Mission

 The University Art Collection's mission is to use art to educate, inspire, foster creative thinking and promote the advancement of social and cultural leadership.

Vision

The University Art Collection envisions a future where the collection will continue to contribute to the quality of campus life and remain a source for cross-disciplinary research, teaching and experiential learning.

Through a strategic approach to acquisitions, exhibitions, preservation and care of the collection the University Art Collection will become a beacon for regional art and will secure the legacy of Wayne State University as a center for arts in Detroit.

Collection Development Policy

The composition of the Wayne State University Art Collection represents the historic diversity of the university and the communities it serves.  Its focus is primarily on works of art created by university alumni, students, staff, faculty, visiting artists, and exhibitors at the university's galleries.  Works by Detroit and Michigan area artists associated with the university's visual-arts community and works that reflect the cultural experience of the university, Detroit, and its metropolitan region are also represented.  The UAC also includes works by major artists or exemplary works by lesser-known artists that distinctly enrich the UAC and enhance its capacity to further its mission. 

In addition to further deepening the UAC's existing strengths, its goals include the acquisition of late twentieth and twenty-first century objects, works from all periods by artists associated with major ethnic groups represented in the university community, as well as relevant objects in any medium, era, or culture which add to the research, teaching, and community engagement goals of the university.  The UAC is also open to opportunities that will refine and improve the quality and appropriateness of the collection. 

Deaccesions

An institution's collections occasionally may be strengthened by the wise and constructive deaccession of previously accessioned works of art. Deaccessioning is a legitimate part of the formation and care of collections and is done to refine and improve the quality and appropriateness of the University Art Collection. The following work(s) have recently been deaccessioned:

DAN GLOVAK, Concentric Circles & Pattern of Circles, 1968, airbrushed gouache - Damaged beyond repair