barrick is a catalyst with the potential to transform lives and create lasting change.

Founded in 1967 as an institute of natural history, the Barrick’s evolution into an art museum was accompanied by a renewed commitment to ideas. The museum trusts in the power of artists to convey complex information in an unparalleled form. It is the work of the museum to help artists speak in the world with a clear voice.

Recognizing that a history of representation enriches a community, the museum is forming a diverse collection of artists with connections to the Southern Nevada region. Research, conservation, and the pursuit of radical interdisciplinary practices are welcomed. By cultivating a robust, free program of exhibitions and live events, the Barrick strives to be a place where the arts can become part of everyone’s life.

ABOUT: The Barrick presents fine art exhibitions and programs of educational outreach. We are also southern Nevada’s most important collecting institution. Our growing accumulation of work by artists with ties to our region is enhanced by our custodianship of the Las Vegas Art Museum Collection and the Nevadan portion of the Dorothy and Herbert Vogel 50x50 Collection, one of the most famous and inspiring donations of twentieth-century art in recent American history. Our contemporary works are complemented by a large number of cultural artifacts, ranging from examples of skilled weaving by members of the Southwest’s indigenous Paiute to thousand-year-old ceramics from the diverse cultures of ancient Mesoamerica.

Uniquely located inside a historic gymnasium, our exhibition space offers visitors the opportunity to see work by international arts practitioners alongside thoughtfully curated displays from our own collections. Our auditorium provides us with a place to show experimental video art when it is not hosting one of the campus’ regular University Forum Lectures and Visiting Artist talks, all of which are free to the public. Engaging hands-on art activities are available in the lobby for visitors of all ages.

We aim to develop our collection into an unprecedented asset to art scholars, historians, and Las Vegans from all walks of life who are searching for a deepened sense of pride in their city. The Barrick’s position within UNLV’s College of Fine Arts provides us with many opportunities to broaden the educational scope of our mission, giving our artists the opportunity to have their work studied by a wide and questioning audience. UNLV students use the Barrick as a place to undertake internships, and we encourage all members of the campus family to enhance our effectiveness by uniting their talents with ours in collaborative interdisciplinary projects.