UT-Dallas partners with art museum on new research hub

The University of Texas at Dallas' (UTD) Edith O'Donnell Institute of Art History recently celebrated the opening of an 1,882-square-foot satellite research facility in the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA).

The new facility will be a boon to the institute's research efforts, offering state-of-the-art tools and access to portions of the DMA's collection for first-hand study. The facility will be open to Dallas-area art historians, four UTD seniors, and four PhD candidates.

“For all of us at the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History, the close study of the art object itself remains at the center of serious scholarship,” Richard Brettell, founding director of the O’Donnell Institute, said. “For that reason, we are delighted to inaugurate a historic partnership with the Dallas Museum of Art, which has a truly encyclopedic collection of global art.”

Global art will be at the center of the early stages of the partnership, which will pay particular attention to Islamic art and conservation science. The institute will also help facilitate a special "scholars' day" for the museum's new Jackson Pollack exhibit.

“The Dallas Museum of Art is pleased to partner with UT Dallas and house the downtown campus for the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History,” interim DMA director Walter Elcock said. “This precedent-setting collaboration expertly furthers the museum’s mission of being an accessible steward of cultural heritage and promoting research initiatives while expanding the knowledge base of works in our collection. We are honored to celebrate the opening of this research center, which will play an important part in the development of the next generation of art historians.”

The Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History was founded in 2014 to serve as a hub for art research and graduate level art history education.