Erie Art Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1980, originally the Art Club of Erie est. 1898 |
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| Location | 20 East 5th Street, Erie, Pennsylvania, US |
| Type | Art Museum |
| Visitors | 11,124 (2018/2019) |
| Public transit access | EMTA Cultural Loop |
The Erie Art Museum is a cool place to explore art in Erie, Pennsylvania. It has a huge collection of over 8,000 art pieces! You can see amazing ceramics, beautiful Tibetan paintings, cool Indian bronzes, photography, and even comic book art.
One special display is called "Everything but the Shelves." It shows more than a thousand objects hung all over the walls, like a giant art puzzle! Besides its own collection, the museum also brings in four or five new art shows each year.
The museum offers fun educational programs and art classes for everyone. They even have special tours for schools. Throughout the year, the museum hosts "Gallery Nights" to show off Erie's art scene. You can also enjoy live performances during their "After Hours" events and the popular summer program, "Mid-Day Art Break." These shows feature talented artists from all over the world!
Exploring the Museum Building
In 2010, the Erie Art Museum opened a brand new building. This new space connects five historic buildings into one big complex. It's now about 80,000 square feet! The expansion added a new entrance, made the public areas three times bigger, and created new galleries, classrooms, and places for visitors to relax. You can even find a gift shop and a café there.
The museum complex includes some really old and interesting buildings:
- The Old Custom House: This building was finished in 1839. It's made of Vermont marble and has a Greek Revival style, which looks like ancient Greek temples.
- The Cashiers House: Also built in 1839, this is another Greek Revival style townhouse.
- The Bonnell Block: This commercial building from 1840 is also in the Greek Revival style. It's where you'll find the museum's Holstein Gallery.
- The modern addition: This part was built in 2010 to connect everything.
A Look at the Museum's History
The Erie Art Museum started a long time ago in 1898. It was first called The Art Club of Erie. A group of local artists, led by Mrs. Lovisa Card-Catlin, created it. The Art Club first had an art gallery inside the Public Library.
In the 1940s, the Art Club moved to the Watson-Curtze Mansion. Later, in 1956, the club bought the Wood-Morrison House. This house and its carriage house became known as the Art Center of Erie. In 1968, the organization hired its first professional director, John L. Vanco.
As the Erie Art Center, the group grew a lot. They started having art shows and education programs all year long. They also began collecting art and sending traveling exhibitions to other places. The center added a darkroom for photography, a frame shop, and even artist studios.
The Art Center eventually needed more space. So, they opened a ceramics studio called ClaySpace in 1981. They also added a theater and more artist studios in another building. Around this time, the organization changed its name to the Erie Art Museum. They bought more buildings, which became known as the Erie Art Museum Annex. These new spaces included a frame shop with a small gallery, a performance area, and more classrooms and galleries.
