The end of the Modern Art period marked the beginning of the Contemporary Art era. It includes all art made from the 1960s till the present date. During this period, there wasn't any distinctive or dominant form of art that was recognized by artists, art historians and critics; leading to this period being defined as 'Contemporary'. The defining aspect of contemporary art is probably the fact that it cannot be defined at all.

DAUM is a contemporary art museum located on the campus of State Fair Community College. The museum conserves, collects, construes, and exhibits contemporary works of art. It uses these artworks to educate students, faculty and general public about contemporary art. Every aspect of the museum's functionality is controlled by the educational mission of the State Fair Community College. Although the DAUM museum is essentially used for educative purposes it still manages to augment the cultural life of its immediate society. The museum is dedicated to the highest level of educational standards to execute pioneering, humane, and enlightening programs. The core part of the museum is a permanent collection, comprising of abstract paintings, drawings, prints, works in clay and sculptures produced since the mid-20th century. This assortment also incorporates those significant pioneers that are an essential link to refining the scale of the collection and to enhance DAUM's educational significance. This permanent collection was assembled through gifts and selected purchases.

All the artwork in the museum is categorized under ceramics, paintings, photography, print and sculpture. DAUM also offers some of these collections inspired by the contemporary style of art for sale.