Cedarhurst Center for the Arts facts for kids
Mitchell Museum at Cedarhurst
Margaret (1871), by Thomas Eakins. |
|
| Established | 1973 |
|---|---|
| Location | 2600 Richview Road Mount Vernon, Illinois United States |
Cedarhurst Center for the Arts is a special place in Mount Vernon, Illinois, where you can explore and create art! It's a big campus, about 80 acres, which is like 60 football fields. Here, you can take fun classes in things like drawing, painting, ceramics (making pottery), and even stained glass. They also have concerts and events for everyone to enjoy.
Cedarhurst is home to several cool spots. There's the Mitchell Museum, which has amazing artworks. You can also visit the Kuenz Sculpture Park, full of interesting statues. The Shrode Art Center is where many art classes happen. There's also the Schweinfurth House and a Performance Hall inside the Mitchell Museum for shows.
Cedarhurst Center for the Arts has a special award called "accreditation" from the American Alliance of Museums. This means it's one of the best museums in the country! Out of about 35,000 museums in the United States, only a little over 1,000 have this high honor. It shows that Cedarhurst is a truly excellent place for art.
Mitchell Museum: A Home for Art
The Mitchell Museum is a key part of Cedarhurst. It's named after John R. and Eleanor R. Mitchell. They were a couple who loved art and gave their amazing collection to Cedarhurst in 1973.
Inside the Mitchell Museum, you'll find many American paintings. These include works by famous artists like Mary Cassatt, Thomas Eakins, William Glackens, Robert Henri, George Luks, and John Sloan. These artists were masters from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
How Cedarhurst Began
The idea for Cedarhurst started with John and Eleanor Mitchell's personal art collection. They wanted a place to share their beautiful paintings and artifacts with people in southern Illinois. They collected art for over 40 years.
In 1965, the Mitchells created the Mitchell Foundation. Their goal was to build the Mitchell Museum at Cedarhurst. The museum officially opened its doors in 1973. Sadly, both John and Eleanor passed away before their dream museum was fully finished.
Cedarhurst Today: A Growing Art Hub
Over the past 50 years, Cedarhurst has grown a lot. It has become a major center for culture and art, still spread across its 80-acre campus. The museum, which started as just two rooms, is now a large 33,000-square-foot building.
This bigger space includes four art galleries. One of these galleries always shows pieces from the original Mitchell collection. There's also an interactive family learning center, which is a fun place for kids to explore art. Plus, there's a performance hall for concerts and shows.
The campus also features the Shrode Art Center. This building has its own gallery, classrooms, and studios where people can create art. You can also see the historic Mitchell Home and Schweinfurth House, which are used for special events. And don't forget the Goldman-Kuenz Sculpture Park, where you can walk among cool, modern sculptures.
