Marjorie Barrick Museum, University art museum in Las Vegas, United States.
The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art occupies a building on the UNLV campus that once held the university's original gymnasium; renovations for the museum were completed in 1981, and a research laboratory wing was added in 1994. It is the anchor of the Galleries at UNLV, a group of six galleries and one museum under a common administration. Its Collections Room and Exhibition Hall were reconfigured in the 2012 renovation.
The museum opened in September 1967 as a natural history facility of the Desert Research Institute, directed by archaeologist Richard H. Brooks. UNLV took over its management in 1969, and it moved into a former campus gymnasium in 1981. It joined the College of Fine Arts in December 2011 and reopened in 2012 as an art museum.
The collection focuses on the cultures of the American Southwest and Mexico, with works tied to life in the desert region. Visitors can see objects ranging from indigenous traditions to contemporary local voices.
Admission is free, making it an easy stop for anyone visiting the UNLV campus. Since the museum has both indoor and outdoor areas, allow enough time to move through both parts comfortably.
The building that houses the museum was once a university gymnasium before being converted into a gallery space. This origin is still faintly readable in the layout, where some rooms feel unusually proportioned for art display.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,026 contributors worldwide.
