Liberty University plans upgrades to campus museum spaces

Some designated museum spaces at Liberty University will be renovated and items relocated to newly expanded areas on campus as the school makes plans to better showcase its special collections this semester.

“Liberty University has always been a special place to learn about history, arts, and the foundation of our Christian faith,” said Liberty President Jerry Prevo. “We are blessed to be able to host so many prized collections, and not just keep them to ourselves, but to share them with our students and the community. These museum upgrades will help us display these great treasures.”

The university plans to relocate the Liberty Biblical Museum, which opened in 2013 in the terrace level of the Jerry Falwell Library, to Marie F. Green Hall, in space that has previously housed the Liberty University Art Gallery.

The museum features artifacts from the Holy Land and Biblical culture from 3,000 B.C. to the 6th century A.D. and affirms the historical and cultural background of Scripture. Dr. J. Randall Price, a distinguished research professor at Liberty who serves as the museum’s curator, is the owner of the collection and has personally amassed over 2,000 items. Displays include authentic artifacts as well as exact replicas of the originals, ranging from original bricks from the walls of Jericho to crucifixion nails, a genuine Roman soldier’s helmet from the time of the early church, and exact copies of some of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Special exhibits include The Jewish Temple, Authentic Last Supper room, and Fossils and the Flood.

With the museum’s move to Green Hall, the university will use the existing library space to house the Jerry Falwell Museum, which was originally located off the DeMoss Hall Grand Lobby. Since opening on Aug. 11, 2003, the 70th birthday of Liberty founder Dr. Jerry Falwell, the museum has given visitors the opportunity to learn about his life and his ministry. It has featured Falwell’s writings, including books and personal letters, as well as various memorabilia. Liberty is greatly expanding and renovating the library space to accommodate the abundance of material and special exhibits.

The museum will be separate from the new Jerry Falwell Center: Inspiring Champions for Christ, anticipated to open in 2023. The university announced plans last fall to build the center behind the Hancock Welcome Center. Through an interactive journey of faith-based discovery, new and prospective students and their families, along with alumni and friends of the university, will learn more about the founder’s enduring ministry and gain an understanding of the vision that launched — and sustains — Liberty University. The Center will also provide space for learning opportunities, concerts, and special events.

The Liberty University Art Gallery is in the process of relocating just steps away from its former location in Green Hall, to a larger and more central location within the School of Communication and the Arts, near the art and broadcast studios (in the former collaborative space). The renamed Liberty University Art Museum will allow for more guests and more room to display the university’s permanent collection, shows by students and faculty, and special guest exhibits from renowned artists. The whole exterior will be lined with glass walls. The new art museum is scheduled to be completed by this summer.