Newcomb Art Museum
The Newcomb Art Museum (NAM) of Tulane University builds on Newcomb College’s legacy of education and artistic expertise. The academic institution for which the museum is named was founded in 1886 as the first degree-granting coordinate college for women in America. The H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College was distinguished for educating students in the sciences, physical education and most importantly, art education. Out of its famed arts program, the Newcomb Pottery was born. In operation from 1895 until 1940, the Newcomb enterprise produced metalwork, fiber arts and the now internationally renowned Newcomb pottery.
NAM develops initiatives that use critical frameworks across disciplines in conceptualizing and interpreting art and design. Presenting inspiring exhibitions and programs that engage communities both on and off campus, the museum fosters the creative exchange of ideas, civic dialogue, and cross-disciplinary collaborations around fine art, craft, and material culture. The museum also supports university coursework and research that advances understanding of visual art, crafts and the significance of the Gulf South.
Why are donations necessary?
Donations support arts initiatives that preserve the legacy of the Newcomb College artistic enterprise, the training of the next generation of professionals and scholarship about fine art and crafts. The funding also helps NAM to better convey the distinctiveness of the museum's institutional history as well as the arts ecosystem of New Orleans and the Gulf South.
This year we are actively seeking support for the 2027 exhibition "Lynda Benglis: Elemental." Benglis earned a BFA degree in ceramics and painting from Newcomb College in 1964. She is known for her waxed paintings and poured latex sculptures. The exhibition, which will be curated by Laura Blereau, NAM Curator of Exhibitions, will include rarely seen artwork and ephemera that illustrate the significance of Benglis's time at Newcomb College. It will also draw attention to the ways her formative years in Lake Charles and New Orleans influenced the organic imagery in her work and experiments with new media.
In February of 2025, NAM received confirmation that The Whitney Museum of American Art will lend Benglis's famous 1969 work "Contraband" for the show. Additional resources will ensure that the museum can realize a remarkable exhibition that will illustrate the significance of the university, the city of New Orleans and the region for one of the most important contemporary artists.
#GiveGreenTU and support the Newcomb Art Museum today!