Founded in 1967, the museum's mission is to advance knowledge and foster understanding in contemporary visual arts. Through exhibitions, programs, publications, and collections, the museum seeks to provide a forum for artists and audiences that enriches the intellectual life of the university and community.
The Art Collections of the University at Albany, which include over 3,000 works -- primarily works on paper -- represent more than 30 years of contemporary art, and include works by such renowned artists as Vito Acconci, Willem deKooning, Richard Diebenkorn, Leon Golub, Grace Hartigan, Ellsworth Kelly, Louise Nevelson, Eduardo Paolozzi, Dieter Roth, Edward Ruscha, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, and Robert Smithson.
The 9,000-square-foot-facility was designed by architect Edward Durell Stone and has become known as an icon of late 20th century modernist architecture.