Lauren K.
Yelp
Wow, some of these reviews are harsh. I think people forget that they're in Tucson, not a major city in the country. For us to even have an art museum, especially one as nice as the Tucson Museum of Art, is a huge plus and should be appreciated. Just because you don't like their current exhibits doesn't mean it's not art and it's worth tearing the building down in disgust. As a person who appreciates art, I appreciate the effort that this museum puts into giving the community art. They don't get a ton of funding so they do what they can. If you want better, donate to them and put your money where your mouth is.
All that being said, the Tucson Museum of Art is one of my favorite places in Tucson. At least a few times a year, they have exhibits that interest me and my husband. They often have extremely popular and great artists on display, as well as great local artists. Ansel Adams, Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse, just to name a few. The collections are not always very large, but they're decent, and for some people, they're a once in a lifetime chances to see original works of art by the great artists of the past. Their website does a great job of listing past, present, and future exhibits with their starting and ending dates, which helps us plan trips there.
The museum itself is very clean and cared for. The staff has always answered our questions and have never been rude about it. They're not the most talkative people on the planet, but I don't mind, because I don't really want to chit chat anyway. The gift shop is just ok. They have lots of little southwestern knick-knack type things. I would like to see more gifts related to the artists currently on display. When they had the Ansel Adams collection a few years ago, the gift shop had a ton of smaller reproduction photos for sale. I haven't seen anything like that since for any of the other artists we've seen the works of there. So, that's a bit of a let-down for us. But not a huge deal.
My least favorite part of the museum is the separate building that is used for mainly Western art. (during the holidays it has El Nacimiento). I'm not a huge fan of it, and I like variety, so I'd like to see something else in that building soon.
They have a private parking lot which has never been too full for us to find parking in, and it's free and close to the museum itself. Their fees are fair. Membership is actually a good option if you go frequently. As a member, you also get invited to other exclusive events, and you get special perks for things like their Millionaire Raffle.
Overall, for a city like Tucson, the Tucson Museum of Art is a decent museum. They can only get better with support from the community, so visit them or donate if you want to see more in the future. Regardless, if you appreciate art even a little, it's worth a trip there once a year.