Who We Are
The mission of the Springfield Museum of Art is to collect, preserve, and exhibit works of art to educate and inspire. Through art exhibitions and art education, the Museum seeks to engage the entire community in the enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts.
The Springfield Museum of Art (originally the Springfield Art Association) was organized in 1946 by a group of concerned artists and citizens who felt a need for a visual arts facility in the community. Beginning in 1946, exhibitions were held in leased gallery spaces. The organization responded to the community’s demand and began offering art classes to both adults and children in 1951. When the Association was able to erect its own building in 1967, it was designed for the express purposes of exhibitions and educational programs. A permanent collection of art work was started, and the name was changed to the Springfield Art Center. Additions to original building were completed in 1974 and 1995, more than doubling exhibition galleries to the current 6,700 square feet. In 1989, the name was changed again to the Springfield Museum of Art, to more accurately describe how it had been actually functioning for many years. In 1977, the Museum achieved initial accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, and has been re-accredited in 1986, 1999, and 2012. The Museum was accepted into the Smithsonian Affiliates program in January 2012.
The Museum received a restricted gift in 2013 to renew its art education programs. This enabled hiring a Curator of Education and as a result attendance increased over 131% in one year. This success resulted in additional grant funds and donations to support art education. Since 2014, the Museum has received grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Ohio Humanities, Ohio Arts Council, Honda of America, First Energy Foundation, Power2Give (crowd-funding program of CultureWorks), Wilson Sheehan Foundation, Tiller Family Foundation, and Quinlan Foundation that enabled robust development of art education programs and exhibitions.
What We Do
The Museum provides quality art related experiences to the community, and is a cultural anchor in Springfield’s efforts to attract outside visitation. In addition to our schedule of exhibits, we are re-emphasizing art education programs. Current data show attendance increases when programs are offered, and a recent survey of members and non-members indicates the top three reasons for visiting the museum are; art education programs for children and families; talks by artists; and art fairs or festivals. We are developing exhibits and programs to engage the Springfield community and to showcase and enhance our outstanding collections to all visitors.
