The Hilbert Museum reopens doors, plans massive expansion
The Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University will see an over $9 million expansion that will triple its size to offer new gallery spaces. DANIEL PEARSON, Staff Photographer
The Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University reopened its doors March 31 and is ready for students and patrons to safely enjoy its galleries again. The museum’s hours are limited, as its operations strictly follow guidelines set forth by the California Department of Public Health and Chapman University. The Hilbert family and Mary Platt, the museum’s director, are eager to have guests again.
“Art is just crucial in our lives. The pandemic has really proved that to people because we’ve been locked in our houses and hungry enough for art that artists are streaming and art museums are sharing their art any way they can,” Platt said. “People are eating it up.”
The Hilbert collection boasts over 1,500 pieces with works from a diverse group of artists, according to Platt. The museum, located at 167 N. Atchison St. in Orange, offers a space to learn about California history through the eyes of creatives and artists, as different artworks carry historical context.
Exhibits range from displaying fine art to a changing selection of animation art. Platt told The Panther the museum is unique because it reflects the art-collecting interests of each particular donor.
“You could see that this university is on a tear upward and I wanted to be part of that positive energy,” said Mark Hilbert, who founded the museum in 2016.
Hilbert said the museum is planning on expanding by more than triple its current square footage — from 7,500 to over 22,000 — where it will flow into Chapman’s Partridge Dance Center. This construction endeavor comes as an anonymous $9 million donation helped fuel a project designed to add four new galleries — including the American Design and the Vintage Native American Arts galleries — and expand both the Animation and Movie Production Arts and the American Illustration galleries.
Two new multi-purpose galleries will be open for temporary exhibitions, which can include a theater, lecture hall and traditional gallery. Other spaces will be reserved for a research library, conference room, coffee and espresso bar and book and gift store.
The project will also extend outside museum doors, creating an outdoor courtyard with a historic mosaic of Southern California beach life — made of murano glass from Italy — and related sculptures from architectural designer Millard Sheets. The museum expansion project is still under review and is pending city approval, but is estimated to be completed in late 2023.
“It's nice for anybody to be able to go to an art museum and see beautiful things. It's relaxing. It takes your mind off of whatever else is going on outside of the museum,” Hilbert said. “It's the perfect place to relax and be able to get your creative juices stimulated.”
Because Hollywood became a hub for the movie industry — as Walt Disney hired both U.S.-based and international artists to contribute to his work, especially during the Great Depression — the Hilbert Museum features movie production and Disney art. There are many pieces that represent the confluence of the historical period, when artists came to California to work in the movie industry. Now, the Hilbert Museum sits within walking distance of the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, where current students and aspiring creatives can reflect on the work pioneered from those who came before them.
The Los Angeles Area Scene Painting show that’s featured in the museum is available for public viewing until June 26 and has garnered international acclaim during the pandemic. It received four pages of press coverage in the very front of the French magazine, The Art of Watercolour. In addition, Annabel Osberg of AEQAI named the Los Angeles Area Scene Paintings one of the top 10 Los Angeles exhibitions of 2020.
“It’s here, it’s free, it’s air conditioned and it’s a great escape,” Platt said.