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 in Erie, Pennsylvania, where you can explore amazing art! It has a huge collection of over 8,000 art pieces. You can see everything from beautiful American pottery and ancient Tibetan paintings to detailed Indian bronzes, cool photographs, and even comic book art.
One of the most exciting displays is called "Everything but the Shelves." It shows more than a thousand objects from the museum's collection, all hung together in a special style. Besides its own collection, the museum also brings in new art shows about four or five times a year.
The museum offers lots of fun activities for kids and families. You can go on interactive tours with your school or take art classes to learn new skills. They also host "Gallery Nights" in Erie, which are special evenings where you can explore different art spots around the city. If you love music and performances, check out their "After Hours" events or the popular summer program, "Mid-Day Art Break," which features talented performers from all over the world.
The Museum Buildings
In 2010, the Erie Art Museum opened a brand-new space! This new building connected five older, historic buildings into one big complex. It made the museum much larger, adding a new entrance, more public areas, and new galleries to display art. There are also classrooms for art lessons and a gift shop and café for visitors.
The museum complex includes these interesting historic buildings:
- The Old Custom House: This building was finished in 1839. It's made of Vermont marble and has a classic Greek Revival style, which looks like ancient Greek temples.
- The Cashiers House: Also built in 1839, this is a Greek Revival townhouse.
- The Bonnell Block: This commercial building was built in 1840, also in the Greek Revival style. It's where you'll find the Erie Art Museum's Holstein Gallery.
- The new expansion: This part was added in 2010 to connect everything.
How the Museum Started
The Erie Art Museum has a long and interesting history! It began way back in 1898 as "The Art Club of Erie." A group of local artists, led by Mrs. Lovisa Card-Catlin, started it. The Art Club first managed an art gallery inside the Public Library.
In the 1940s, the Art Club moved to a new location, the Watson-Curtze Mansion. Later, in 1956, the club bought another building, the Wood-Morrison House, which 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, it grew a lot! They started having art shows and education programs all year round. They also began collecting art and even had traveling art shows that went to other places. The center added a darkroom for photography, a frame shop, and studios where artists could work.
The museum kept growing and needed even more space. In 1981, they opened a ceramics studio called ClaySpace. 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 allowed them to have a frame shop, a performance area, and more classrooms and galleries for everyone to enjoy.
