History of the Weisman Art Museum

history

The Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota is the realization of a dream first articulated by University President Lotus Coffman in 1934. Setting aside some unused rooms in the newly completed Northrop Auditorium, Coffman noted, “There is a need for new values to sustain the morale of individuals in the days ahead. The arts are a source for such values and I want this university to play a leading part in instilling them."

True to Coffman’s pioneering vision, access to the arts – intellectual, emotional, and physical – is the foundation of all the museum’s programming today. The striking facility, designed by internationally acclaimed architect Frank Gehry, serves a university community of more than 60,000 students, faculty, and staff and fills an important role in the thriving arts community of the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota.

The primary mission of the Weisman Art Museum is to educate students about art and to make the visual arts an important part of their everyday experience. The museum presents and interprets works of art, offering exhibitions that place art within relevant cultural, social and historical contexts. Several major exhibitions are offered each year, as well as organized letters, symposia, tours and special events focused upon educational themes. In its 70-year history, the museum has worked with more than fifty departments, presenting the ideas of a great university in multi-disciplinary and widely collaborative projects. The museum’s active touring program serves the cultural/educational needs of rural communities primarily in the Upper Midwest, as well as national and international audiences.

Frederick R. Weisman
Noted California philanthropist, art patron, and entrepreneur Frederick R. Weisman provided the pivotal gift of $3 million, which gave the University of Minnesota Art Museum a new home. The Frank Gehry-designed museum opened on November 21, 1993 and bears Weisman’s name.

The Minneapolis native, a son of the businessman William Weisman, moved to Los Angeles with his mother Mary at the age of six. Weisman returned to the University of Minnesota to study and later attended UCLA. Through a series of successful business ventures, Weisman became involved with a small canning company, Val-Vita, which later merged with Hunt Brothers Packing Company to become Hunt Foods. By the age of 31, Weisman had become the company president.

In the late 1950’s, Weisman left Hunt to pursue interests that included mining, banking, a racetrack, and a drugstore products development company. In 1970, he established Mid-Atlantic Toyota Distributors, Inc., which became the chief component of Frederick Weisman Company, marketing Toyota cars and trucks through 121 dealers in a region that included Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. In 1990, he divested himself of his distributorship to focus on other business ventures and to devote more time to his philanthropic efforts.

As Weisman’s business enterprise grew, so did his interest in art and philanthropy. Long recognized as one of America’s foremost collectors of contemporary art, Weisman was an ardent supporter of new and emerging artists. Through the Frederick R. Weisman Philanthropic Program, he provided valuable support to the field of visual arts, as well as to social services and health care. Working closely with Weisman in these efforts was his wife Billie Milam Weisman, a skilled and respected art conservator.

He was a trustee of a number of national and international art institutions, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the American Center in Paris.

Frederick R. Weisman died at his Los Angeles home on September 11, 1994 after a long illness.

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Original site design and development by Yamamoto Moss, Minneapolis, MN.