Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign is the jewel of the campus. Located at 500 East Peabody Drive, the sprawling 48,000-square-foot facility is devoted to all periods of art, dating from ancient Egypt to contemporary photography. Built in 1961, the museum's of more than 11,500 objects includes specializations in 20th century art, Asian art and pre-Columbian art, particularly works from the Andes. In addition to collection galleries, the museum features six to 10 special exhibitions each year from national and international museum collections as well as exhibitions of art by contemporary artists. An addition to the museum was completed in 1988. The building incorporates contemporary Egyptian art in an overall post-modernist design. And in 2012, the museum opened a newly redesigned gallery of African art. Finally, in 2019, the museum opened Art Since 1948, a long-term installation focused on the museum's permanent collection of modern and contemporary art.

We went during construction of new exhibit spaces and found the limited number except it's the perfect size for our 1 and 1/2 hour visit. They have modern and African art on the first floor. And ceramics and glass in the basement. With paintings, sculptures, drawings, even a bench, there's something for everyone.

This museum is a treasure! Wonderful collections beautifully displayed and the obvious commitment to expanding them with a broader, more inclusive, group of artists is welcome. The staff was delightful and went out of their way to ensure we did not miss a special exhibit. The temporary exhibits each told a powerful story we found moving. It was a cool, calm oasis in the midst of a hot, humid, chaotic return to campus visit. We went back for a second day to delight in the things we had missed on the first. Don't miss the moving sculpture, The Blind in the entry foyer!

I took our granddaughter there to see the Nutcracker ballet - it was wonderful! She enjoyed not only the production but the refreshments during the intermission! The date we attended is not a choice below - it was before Covid.

We're primarily interested in modern art and were not disappointed. Large collection, interestingly displayed. Free, of course, since it's part of the U of I and we were able to find a metered parking space right in front. Well worth a couple of hours of your time, especially on a rainy day.