According to the Ohio Tourism Division, Ohio is within approximately “600 miles of 60 percent of the U.S. population”. The state offers many tourism experiences for visitors — sports, theater, wineries, family fun and much more. For individuals desiring an artistic experience, Central Ohio is an ideal destination. It is the perfect home base for your trip. Besides its many art museums and galleries, the state’s other art attractions are within a two hours’ drive. Come to the Buckeye State and see artistic expressions spanning all cultures, eras, movements, and materials. This guide identifies the art museums that offer free admission and several art galleries.
CENTRAL OHIO
The Columbus Museum of Art showcases “an outstanding collection of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American and European modern art. This collection includes major works by Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Renoir, Hopper and O’Keeffe.” The art enthusiast will find examples of Impressionism, German Expressionism, and Cubism. The museum is recognized for its regional collections, the largest public collection of woodcarvings by Columbus folk artist Elijah Pierce, and the world’s largest repository of paintings and lithographs by Columbus native George Bellows.
View highlights of the museum’s permanent collection. View the current exhibitions. Admission to the permanent collection is free on Sundays.
The Ohio Craft Museum is the only museum is the Midwest “exclusively devoted to exhibiting and collecting fine craft”. It presents five exhibitions of contemporary crafts each year.
View the current exhibitions. Admission is free.
Some of the area’s galleries include:
Hayley Gallery features the art of talented local artists. The focus is affordable works of art to complement home or office.
The KIACA Gallery specializes in the contemporary art of African, African-American, and African Diaspora cultures.
Mahan Gallery caters to the beginning and seasoned art collector. It’s collection includes paintings, photography, sculpture, and mixed media works.
The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery “showcases the work of Ohio’s artists and the collections of the state’s museums and galleries.
NORTHEAST OHIO
The Akron Art Museum has 20,000 square feet of exhibit space filled with great modern art. The museum houses works from artists like Andy Warhol, Chuck Close and Ohio’s own William Sommer. The Akron Art Museum is the only place in the nation where Sommer’s work is on permanent view.
View highlights of the museum’s permanent collection. View current exhibitions. Individual admissions to the general collection is free the first Sunday of every month.
The Butler Institute of American Art collections span four centuries and only contain American art. The pieces are displayed in chronological order according to the history of America. Highlights include Snap the Whip by Winslow Homer and the recently acquired Railsplitter by Norman Rockwell. Hudson River School painters are well represented in the museum’s holdings.
View highlights of the museum’s permanent collection. View current exhibitions. General admission is free.
The Cleveland Museum of Art holdings “begin with ancient Near East, Egypt, Rome and Greece, and progress through medieval and Renaissance Europe, 18th- and 19th-century European and American art, Impressionism, and Modernism, concluding with works from our time. The museum’s distinguished collection of Asian art includes works from China, Japan, Korea, India, the Himalayas, and Southeast Asia. The museum also holds smaller collections of art of the ancient Americas and African Art.
View highlights of the museum’s permanent collection. View current exhibitions. General admission is free.
Some of the area galleries are:
The Dick Kleinman Fine Art Gallery showcases acclaimed contemporary artists like Tony Bennett, Jean-Daniel Bouvard , Christine Comyn, Maria Bertrán, Jim Buckels, Neal Hamilton.
The Harris Stanton Gallery has works that “range in style from traditional to abstract contemporary and includes oils, pastels, watercolors, sculpture, glass, photography, jewelry, fine crafts and original graphics”. The gallery exhibits pieces from renowned artists such as Bernard Cathelin, Pierre Boncompain and Mario Avati.
Lee Hayden Gallery is an “exclusive provider of original paintings, sculpture and rare prints from more than 50 of the most accomplished artists in the world”. The gallery brings exposure to the work of emerging artists to its customers.
The NIJAQ Gallery showcases “functional and decorative works are offered in a variety of media: pottery, glass, metal, watercolor and more”. Many are one-of-a-kind.
The Sculpture Center “exhibits the highest quality contemporary sculpture by rapidly rising, mid-career, and established artists”.
The Dayton Art Institute collection includes “important Oceanic art, Asian art, and American fine and decorative art collections. Its comprised of more than 26,000 objects spanning 5,000 years of art history, is rated as “superb in quality” by the American Association of Museums.
View highlights of the museum’s permanent collection. View current exhibitions. General admission is free.
The Toledo Museum of Art collection includes in excess of 30,000 works of art representing American and European painting, the history of art in glass, ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian works, Asian and African art, medieval art, sculpture, decorative arts, graphic arts, and Modern and contemporary art. Bearden, Cézanne, Calder, Close, Cole, Degas, van Gogh, El Greco, Holbein, Kiefer, Matisse, Miró, Monet, Picasso, Rembrandt, Rubens, and Turner are represented.
View highlights of the museum’s permanent collection. View current exhibitions. General admission is free.
Some of the area galleries are:
The Color of Energy
“White walls, great energy, and unique art.”
The Paula Brown Gallery specializes in contemporary prints and fine American crafts.
SOUTHEAST OHIO
The Kennedy Museum of Art has more than “8,000 objects drawn from a broad range of cultures”. The museum’s Southwest Native American collection includes about 700 weavings, primarily Navajo, and 1200 jewelry items and silverwork. It possesses a notable collection of African art with textiles, sculpture, jewelry, clothing, and ceremonial items, from Nigeria, Liberia, Mali, Cameroon, and Zaire. Other collections include a renowned post-1945 print collection, 20th century American Art, and works on paper.
View highlights of the museum’s permanent collection. View current exhibitions. General admission is free.
An area gallery is:
Starbrick Clay offers functional ware as well as decorative pottery, sculpture and wall pieces to ceramic enthusiasts.
SOUTHWEST OHIO
The Cincinnati Art Museum is one of the oldest arts institutions in the United States and features an “unparalleled art collection of more than 60,000 works spanning 6,000 years. According to CincinnatiUSA.com, Parenting magazine named the museum the Top Art Museum for Families. The museum features “more than sixty thousand works of art, spanning six thousand years. This unique collection includes the ancient art of Egypt, Greece, and Rome as well as Near and Far Eastern art, art of Africa and the Americas, costume and textiles, prints, drawings, photographs, paintings, sculpture, decorative art, and contemporary art. The painting collection includes works by Titian, van Dyck, Hals, Rubens, Gainsborough, Picasso, Renoir, Derain, Braque, Modigliani, Miró, and Chagall. The Cincinnati Art Museum has the only collection of ancient Nabataean art outside the country of Jordan. It also represents its city well with many paintings from Cincinnati’s Golden Age (1830-1900), Rookwood pottery, and over 40 pieces of Cincinnati carved furniture.
View highlights of the museum’s permanent collection. View the current exhibitions. General admission is free.
The Taft Museum of Art collections include European old master and 19th-century American paintings, Chinese porcelains, European decorative arts, Limoges enamels, watches, sculptures, and furniture. The Baum-Longworth-Sinton-Taft House, an excellent example of American Palladian architecture, features early-19th-century New York furniture.
View highlights of the museum’s permanent collection. View the current exhibitions. General admission is free.
Some of the area’s galleries include:
The Eisele Gallery of Fine Art specialty is American and European paintings of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The gallery has quality paintings from area artists.
Malton Gallery represents emerging artists to those with established national reputations and has work of every size, medium and price range. The gallery’s artwork is “original, including paintings, prints, works on paper, sculpture and art glass, as well as commissioned works in fiber, stained glass, murals and site-specific installations.
Sources:
Art Museums in Ohio, ArtCyclopedia
Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati USA
Ohio Rolls Out New Travel Opportunities for 2009, DiscoverOhio
