Munson Museum of Art’s (formerly Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute) collection of more than 15,000 objects features American and European paintings and decorative arts from the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1957, a bequest of more than 250 American paintings and drawings transformed Munson into a major repository for modern and contemporary American art.
The collection and exhibitions are housed in a Philip Johnson-designed building and the adjacent original museum building, Fountain Elms (see separate listing), a Victorian-era Italianate mansion with galleries and period rooms.
In addition to its Museum of Art, Munson has a robust Performing Arts program, hosting more than 600 events annually, including films, concerts, family-friendly activities, live opera screenings from the Metropolitan Opera, and artist lectures.
Munson’s School of Art was first established in 1941, and in 1999, Munson partnered with the prestigious Pratt Institute to offer students a unique experience where students can complete the first two years of their bachelor’s degree at Pratt Munson before moving to the main campus in Brooklyn, N.Y.