Smart Museum

The Smart Museum is a unique and economical venue for your special occasion, having been named to the Knot's list of 10 best museums for a wedding. The Smart's beautiful Ratner Reception Gallery and outdoor Elden Sculpture Garden, which feature large-scale art and sculptures, provide crisp, contemporary venues appropriate for a wide range of events, including wedding receptions, smaller meetings, and corporate entertaining. You and your guests will have the option to tour the Museum's galleries privately during your event. On request, tours of our special exhibitions and permanent collection can be arranged. Under the guidance of Vinci/Hamp Architects, the Museum's interior was reorganized and restored in 1999, and now has a wide, light-filled greeting hall as well as a succession of smaller galleries. Availability After hours, on weekday and weekend evenings, the Smart Museum's reception gallery and sculpture garden are available for hire. We encourage making bookings well in advance to ensure that you can enjoy your special event at the Smart. Inquire about renting our sculpture garden for larger events. Email Sarah Polachek or call 773.702.5785 for additional information about event options, cost, and availability. The Smart has been guided by an educational mission centered on teaching and research, as well as a dedication to making the arts accessible to the University community and the general public through its collection and special exhibitions, since its inception. The Smart is still an experimental institution dedicated to great ideas now, as it was in the past. Our 40th anniversary was a stimulus for us to reflect on and redefine the Smart's basic processes in 2014–2015, with a special focus on teaching, interpretation, and interaction.