For the Future Assembles the Best of the UMFA’s Diverse Collection

Exhibition on view August 29, 2026 – January 3, 2027

Media Contact:
Emma Ryder
​Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Director of Marketing the Communications
​emma.ryder@umfa.utah.edu
​801-581-7328

Exhibition Press kit
Poster with pink sketch of a modern building promotes For the Future: Collecting at the UMFA 2001–2026 exhibition, on view August 29, 2026–January 3, 2027, at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

For Immediate Release

The Utah Museum of Fine Arts on the University of Utah campus (UMFA) will showcase the most notable artworks added to its collection over the past 25 years in For the Future: Collecting at the UMFA 2001-2026, opening on August 29, 2026. The exhibition features a selection of the most notable art added to the UMFA’s collection since the opening of the Marcia and John Price Museum Building in the summer of 2001.

“We are delighted to celebrate 25 years of the beautiful Marcia and John Price Museum Building. It’s a lovely moment of reflection about where the UMFA is today and the many ways in which we will continue to grow with and serve our community,” said Gretchen Dietrich, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts Marcia and John Price Executive Director.

For the Future is both a celebration of a milestone and an illumination of the Museum’s mission and work. “In curating this exhibition, we were deliberate in choosing works that tell interesting stories about how and why the UMFA collects and preserves all kinds of art for the greater good,” said Alisa McCusker, Senior Curator and Curator of European and American Art at the UMFA.

The exhibition’s texts and accompanying digital materials include recorded reflections from living artists like Jann Haworth and Arleene Correa Valencia along with stories of how and why the UMFA acquires art. For the Future contains new work on view for the first time, including a tapestry by Diné artist Melissa Cody, to long-time favorites by Yayoi Kusama and Faith Ringgold.

Of the objects on view in For the Future Dietrich said, “It is a treasure trove of important and thought-provoking art works and demonstrates so beautifully just what a collecting institution like the UMFA can do for its community. We are deeply committed to caring for, exhibiting and interpreting these amazing objects for our community, now and long into the future.”

The UMFA’s collection has grown extensively over the last 25 years to more than 22,000 objects, the largest of its kind in the region. An encyclopedic museum like the UMFA features objects from across many time periods, mediums, and styles instead of focusing on a specific niche.

“We’re thrilled about this exhibition showcasing some of the most important art the UMFA has acquired since 2001 as well as favorite artworks that have meant a lot to visitors and donors over the years. The selection covers such a variety of artistic expression representing diverse cultures from the ancient world to today,” said McCusker.

The 2001 move into the Marcia and John Price Museum Building from the UMFA’s former home in the University of Utah’s Art and Architecture Center was made possible by a generous gift from Marcia and John Price. At the time the gift was the largest ever made to a cultural institution in Utah. The new building, designed by Machado and Silvetti of Cambridge, Massachusetts with local partners Prescott Muir Architects, won the 2000 Honor Award for Urban Design from the Boston Society of Architects and the 2000 Merit Award for Excellence in Architecture from the New England chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

The larger space offered the opportunity to grow the UMFA’s community impact as well. The diversity of art found throughout the UMFA’s galleries is used by museum educators to teach thousands of K-12 and university students from across Utah every year. The UMFA is often the first museum for many young visitors.

For the Future will feature unique hands-on educational components along with tours and workshops throughout the exhibition’s run to teach visitors how a museum works and connect to the purpose of caring for a collection in perpetuity for the public good.

“I’m deeply grateful to the many people who have played a significant role in making the UMFA all that it is today–our wonderful staff, our dedicated Board of Directors and generous donors, our colleagues across the University of Utah Campus and the broader community, and our beloved members, students, and visitors.” Said Dietrich.

For the Future: Collecting at the UMFA 2001-2026 will be on view at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts from August 29 through January 3, 2027. The Museum will host a celebration gala and exhibition preview on Thursday, August 27. More information can be found at umfa.utah.edu.

The Utah Museum of Fine Arts is located on the University of Utah campus in the Marcia and John Price Museum Building at 410 Campus Center Drive. The UMFA’s mission is to inspire critical dialogue and illuminate the role of art in our lives. For more information visit ​ www.umfa.utah.edu.