Nassau County Museum of Art facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Nassau County Museum of Art

Established	1969
Location	Roslyn Harbor, NY, United States
Type	Art
Visitors	200,000

The Nassau County Museum of Art (NCMA) is a cool place to explore art! It's located in Roslyn Harbor, Long Island, New York. The museum sits on a huge 145-acre property. This land was once part of the "Clayton" Estate, owned by the Frick family.

The main museum building is a grand, three-story mansion. It's built in the Georgian style, which was popular in the late 1800s. This building shows off the fancy "Gold Coast" architecture of that time.

The museum welcomes almost 200,000 visitors every year. Besides the main mansion, you can also find the Manes Family Art & Education Center, which opened in 2017. There's also a fun Sculpture Park, a beautiful Formal Garden, and walking trails with special trees.

Discovering Art at NCMA

The Nassau County Museum of Art always has new and exciting art shows. Many of these shows are created by the museum's own art experts. They cover many different art styles and time periods.

You can see art from Europe and America. Some shows focus on how different art forms influence each other. Others highlight artists from Long Island itself. The Manes Center gallery also features works by modern artists.

The Museum's Art Collection

NCMA has a collection of over 600 artworks. These pieces come from the 1800s and 1900s. You can see all kinds of art, like paintings, sculptures, and more.

Some famous artists in the collection include Auguste Rodin, Roy Lichtenstein, and Frank Stella. You might also see works by Pierre Bonnard, Robert Rauschenberg, and Alex Katz.

Exploring the Sculpture Park

The museum's 145 acres are home to one of the biggest outdoor sculpture gardens on the East Coast. There are more than 30 sculptures placed around the property. They are set up to look great with nature.

You can find sculptures by artists like Tom Otterness, Fernando Botero, and Richard Serra. It's a fun way to see art outdoors!

Beautiful Gardens and Trails

The museum's gardens and walking paths are also very special. The Formal Gardens were designed in 1925 by a famous landscape architect named Marian Cruger Coffin. She thought these gardens were some of her best work.

Recently, the old garden trellis and water tower have been fixed up. Many paths on the 145-acre property are now marked as nature trails. This lets you explore the beautiful surroundings.

A Look at the Museum's History

The land where the museum stands today has a rich past. It was once part of Cedarmere, the quiet home of poet William Cullen Bryant. He used it as a getaway from his busy life in New York City.

In the 1890s, Bryant's family sold most of the land. A man named Lloyd Bryce bought it. He hired Ogden Codman, Jr. to build a large Georgian Revival mansion. This house was built on a high spot, looking over Hempstead Harbor.

The Frick Family Home

In 1919, the estate was sold to Henry Clay Frick. He was a co-founder of U.S. Steel. He bought it for his son, Childs Frick. An architect named Sir Charles Carrick Allom redesigned the house. The Fricks named their home "Clayton."

Childs Frick, his wife Frances, and their four children lived at Clayton for nearly 50 years. Childs Frick passed away in 1965. Four years later, the county bought the estate. They turned it into the Nassau County Museum of Art.

Becoming a Private Museum

In 1989, NCMA became a private, non-profit organization. Since then, it has been run and funded by a private board. This board includes many important leaders from Long Island.

Past Exhibitions at NCMA