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Tours

Specialized Focus Tours (for adults)

Cultural Discovery Tours (for K-12 students)

The following tours are available for groups of at least 10 or more by reservation only according to scheduling availability. Tours are 45 minutes in length. Schedule at least two weeks in advance. Request tours HERE. 

Fees:

Students (K5-12): educational discounts are available

Adults (College age and above): $5 per person

Note: There is a non-refundable reservation fee to book your tour.

 

 

Who Needs Shakespeare?

Gustafson Fine Arts Center, campus of Bob Jones University

For adults and students (6th-12th grade)

In a world of Broadway, YouTube, and Netflix who needs Shakespeare? The simple answer, of course, is we do! Simplicity aside, however, there is no writer past or present whose plots and characters more powerfully illuminate the human condition. Political intrigue, treachery, hypocrisy, selfless heroism, nobility, and beauty—are all poignantly framed and astonishingly “contemporary” (ripped from the headlines of a 24-hour news cycle). We need Shakespeare because in a culture numbed by constant distractions and irrelevant “noise,” he reminds us of our place in the world and our potential for good—or evil.

Request tour HERE or call for more information: (864) 770-1331

 

Tour the Shakespeare Exhibition

Join M&G’s Director of Education, Donnalynn Hess for a FREE guided tour through M&G’s focus exhibition, Who Needs Shakespeare? on Thursday, June 26 at 3:30PM. You’ll discover insights into Shakespeare’s plots and characters through clever symbolism in paintings and engravings. Register to attend. Space is limited and for guests 7th grade and older only.

Register HERE.

 

Benjamin West: The Father of American Painting

War Memorial Chapel, campus of Bob Jones University

For adults and students (3rd-12th grade)

From an aspiring artist in rural Pennsylvania plucking the hairs of his cat’s tail for a home-made paintbrush to working as History Painter to the King of England during the Revolutionary War, Benjamin West led a remarkable life of influence, and his paintings detail his story of amazing opportunities! Tour this monumental collection of paintings commissioned by King George III and discover their significance in history.

Request tour HERE or call for more information: (864) 770-1331

 

 

Collection on View

View Works from the Museum & Gallery Collection

While the Museum & Gallery is closed to the public and unable to offer public viewing hours, we continue removing the collection in preparation for moving to a new building and new location. Meanwhile, you can still see selected paintings and objects on display in these campus locations:

 

Gustafson Fine Arts Center: Atrium

Public Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 AM-5 PM or by tour request

Who Needs Shakespeare?

In a world of Broadway, YouTube, and Netflix who needs Shakespeare? The simple answer, of course, is we do! Simplicity aside, however, there is no writer past or present whose plots and characters more powerfully illuminate the human condition. Political intrigue, treachery, hypocrisy, selfless heroism, nobility, and beauty—are all poignantly framed and astonishingly “contemporary” (ripped from the headlines of a 24-hour news cycle). We need Shakespeare because in a culture numbed by constant distractions and irrelevant “noise,” he reminds us of our place in the world and our potential for good—or evil.

 

Tour the Shakespeare Exhibition

Join M&G’s Director of Education, Donnalynn Hess for a FREE guided tour through M&G’s focus exhibition, Who Needs Shakespeare? on Thursday, June 26 at 3:30PM. You’ll discover insights into Shakespeare’s plots and characters through clever symbolism in paintings and engravings. Register to attend. Space is limited and for guests 7th grade and older only.

Register HERE.

 

War Memorial Chapel

Open only by appointment or tour request

The Benjamin West Collection

The seven, monumental paintings that hang in the War Memorial Chapel constitute the largest assemblage today of works from the Progress of Revealed Religion series commissioned by King George III to be painted by Benjamin West, the father of American painting.

 

Mack Library

Public Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 AM-5 PM

View several Medieval and Renaissance objects from M&G’s collection, including a 16th-century Antiphonary, a 15th-century keepsake box made of bone, and more!

ArtBreak 2024-2025: Lunch & Lecture Program

 

ArtBreak: Meet the Collection

Hidden in storage and out on loan, M&G’s European Old Masters have been sorely missed during our preparation to move. Whether this is your first introduction to the collection or a reunion with old friends, come to hear from nationally recognized, engaging specialists from across the country as they introduce the richness and renown of the internationally respected Bob Jones Collection in a series of six lectures. It’s time for Greenville to meet… its Collection!

Presented by Glenn & Joyce Bridges with additional support provided by Hughes Investments

Dates: 3rd Tuesdays at Noon, during academic year

Location: The Davis Room, Dixon-McKenzie Dining Common on the campus of Bob Jones University

Parking: reserved spaces will be available in M&G’s parking lot.

Note: Aramark Catering will provide a Deli Bar with the following spread: sliced oven-roasted turkey, roasted beef, and ham, and tuna; a cheese and relish tray; a variety of baked breads and rolls, two green salads, chips, assorted cookies, and beverages.

Cost:

  • Member without lunch: FREE
  • Member with lunch: $17.00
  • Non-member without lunch: $6.00
  • Non-member with lunch:  $19.00

To Register, click on the dates below.

Spring Lectures:

February 18: Faith, Treachery, and Moral Wisdom: Religious Paintings in the Dutch Republic

Register for lunch by Noon on Friday, February 7.

Seventeenth-century Dutch artists often depicted religious subjects, including narratives about Old Testament kings and patriarchs, stories from the apocrypha, and episodes from the life of Christ. These paintings were not only valued in the Dutch Republic for their artistic qualities but also for the messages they conveyed. Whether displayed in public and private spheres, these works provided exemplars of human behavior, both positive and negative, that were fundamental to the political, spiritual, and moral ideals underlying Dutch society.

Drawing from M&G’s rich holdings, retired Curator of the National Gallery, Dr. Arthur Wheelock will examine how a few of the paintings in this outstanding collection would have helped guide the Dutch in their moral choices and sense of their own political history.

 

March 18: Early Renaissance to 19th-Century Craftsmanship

Register for lunch by Noon on Friday, March 7.

From storage cabinets to travel chests to serving credenza, David L’Eglise from Village Antiques in Asheville will share highlights and reveal history of the functional and decorative found in the furniture collection of the Museum & Gallery.

 

April 15: Devotional Art in Medieval and Renaissance Europe

Registering for lunch: the lunch option will remain open until the preordered amount has been reached.

Taking M&G’s monumental painted cross by Francesco di Vannuccio as a point of departure, Dr. Lyle Humphrey, associate curator of European art at the North Carolina Museum of Art, will discuss the role of art in religious practice in late medieval and Renaissance Europe. Humphrey will examine the evolution of both imagery and artistic formats through three centuries, from about 1350 to 1520.

 

Homeschool Days: 2024-2025

Artists in Focus

Join us for a monthly exploration of art and time from the 1600s through the 1800s! Students (ages 5-14) will closely study the lives of artists and the significant events influencing them and their choice of art medium. Each 75-minute lesson is interactive and includes a related art activity. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to view the world through various artistic styles.

Parent attendance is optional. Review our FAQs, which cover arrival and even co-op questions.

Registration: Accepting registrants for Spring sessions HERE.

Location: Mack Building (on the campus of Bob Jones University)

Fees per Lesson: Children–$9; adults–$3

Event fees are non-refundable. Adults may choose either to attend with their child(ren) or leave after student check-in for the 75-minute lesson.

 

To further your learning at home, use these M&G activity sheets.

Elementary School Lessons (K5-5th grade)

Thursday at 9:30AM and 2PM

Friday at 9:30AM, Noon, and 2PM

Middle School Lessons (6th-8th grade)

Friday at 9:30AM, Noon, and 2PM

 

Spring Topics:

February 6-7

Claude Monet, Chief Impressionist

March 13-14

Berthe Morisot, Admired Artist

April 3-4

Vincent Van Gogh, Impasto Pioneer

M&G Objects on Loan

Every year M&G loans works from its collection to participate in various exhibitions around the world. Peruse the list below and consider visiting the exhibitions to learn more about the world of Old Masters and the museum field. Plus, you can view portions of M&G’s collection on campus here.

 

Madonna of the Lake Marco d’Oggiono

North Carolina Museum of Art

October 8, 2022 – August 1, 2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Esther Accusing Haman Jan Victors

The Jewish Museum

March 7, 2025 – August 10, 2025

North Carolina Museum of Art

September 20, 2025 – March 8, 2026

 

 

Museum on the Move

M&G loves opening up the world of art through our unique Museum on the Move program by bringing museum learning to your classroom! Our educators are available to come to your classroom to teach and bring all the related materials for each lesson and arts-based STEAM units. Or you can choose to use digital Museum on the Move lessons in your classroom or remotely.

 

In-Person Lessons:

These 30- to 60-minute lessons are not only customized to accommodate individual classroom needs, but also integrate art with the core subject areas, and meet the national and South Carolina state standards. Each lesson is taught by our experienced and skilled museum educators, who bring everything needed for the interactive lesson with them. See what educators say about this program!

For a list of in-classroom lesson topics in PDF, click here.

For a copy of the standards utilized in each lesson, click here.

To schedule an educator to come to your classroom: contact Anna Hamrick, M&G’s Museum on the Move Coordinator via this scheduling form, or at ahamrick@bju.edu, or 864.770.1331. She will coordinate fees and educator availability.

 

If you’d like to understand a little more detail about how Museum on the Move works, listen to this February 2021 podcast about the program, featuring our education staff:

 

 

Museum on the Move is part of M&G’s Arts Encounter K-12 programming.

 

Object of the Month: February 2025

Head of Christ

Oil on panel, signed and dated lower right: A Scheffer 1849

Ary Scheffer

Dutch, active in France, 1795-1858

Ary Scheffer first studied art with his parents, later studying at the Amsterdam Drawing Academy. When his father died, Scheffer moved with his family to study in Paris with the neoclassical painter Pierre Guerin which set Scheffer on the road to Romanticism. A year later, he debuted at the Royal Academy’s Salon Exhibition. Five years after the move, he won his first medal which garnered him patronage by a supporter of the royal family.

The French would call this work an étude—a study made of a model to reference and work out details for a later painting. As such, collectors consider them valuable works. A glance at his oeuvre (body of work) reveals that Scheffer uses this model repeatedly for the Christ figure in several of his works largely during his religious period at the end of his career. Dated 1849, M&G’s study likely influenced later works, such as The Temptation of Christ (1854) in the National Gallery of Victoria and perhaps Christ Weeping over Jerusalem (1849) in the Victoria & Albert Museum (which he repeated in an 1851 version at the Walters Art Museum).

Scheffer’s popularity did extend to England but with a marked division in how the British received his works. The members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, just at the start of their own movement (1848), varied in their reactions: William Holman Hunt did not approve, unlike Thomas Woolner. In fact, Hunt convinced D.G. Rossetti that Scheffer’s works were “worthless” (Morris 180).

The Royal Academy in London criticized nearly all the technical aspects of his work, especially his coloring, possibly feeling vulnerable from the acclaim that he was receiving in the industrial North. The growth in the middle class through textile factories in cities such as Manchester and Liverpool made art collecting a mark of affluence and social status. These “barons” were already comfortable with Europe due to product exportation; the importation of ideas from there was a natural consequence. Scheffer was championed by the author Elizabeth Gaskell and collected by the “intensely pious John Heugh” (Morris 186). John Ruskin called him “one of the heads of the mud sentiment school,” but admitted that Scheffer “does draw and feel very beautifully and deeply” (Morris 180).

So if technical excellence was not the draw, what was? Edward Morris states that “it was above all spiritual and emotional exaltation particularly in expression that Scheffer’s English friends admired in his art” (176).  This Head of Christ evidences the coloring that drew criticism: the palette is limited to creams and browns with little distinction between Christ’s clothing and His skin. But Christ’s face is what draws attention. Kindness, introspection, firmness of purpose, along with a far-seeing gaze, create the impression that the God-man is on an eternal mission. “Emotional idealism” can easily cross the line into sentimentality, especially in religious works. However, the appeal to sentiment often leads to contemplation, a result that all artists desire. And anything more than a passing glance at Scheffer’s Head of Christ compels the viewer to ponder the Savior of the world.

 

Dr. Karen Rowe Jones, M&G board member

 

Work Cited:

Morris, Edward. French Art in Nineteenth-Century Britain. Yale UP, New Haven. 2005

 

Old Testament Characters: Pietro Negroni, called Il Giovane Zingaro

Roughly the same size, these beautifully rendered panels painted by Pietro Negroni most likely came from an altarpiece in a convent church in the Calabrian city of Cosenza.

Bringing the Ark to Jerusalem

Bringing the Ark to Jerusalem

Peter Paul Rubens (and studio)

Below the image, click play to listen.

 

Preparing to Depart for Canaan: Leandro Bassano, called Leandro da Ponte

This vibrant painting depicting Abraham and his family’s departure for Canaan features many of the details that the Bassano family were skilled in painting.