About | Hilliard Art Museum

A gallery wall displays various framed artworks, including colorful paintings and sketches, arranged in a row on a white wall with wooden flooring visible beneath.

Where past, present, and possibility meet

The Hilliard Art Museum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette presents exhibitions and programs that are regionally rooted and globally engaged, fostering the creative exchange of ideas and cross-disciplinary research in the visual arts.

A group of people stands smiling together in a gallery, surrounded by colorful, hanging, fluffy art installations in a bright, spacious room with wooden floors.

Who We Are

The museum serves university students, faculty, and staff as well as the wider Lafayette community through diverse programming that brings campus and community together.

Founded in 2004, the museum also preserves and advances scholarship on its 3,000-piece permanent art collection, ranging from ancient Egyptian artifacts to vernacular self-taught and internationally recognized contemporary artists.

As part of our commitment to being a vital artistic voice in our community,, the Hilliard presents educational programs, workshops, and community events that bring people together through cross disciplinary dialogues rooted in the visual arts.

A smiling boy holds up a small clay sculpture in a classroom setting at one of Lafayette's family friendly Louisiana museums, surrounded by other children engaged in similar creative activities.

Education & Accessibility

The museum also maintains a comprehensive tour and outreach program for area K-12 schools, connecting with local educators to provide age-appropriate art experiences that complement classroom learning.

The museum’s robust digital engagement program extends educational experiences beyond the museum walls, ensuring accessibility. Through these multi-disciplinary presentations, the museum provides new perspectives on its exhibitions and collection while offering diverse cultural viewpoints that support the university’s educational mission.

A confident woman with short brown hair, red glasses, and red lipstick stands with arms crossed in a black blazer, against a blurred blue background with white dots—perfectly at home at a Lafayette art museum or other Louisiana museums.

Meet Molly Rowe, Executive Director

“Art brings us face to face with people and ideas and cultures across time, across space, and invites us to expand our perspective.”

Molly Rowe is a Lafayette native who has spent over two decades working with art organizations around the world.

Rowe’s work within the arts world spans nonprofits like the New York City Ballet and the Whitney Museum of American Art; Savannah College of Art & Design and Duke University; and even Fortune 500 brands such as Google and The New York Times. She holds an MBA in strategic management from Tulane University, a bachelor’s degree in history and French literature from Cornell University, and has completed graduate work in art history at Sorbonne Université and École Normale Supérieure in Paris.

The Hilliard’s deep connection to the University is central to her vision. It roots the museum in a distinctive cultural voice, liberal arts tradition, and community while engaging in broader national and international discourse.