The weather is shifting to a pleasant, warm, and crisp climate, making indoor activities even more enjoyable. This fall, The Narrative Matters will showcase stories about some of the best museums across the country, highlighting both well-known and extraordinary institutions.
Kicking things off is Birmingham, Alabama’s Museum Art Museum. We hope you enjoy this feature from a few seasons ago and that you’ll have the chance to explore these remarkable venues soon.
Birmingham Museum of Art
Birmingham Museum of Art
A little history
The museum was founded in 1951, initially operating in Birmingham City Hall. The current building opened in 1959 and was substantially expanded and renovated in 1993. Today, the museum occupies about 180,000 square feet, including a large outdoor sculpture garden.
The museum is owned by the City of Birmingham and is governed by the Museum Board of the City of Birmingham.
The collection
The BMA has more than 29,000 works of art, covering thousands of years and cultures around the world. Its major areas include:
- African art
- Asian art
- European art
- American art
- Ancient American art
- Native American art
- Paintings and sculpture
- Prints and drawings
- Decorative arts
- Ceramics and textiles
One particularly notable area is the museum’s Asian collection, which the museum describes as one of the most comprehensive in the Southeast.
Some exceptional collections
The museum has several collections that make it particularly distinctive.
The Kress Collection contains Renaissance and Baroque paintings, sculpture and decorative arts. The collection became an important foundation of the museum’s holdings after the Samuel H. Kress Foundation placed 29 Italian Renaissance paintings on long-term loan in 1952.
The Beeson Wedgwood Collection is another major attraction. The museum describes it as the finest Wedgwood collection in the United States and one of its signature decorative-arts holdings.
The museum also has important holdings of Vietnamese ceramics, African art, American art and Native American art.
🌳 Sculpture Garden
One of the most distinctive parts of the museum is the Charles W. Ireland Sculpture Garden.
The garden incorporates sculpture with landscaped outdoor spaces and architectural elements. It became part of the museum’s major 1993 expansion and includes works associated with artists such as Auguste Rodin and Fernando Botero.
🖼️ What’s happening now
As of September 2026, the museum has several exhibitions and installations on view, including:
- Wall to Wall: Christopher Myers — August 15, 2026–July 11, 2027
- Disruption! — May 2026–May 2027
- Gilding the Lilies and Other Flowers in the Arts of Asia — through October 2026
- Marks of Intention — through April 16, 2027
- Roll Call: Two Hundred Years of Black American Art — September 26, 2026–January 17, 2027
Roll Call is particularly timely because it examines 200 years of Black American art, with the exhibition scheduled to open September 26, 2026.
đź’° Admission
One of the museum’s biggest attractions is that general admission is free. That includes the permanent collection galleries and most exhibitions, although some special exhibitions have separate admission charges.
There is also free parking in the museum’s lot behind the building.
Official Birmingham Museum of Art website
Why it is important to Birmingham
The BMA isn’t simply a place to see paintings. It functions as one of Birmingham’s major cultural and educational institutions, bringing together African, Asian, European, American, Native American and Ancient American histories under one roof.
For a story about Birmingham’s cultural attractions, there is also an interesting comparison to be made between the Birmingham Museum of Art and institutions such as the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Negro Southern League Museum. Together, they tell very different parts of Birmingham’s cultural history.
There is also free parking in the museum’s lot behind the building.
Official Birmingham Museum of Art website
Why it is important to Birmingham
The BMA isn’t simply a place to see paintings. It functions as one of Birmingham’s major cultural and educational institutions, bringing together African, Asian, European, American, Native American and Ancient American histories under one roof.
For a story about Birmingham’s cultural attractions, there is also an interesting comparison to be made between the Birmingham Museum of Art and institutions such as the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Negro Southern League Museum. Together, they tell very different parts of Birmingham’s cultural history.
Birmingham Museum of Art
2000 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35203
IAnd that’s a wrap for today! Until next time, if there are any museums you believe we should feature as we gear up for the best of the best, please submit your suggestions to: contentacquisition.dynastytv@gmail.com
Reference:
Birmingham Museum of Art showcases 200 years of Black American art in new exhibit
The Birmingham Museum of Art is showcasing 200 years of Black American art in a new exhibit featuring works from the museum’s permanent collection.
“Roll Call: Two Hundred Years of Black American Art” includes pieces by more than 250 Black American artists. The museum acquired its first piece for the collection in 1971. Read more
Source
Birmingham Museum of Art, City of Birmingham, AL, Birmingham Museum of Art website
