Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science
Transportation Center of the Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science
|
|
| Established | 1904 |
|---|---|
| Location | 411 S.E. Riverside Drive Evansville, Indiana |
| Coordinates | 37°57′54″N 87°34′24″W / 37.96513°N 87.57320°W |
| Type | General interest |
| Website | Official website |
The Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science is a general-interest museum located on the Ohio riverfront in downtown Evansville, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1904, it is one of Southern Indiana's most established and significant cultural institutions, with comprehensive collections in art, history, anthropology and science. It has a permanent collection of over 30,000 objects including fine arts, decorative arts, historic documents and photographs, and anthropologic and natural history artifacts. Also on the Museum's campus is the Evansville Museum Transportation Center, featuring Southern Indiana transportation artifacts from the late 19th through the mid-20th centuries. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
The story of the Evansville Museum began in 1874 when the Ladies’ Literary Club was founded. The members of the Club were invested in studying art, history, and literature, and they were passionate about encouraging the study of art in Evansville. Initially, they obtained one exhibition that was housed in the Willard Library. After the success of the exhibition, they obtained more exhibitions and artifacts and were then in need of a museum building.
The first building selected for the Museum was the historic Barnes-Armstrong Mansion at the foot of Cherry Street in Sunset Park. However, in 1910 a controversial decision was made to demolish the Mansion for safety reasons, and the Museum’s artifacts were temporarily placed in the Old Court House. Although many artifacts were lost or destroyed in the move, the Museum was reopened in 1928 in the old YWCA building under the name Temple of Fine Arts and History. It was meant to be a sanctuary of art for the Evansville community.
In 1938 there were efforts to move the Museum to a new building. However, it wasn’t until the 1950s when Siegfried R. Weng became the director of the Museum that the dream of a new structure was finally fulfilled. The Museum resides in that building today, although it underwent an extensive expansion and renovation and reopened in 2014.
In 2008 the Museum announced a three-year expansion and renovation plan. In October 2012 the plan was modified to include a glass walled, rectangular addition with a domed immersive planetarium and theater. The domed theater is entirely inside the building box, visible from the exterior. A pedestrian-friendly plaza and new museum entrance connects the addition to parking and the Evansville Museum Transportation Center. The expansion, which began with repairs, renovations and additions to its existing building was completed at a cost of $14.1 million. The museum re-opened its doors to the public on February 7, 2014. A key piece of the project, the new Koch Immersive Theater features a 40-foot diameter domed screen with a 360 degree digital projection.
...
Wikipedia