The long-awaited opening of St. Joe’s Frances M. Maguire Art Museum will take place May 6 and 7.
The opening weekend will feature a series of events from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., including tours of the museum as well as a self-guided “I Spy Art” scavenger hunt. St. Joe’s students, faculty and staff can also get a sneak peek of the museum from 2-6 p.m. on May 5.
The museum is located on the Merion side of Hawk Hill campus at 50 Lapsley Lane, behind the recently completed Jesuit residence in Arrupe Hall, which opened in spring of 2021.
In 2017, James J. Maguire ’58 and his wife, Frances M. Maguire ’14 (Hon.), donated $50 million to St. Joe’s. A portion of this money went toward the renovations of the building that was site of the Barnes Foundation before it moved its world-renowned art collection to a new museum building in Center City in 2012. The old Barnes is now the new Maguire Art Museum.
The museum is dedicated and named in honor of the late Frances M. Maguire, who throughout her life believed in the power of art, according to Veronica Farr, M.Ed., the museum’s education outreach coordinator.
“Francis Maguire, the wife, she was an artist … and that’s why this was dedicated to her, because of all the art that she’s done over her lifetime,” Farr said. “We have some of her work here on display, and art was such an important part of her life, so it really fits.”
The museum has a collection of about 3,000 works that are from the St. Joe’s archive, the museum’s permanent collection and artists within the community, according to Emily Hage, Ph.D., museum director and professor of art and art history. This wide variety of art showcases various issues that museum goers can learn from.
“We have galleries showing our permanent collection but we also have galleries of contemporary art relating to the environment,” Hage said. “We have an exhibition on the history of this building. We have a teaching gallery, which is something that will probably be of interest to students and faculty.”
The museum’s first exhibition is “Shifting Ecologies,” which will showcase 15 artists whose works call for sustainability.
The ultimate goal of the museum, according to Hage, is to show the community that art is not one-sided and can be made relevant to anyone’s interests.
“What I always say to my students, actually, is that, maybe you care about the environment, so you write about it, or you are an activist,” Hage said. “But if you’re an artist, then you make art about it. Art is related to anything that we could be interested in. It’s just how you express your interest.”
The museum emphasizes inclusivity, not only in welcoming people into the museum but also within the work and artists the museum has on display, Farr said.
“We have a diverse collection of styles of art, who the artists are, what messages they are communicating and how they do it,” Farr said. “And to be able to come and take a look at a piece of art and what’s different about it … It gets someone thinking of more than just their own perspective.”
As the museum continues to grow and develop on St. Joe’s campus, Farr is open to hearing new ideas and perspectives on how to foster student engagement.
On April 27, members of the University Student Senate had the opportunity to preview the museum. After the tour, Farr held a conversation with the student leaders asking for their input about the structure of the museum, how to encourage students to come to the museum after it opens and general feedback about what they saw during the tour.
Student Senator Ashley Rodgers ’25 mentioned that adding a mini coffee shop in the museum could bring an aspect of socialization.
“You could sit and just have a cup of coffee, or go there and have coffee with a friend,” Rodgers said. “The museum is kind of separated from the academics portion of campus, which is really nice. It could just be an area to relax and unwind and get some assignments done.”
Hage is most excited for community members and students to have the opportunity to explore a new environment, take in the beauty of art and enjoy the new space that is now a part of Hawk Hill.
“[I’m looking forward to] watching people enter the space and see what we’ve done and seeing their eyes when they see different installations and explore the building,” Hage said. “It’s a building that encourages people to walk around, turn corners and be surprised and delighted by what they see.”
Following its opening weekend, the Maguire Art Museum will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Admission is free for all visitors.
