Everson Museum of Art facts for kids
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Museum building, designed by I. M. Pei
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| Established | 1897 |
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| Location | 401 Harrison Street, Syracuse, New York, USA |
| Type | Art museum |
| Collections | Ceramic art American Painting Sculpture Video art |
| Founder | George Fisk Comfort |
The Everson Museum of Art is a cool museum located in Downtown Syracuse, New York. It's a major art museum in Central New York, focusing on American art.
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History of the Everson Museum
The museum was started in 1897 by an art expert named George Fisk Comfort. He also helped create the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City! Back then, it was called the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts. In 1911, the museum decided to collect only American art.
Over the years, the museum moved to different buildings. It was in places like the Onondaga Savings Bank and the Syracuse Public Library. But it always needed more space for its growing art collection.
In 1932, the museum started something special called the Ceramic National exhibitions. These shows became super important for ceramic artists for the next 40 years.
A generous woman named Helen Everson gave $1 million to the city of Syracuse in 1941. This money was used to build a brand-new art museum. The new Everson Museum of Art opened in 1968. The building itself is famous because it was designed by the well-known architect I. M. Pei. Many people think the building is a work of art on its own!
Today, the Everson Museum works with groups like Light Work and the Urban Video Project. They show amazing video art right on the outside of the museum building. You can see works by artists like Bill Viola and Jenny Holzer. In the summer, they even host popular film series for everyone in Syracuse.
What Art Can You See?
The Everson Museum has about 11,000 pieces of art. This includes paintings, sculptures, ceramic art, and video art.
Amazing Ceramic Art
The Everson Museum has one of the best collections of ceramic art in the United States. In 1916, the museum got 32 works by a famous potter from Syracuse, Adelaide Alsop Robineau. After she passed away, the museum bought more of her porcelain pieces. One of these is the famous Scarab Vase, which took over 1,000 hours to carve! The museum now has more than 100 works by Robineau.
In 1932, the museum's director, Anna Wetheril Olmsted, started the Ceramic National exhibitions. These shows became the most important place for ceramic artists to show their work. The museum bought winning pieces from these shows. This added art by famous artists like Peter Voulkos and Maria Martinez to the collection.
Paintings and Sculptures
You can see many important paintings at the Everson. These include a portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. There's also The Peaceable Kingdom by Edward Hicks. Other famous artists like Jackson Pollock and Helen Frankenthaler also have works here. Outside the museum, you can find cool sculptures by Marja Vallila. In 1980, the museum showed works by Ching Ho Cheng. He was the first Chinese-American contemporary painter to have a solo show across the country.
Syracuse China and Video Art
The museum also has the Syracuse China Center for the Study of Ceramics. This is one of the biggest collections of ceramics in the country. It has everything from ancient sculptures to porcelain from the Ming dynasty.
The Everson Museum was one of the first places in the U.S. to collect video art. In fact, its video collection is now the largest in the world! Famous video artist Nam June Paik showed his early works here. Bill Viola even had his first job as a video technician at the Everson. Now, his works are part of the museum's collection.
You can also find furniture from the Arts and Crafts Movement at the museum. This includes many pieces by Gustav Stickley.
The Museum Building Itself
The Everson Museum of Art building was designed to be like a sculpture. The architect, I.M. Pei, wanted the building to stand out. He wanted it to be a grand piece of art surrounded by the modern buildings of the city. He didn't want it to be just a "container for art." Instead, he wanted the building to be art all on its own.
Skateboarding at the Everson
Skateboarders started using the Everson Museum of Art plaza in the mid-1980s. The museum became a very popular spot for skateboarders. Some even called it an "East Coast skate mecca." Filmmaker Bill Strobeck grew up near Syracuse. He often skated at the Everson with his friends in the 1990s. He even started filming his friends skating there.
For a while, the museum welcomed the skaters. But later, skating there became against the rules. In 2007, on National Go Skateboarding Day, the museum made an exception. They allowed skating at the plaza for that one day. Since then, skateboarders in Central New York have been working to get the plaza reopened for skating. They use the saying "FREE eVe," which means "free the Everson Museum of Art."
Where to Find the Museum
The museum is located in downtown Syracuse. You can find it at 401 Harrison Street, close to the Oncenter complex. It's easy to get to from Interstate 81 Exit 18.
Special Traveling Exhibitions
The Everson Museum has hosted many special exhibitions that can travel to other places. These shows can be loaned out as a whole or as individual artworks. Some examples include:
- Good Design: Stories from Herman Miller
- Fantasies and Fairy-Tales: Maxfield Parrish and the Art of the Print
- Turner to Cézanne: Masterpieces from the Davies Collection, National Museum Wales
- Pollock Matters
- Marie Antoinette: Styling the 18th-Century Superstar
