Quick Links
Cantor Arts Center
328 Lomita Drive at Museum Way
Stanford, CA 94305-5060
Phone: 650-723-4177
Using over 700 items from the Stanford Family Collections, artist Mark Dion’s new exhibition explores how Leland Stanford Jr.’s death at age 15 led to the creation of a museum, university, and—by extension—the entire Silicon Valley.
Dion spent more than a year culling through the over 6,000 objects in the original Stanford Family Collections to create an exhibition that explores young Leland’s collection—he already was an avid and curious collector at the time of his death—as well as important narratives related to the Stanford family. These include the history of the railroads and the laborers who worked to create it, and the two earthquakes that caused major damage to the museum.
The result of Dion’s efforts are two rooms filled with beautiful, startling, and quirky objects that are grouped together to highlight the Stanford family’s story and to invite visitors to reflect and make their own connections.
This exhibition is organized by the Cantor Arts Center as part of The Diekman Contemporary Commissions Program, in honor of Mona Duggan and her extraordinary dedication to the arts at Stanford. We gratefully acknowledge support from The Diekman Special Projects Fund and Maryellie Johnson and Rupert Johnson, Jr.
When Jane and Leland Stanford experienced the immense pain of losing their only son, Leland Jr., just before his 16th birthday, they were compelled to enshrine his memory in a meaningful way...
By Susan Dackerman, John and Jill Freidenrich Director at the Cantor.
Although the museum established by Leland Sr. and Jane Stanford in memory of their son, Leland Jr., is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, it has only been in active operation for a portion of that time.
Artist Mark Dion answers questions about the exhibition and his artistic process.
To view all the objects in the exhibition please visit our collections page.
A Field Guide to the exhibition is available for purchase on site.
Installing over 700 objects in the galleries required many hours of careful work for artist Mark Dion and the Cantor staff members who worked with him.
Although the museum is temporarily closed, our digital doors are always open.
Visit Museums From Home to enjoy Stanford art museums from home.
The Cantor Arts Center is located at the intersection of Museum Way and Lomita Drive in the heart of the arts district on the Stanford campus. The Cantor faces the Bing Concert Hall across Palm Drive, northwest of The Oval and the Main Quad.
Parking is limited. Visitor parking is available on Lomita Drive and in a nearby parking structure at Roth Way and Campus Drive. On weekdays until 4PM visitors may use marked, metered spots. On weekdays after 4PM and all day on weekends, visitor parking is free and visitors may also use A and C permit spaces.