A large collection of artwork by some of America’s most celebrated artists on loan from the Muskegon Museum of Art is now on display at the Grand Valley State University Art Gallery, located at 1121 Performing Arts Center.

The free exhibition, “Regionalism and the Art of the WPA: Selections from the Muskegon Museum of Art,” opened Monday with help from a collaborative effort between GVSU and the MMA. The gallery remains open until March 23, with an opening ceremony tonight in the GVSU Art Gallery from 5 to 7 p.m. featuring a student quintet.

Ellen Sprouls, GVSU art gallery education coordinator, said the exhibition offers an interesting look at an important part of America’s art history.

“It brings an incredibly valuable body of work to the campus,” Sprouls said. “This is a very valuable collection of paintings and it’s an honor that the Muskegon Museum of Art is lending us this. It’s a chance for students to see some first-rate artwork from the 1930s, right here on our campus.”

Sprouls said that the large collection was carefully designed by Exhibit and Collections Design Manager, Paris Tennenhouse. She expects students to really enjoy it and said there has already been a lot of interest in the exhibition.

The MMA is lending the pieces to GVSU from their permanent collection to make room for a special exhibit they are receiving from the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. The series, “1934: A New Deal for Artists,” is part of the MMA’s 100th anniversary celebration and runs from Feb. 16 to May 6.

“Every one of the artists of the New Deal programs were finally considered to be viable “workers” just like plumbers, teachers, nurses, or company executives, who were deserving of compensation,” said Jane Connell, MMA’s senior curator and director of collections and exhibitions.

GVSU is working with the MMA during their hosting of the series to further the collaboration. Some of the events planned include a musical performance by GVSU’s chamber music ensemble on March 22, a reflection on work featuring student writers on April 5 and a panel discussion on the 1930s New Deal on April 12.

Art Martin, MMA assistant curator and collections manager, said the museum’s relationship with GVSU offers a lot of good resources to students.

“We really want to be an educational resource, especially for art students,” Martin said. “We really do, at the very least, greater student awareness within the art program.”

He urged students to take advantage of the exhibit while it’s on campus, and to also visit the “1934: A New Deal for Artists” series because they both offer a first-hand view of that era. The exhibit is relevant to the current political and economic situation, he said.

“In addition to just getting to see some great artwork, it addresses all kinds of different avenues for discourse, politics to sociology, to economic,” Martin said.

The relationship also helps both GVSU and the MMA increase the amount of their visitors while raising awareness of the historical art culture present in West Michigan.

“One of the biggest messages of these exhibitions is that we all absolutely need art, music, performance and all kinds of culture in our everyday lives,” Connell said. “These assets that feed our minds and spirits are as important as putting food on the table, even more so in hard times.”

Connell said this is not the first time the two have worked together and was encouraged by former MMA director, Henry Matthews, who is now director of galleries and collections at GVSU. The collaboration works very well because “we are small staffs working from our hearts,” Connell said.

sallen@lanthorn.com