University of Rochester - Memorial Art Gallery
Rochester, NY 14607
Phone: 585.276.8999
Lu Harper - 585.276.8997 - [email protected]
University of Rochester - Memorial Art Gallery
About
A visit to the Memorial Art Gallery is a journey through more than 5,000 years of art history. From the relics of antiquity to works in the vanguard of contemporary movements, the Gallery offers a panorama of the world’s art. The Gallery’s permanent collection of more than 12,000 objects has been called the best balanced in the state outside of metropolitan New York City. In addition to its collection, the Gallery offers a year-round schedule of temporary exhibitions, lectures, concerts, tours, and family activities. The Gallery was founded in 1913 by Emily Sibley Watson as a memorial to her son, architect James Averell. Given in trust to the University of Rochester, it is one of the few university-affiliated art museums in the country that also serve as community art museums. Today it is supported primarily by its members, the University of Rochester, and public funds from Monroe County and the New York State Council on the Arts.
University of Rochester - Memorial Art Gallery is a member of the Rochester Regional Library Council.
Collections
A collection of portraits painted by renowned Rochester artist, Grove Sheldon Gilbert during the mid-to-late 19th century.
The Rochester Homelands Exhibition displayed traditional arts and crafts of many immigrant cultures in the region. This collection includes photographs of the Homelands Exhibition in 1920.
A collection of correspondence by Gertrude Herdle, former Director of the Memorial Art Gallery. Many of the letters relate to her travels in Europe, especially during the 1920s.
A collection of photographs relating to significant events at the Memorial Art Gallery during the 20th century.
A collection of photographs relating to significant exhibitions at the Memorial Art Gallery during the 20th century.
Selected images from the Memorial Art Gallery’s history, including construction views and portraits of prominent people associated with the Gallery.
An assortment of Memorial Art Gallery publications, including annual reports and member publications from the 20th century through the 21st century.
Newspaper clippings relating to Navajo Indian Arts at the Memorial Art Gallery in 1929 and 1930.
A collection of correspondence, invitations, and other documents relating to the opening of the Memorial Art Gallery on October 8, 1913.
This collection relates to the Print Club of Rochester, founded in 1930, and contains examples of Club announcements, programs, and membership forms.
A collection of photographs and illustrations relating to the architecture of Rochester, New York in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Rochester Art Club collection includes exhibition invitations, a group photograph, and other materials relating to the Club in the late 19th century.
A collection of documents, including letters and exhibition announcements, and a photograph relating to Rochester artists in the late 19th century.
This collection contains photographs and diaries of the Watson family, who are known for their involvement with the Memorial Art Gallery.
A scrapbook compiled by Emily Sibley Watson containing newspaper clippings and correspondence relating to her son, James Sibley Watson, Jr.’s filmmaking career in the early 20th century.
This collection includes drawings, photographs, and posters created for the WPA Federal Arts Project in the Rochester, New York region during the late 1930s.