Art is not just an accessory to your living space—it’s an elevation of your life’s canvas. WAM's Art Rental Collection contains original, one-of-a-kind artworks, available for rent for the University of Minnesota campus community. Choose from a diverse range of art, spanning from mid-twentieth century to contemporary creations by local artists. 

This year's curated selection from the WAM's Rental Collection, on view in the Open Studio, explores the theme of perception in darkness. Shadowy figures, abstract shapes, and fleeting light shifts often spark our imagination after sunset, when colors fade away. What if these mysterious visions were reimagined with vibrant colors and expressive forms? Artists in this collection transform familiar spaces like homes, everyday objects, and bodies, turning them into eerie yet strangely captivating abstract interpretations.

Renting art is really affordable

Renting an artwork is just $15 (plus tax) per semester for UMN students. Faculty, staff and departments can rent original artworks too! UMN employees and departments may rent pieces for $45 per artwork per year. 

Take a piece of WAM’s artwork home with you!

Browse the curated installation of art rental works in the Open Studio, or poke through the full assortment of available works in the WAM Shop, and find your own masterpiece to bring home.

How it all began

The Art Rental program was started by the museum’s founding director, Hudson Walker, in 1934. Together with his wife Ione, he assembled the collection of American art the forms the heart of the museum’s collection today. The Art Rental program was a way to bring original art into the everyday lives of students, faculty, and staff at the University.