Allen Memorial Art Museum

Allen Memorial Art Museum Free, open to the public, and recognized as one of the best college art museums in the U.S. Admission to the AMAM is always free.
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The AMAM has an outstanding collection of over 15,000 works of art – including paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, prints, drawings and photographs – that provide a comprehensive overview of the history of art from a variety of cultures. The collection is particularly strong in European and American paintings and sculpture from the 15th century to today, and has important holdings of Asian pain

tings, scrolls, sculpture and decorative art, including a large group of ukiyo-e prints. The museum also houses the Eva Hesse archives, which includes the artist’s notebooks, diaries, photographs and letters, and is proud to oversee, along with the Art Department, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Weltzheimer/Johnson House. The collection is housed in an impressive Italian Renaissance-style building designed by Cass Gilbert and named after Dr. Dudley Peter Allen, a distinguished 1875 graduate of Oberlin College. In 1977, a gallery for Modern and Contemporary art was added to the Cass Gilbert building. Designed by the architectural firm of Robert Venturi, Rauch, and Scott Brown, the gallery was funded by Ruth Coates Roush (OC 1934) and dedicated to professor of art Ellen Johnson (OC 1933).

Happy birthday to the Allen Memorial Art Museum! 109 years ago on June 12, we opened our doors to the public, and since ...
06/12/2026

Happy birthday to the Allen Memorial Art Museum! 109 years ago on June 12, we opened our doors to the public, and since then we have always been free for all visitors, showcasing groundbreaking exhibitions and artists through our collection of over 16,000 works.

The Allen has a diverse range of artworks, with particularly strong collections in Asian, European, and global contemporary art. As an academic art museum, we promote extensive research on the art in our collection. The Allen is a resource for not only the town of Oberlin and the wider area, but also for our students who give us valuable insights on our works.

The original 1917 building was designed by Cass Gilbert, known for the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. and the Woolworth Building in New York City. In 1977, an addition encompassing a new gallery and academic space was built by Robert Venturi, a prime example of early postmodern architecture.

We are open all summer, with new exhibits opening June—August. Stop by to celebrate the Allen’s birthday with us!

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Fabianek (American, 20th century), “Facade of the Allen Memorial Art Museum,” 1931. Etching. Allen Memorial Art Museum, 1980.88.

Image description: This monotone etching of the Allen shows the Renaissance-inspired building from an angle, with trees and a fountain in the foreground.

Congratulations to the rest of our graduating Gallery Guides!Anora Lee also started as a Gallery Guide this semester and...
05/24/2026

Congratulations to the rest of our graduating Gallery Guides!

Anora Lee also started as a Gallery Guide this semester and in a 16 week semester, she assisted with 15 tours! Every single week, Anora was available to make art more accessible through tours, activities, events, and behind the scenes. Anora rapidly acquired tour techniques and diversified the number of objects she could present with speed and skill. Best wishes, Anora, as you begin a summer internship at Lawndale Art Center in Houston, followed by graduate school for a Masters of Public Policy at USC Price!

Ani Adell started as a Gallery Guide this semester and made a big impact. Ani specialized in Object Talks on the artist Aimee Lee ‘99 – especially during All Roads Admission events, and also assisted at Community Day for Women’s History month. Congratulations, Ani, on your Development Internship at the Vineyard Theatre. You have a bright future ahead of you!

August Thigpen assisted at the March Community Day event and gave several tours. She has this to say about the program, “a truly valuable opportunity to engage with the wider Lorain County community through art; … I enjoyed having many opportunities to work with groups of all ages, and challenge myself to lead discussions on works that I originally knew very little about, expanding my art historical knowledge.” Congratulations, August, on your graduation and thank you for your work at the Allen.

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Image descriptions:
1. Anora stands beside a sculpture of a person, smiling at the group of children whose heads are visible at the bottom of the picture.
2. Ani gestures to one student with their hand raised among a group of children sitting on the ground.
3. August stands near two paintings, turned to one person of a small group, and mid conversation.

Congratulations graduating Gallery Guides!Lucy Parker became a Gallery Guide after her London Geoaesthetics program. Sin...
05/24/2026

Congratulations graduating Gallery Guides!

Lucy Parker became a Gallery Guide after her London Geoaesthetics program. Since then she has given tours, helped create the Allen’s Augmented Reality tour, helped with off-site programs, and worked at the front desk. Among several special projects, Lucy created guidelines for incorporating the sense of smell into tours, such as the Object Talk she gave on the museum’s Bon Focio. Best wishes, Lucy, as you return to LA and continue work at the Institute for Art and Olfaction.

Rae Shorokey has worked at numerous public and campus events to make the museum a welcoming space for visitors. Rae has also worked behind the scenes distributing flyers, helped create the Allen Augmented Reality tours, and staffed the museum table at Art Fair in the Square. Good luck, Rae, on your summer program at Old Cahawba Archaeological Park in Alabama, where you will expand your professional training in Cultural Resource Management.

Congratulations to Clara Carl, who has worked at the front desk, written social media posts, and helped with tours and events. Clara was indispensable in her commitment to increase museum accessibility for blind and low vision individuals, first by writing image descriptions, and for the past two years as a peer mentor in the creation of Audio Descriptions for the museum’s App. Thank you, Clara, and best wishes in Philadelphia before applying to graduate school.

Kate Boney has given numerous tours – especially at All Roads Lead to Oberlin events, created a welcoming space at the front desk for all visitors, wrote an Audio Description, and spent countless hours editing event recordings to make them available on the museum’s YouTube page. Thank you, Kate, and we wish you all the best in your next adventure beyond Oberlin!

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Image descriptions:
1. Lucy stands by a case with small artworks, holding a small piece of paper to her nose while an audience does the same.
2. Rae smiles at the camera, standing outside with a red graduation stole.
3. Clara stands between two artworks, smiling at the camera.
4. Kate stands beside a large sculpture, gesturing to it, while a group of people stand around her.

The students highlighted today make up the rest of the Gallery Guide graduating class. Congratulations, all!As a Gallery...
05/24/2026

The students highlighted today make up the rest of the Gallery Guide graduating class. Congratulations, all!

As a Gallery Guide, Hanna Alwine has given numerous tours and Object Talks, greeted visitors at the front desk, and spearheaded a major book cataloguing project at the Welzheimer/Johnson house that included over 700 books! The majority of the books were Ellen Johnson’s, but also included a recent donation from Mary Ann Hunsicker, one of the original family members. Hanna found a signed original! Best wishes, Hanna, at the University of Minnesota’s MFA program in creative nonfiction.

Neomi Abrahamson helped with events, in-school programs, greeting visitors at the front desk, and loads of work on the back end of the museum’s App. One of the highlights was Neomi’s creation of a 12-stop tour in Hebrew. Thank you, Neomi, and best wishes as you begin a program for art conservation.

Congratulations to Cate Barry, who helped distribute flyers, write social media posts, gave tours, worked at events, and greeted guests at the front desk. One of Cate's special projects was to link the AP Art History curriculum to the Allen’s collection for high school teachers. Best wishes, Cate, in your next adventure at the National Park Service as a Museum Technician in Hot Springs, Arkansas!

Katrina Ganson gave tours, helped on in-school programs, designed coloring sheets, was a Weltzheimer/Johnson house ambassador during Commencement and Milestone Reunion Weekend, and welcomed visitors at the front desk. Katrina’s most notable special project was the creation of beaded touch-collection objects related to the our mixed media work by the artist Jeffrey Gibson. Thank you, Katrina, and best wishes in New York on the Teach for America program!

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Image descriptions:
1. Hanna sits at a table, holding a pamphlet and smiling at the two people seated and facing her.
2. Neomi sits at the front desk in a museum gallery, smiling at the camera.
3. Cate stands in a gallery with a group around her as she gestures to an artwork beside her.
4. Katrina sits at a desk, holding up red velvet that she’s sewn beads onto.

Our spotlights on our amazing graduating student employees continue!Asher Colvin worked as a student assistant in Academ...
05/23/2026

Our spotlights on our amazing graduating student employees continue!

Asher Colvin worked as a student assistant in Academic Programs for 3 years. Asher did so many different projects for the department, from artwork pulling and statistics to brainstorming class activities and exhibition prep. Some highlights include finding every bird in the galleries and running a class discussion in excellent French. Asher approached his work with care, dedication, and a sense of humor, and we will miss him! Asher is off to law school where we know he will do great things.

Congratulations Audie Wilson! It’s been such a gift to work alongside Audie in Community Engagement—from leading tours and teaching in schools, to designing public events and creating AR projects. Audie’s contributions will have a lasting impact on the Allen, marked by their creativity, initiative, and dedication to building community through art and education. We miss you already, and wish you the best success in the coming year at the Cleveland Museum of Art!

We are so grateful to the 14 extraordinary Gallery Guides who will be the following highlights, our largest Gallery Guide class, for their work behind-the-scenes and with the public to make the museum more welcoming to all.

Hayden Asiano has worked at the museum since his first year at Oberlin and has done it all! From tours, events, teacher contact sheets, Spanish translations for the museum’s app, to in-school programs. For the latter, he designed two programs on Ecuadorian artist Oswaldo Guayasamin and British-Trinidadian artist Zak Ove to highlight diverse perspectives in our collections. Thank you, Hayden, as “buon viaggio” as you head to Venice for the prestigious Peggy Guggenheim International Fellowship.

We also want to thank Audie Wilson for their terrific work as a Gallery Guide in addition to their role in Community Engagement!

Similarly Joanne Kim was also recognized in an earlier post. Thank you, Joanna, and best of luck at law school!

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Image Descriptions in comments below.

We have had the privilege of working with incredible Oberlin College students who have shaped the Allen through their kn...
05/22/2026

We have had the privilege of working with incredible Oberlin College students who have shaped the Allen through their knowledge and passion for art. We will celebrate these students over several posts, highlighting their many accomplishments!

For the past 2 years at the AMAM, Joanne Kim has had a big impact as both the student curatorial assistant in Asian art and a gallery guide. She curated her own exhibition on Korean ceramics, researched and wrote labels for other exhibitions, and produced fun and engaging promotional media. She also built partnerships with student groups, strengthening community connections and outreach. We will miss her dynamism, optimism, and great sense of humor!

Sal Burkhardt joined the Allen in fall 2025 as a curatorial intern in European & American art. They’ve done everything from cataloguing porcelain to writing labels for new acquisitions. Sal also conducted vital research on the Allen’s Indigenous American collection. They studied the designs of Puebla bowls and researched the provenance of Hopi katsina dolls. Sal will be working at the Minnesota Historical Society this summer and will join the Dallas Art Museum in the fall! Congratulations!

As Curatorial Assistant in Modern & Contemporary Art for three years, Dlisah Lapidus has made significant contributions to the Allen’s work, from shaping exhibitions, leading tours and public programs, and projects with the collection. Her expertise in time based media transformed the Allen’s video art collection, as she remarkably digitized the museum’s entire video works. Dlisah even brought the interactive installation KNOWMADS to life—complete with high-score competitions! Best wishes, Dlisah!

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Image descriptions:
The following three images are of the students wearing red graduation stoles, smiling and standing beside their respective supervising curator. In order: Joanne with Kevin Greenwood, Sal with Marlise Brown, and Dlisah with Sam Adams.

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we are showcasing Mayuma Oda. Born in Japan in 1941, Od...
05/20/2026

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we are showcasing Mayuma Oda. Born in Japan in 1941, Oda became interested in visual art at a young age. Inspired by her mother’s emphasis on creative expression and her father’s Zen Buddhist influence, Oda’s practice is imbued with concentration, presentness, and joy. Often described as the “Matisse of Japan,” her work revolves around the beauty and strength of the female body. A staunch feminist, Oda approaches her female subjects as goddesses.

In addition to her work as an artist, Oda has devoted her life to protecting the earth. While meditating in 1991, Oda received a calling to dedicate her energy to protecting the earth from nuclear harm. Having grown up in the aftermath of US atomic bombings in Japan, she knew firsthand the risks posed by increased global capacity for nuclear weapons and energy. In 1992, she founded Plutonium Free Future with the intent of educating Japan’s nuclear policy makers. Her activism for a nuclear-free world has led her to speak to policy makers around the world, most notably at the United Nations World Court of Justice. In 2000, Oda bought Ginger Hill Farm Retreat, on Hawaii’s Big Island, which has since served as her studio, home, and a place for educating others about sustainable and organic farming.

Come see her work in “Beyond Woodblocks,” opening July 25th!

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Mayumi Oda 小田 まゆみ (Japanese, active. in U.S.A. b. 1941), “Let Wisdom Arise Within Us (Blue),” 1996, screenprint. Allen Memorial Art Museum Asian Art Acquisition Fund, 2021.13.

Mayumi Oda 小田 まゆみ(Japanese, active. in U.S.A. b. 1941), “Amaterasu Ōmikami,” 2015, color woodblock print. Allen Memorial Art Museum Asian Art Acquisition Fund, 2021.14.

Image descriptions:
1. In white lines against a blue background, a figure sits crosslegged, surrounded by flowers, and brandishing a sword above their head.
2. In bright colors, a figure crouches with their hands pressed together, with a wave cresting over their head.

Critics are calling June Leaf “a revelation!” Catch it before it closes on May 24!
05/12/2026

Critics are calling June Leaf “a revelation!” Catch it before it closes on May 24!

Join us today for our last Tuesday Tea for this year, May 12, at 3:00pm! Fiona Giménez-Collins (OC 2025), Academic Prog...
05/12/2026

Join us today for our last Tuesday Tea for this year, May 12, at 3:00pm! Fiona Giménez-Collins (OC 2025), Academic Programs Curatorial Assistant, will discuss sparking student dialogue around art objects that challenge typical modes of viewing. Delving into experiences of teaching with Mary Miss's Untitled (1975), Giménez-Collins will reflect on pushing students past discomfort and into new understandings of unconventional artworks.

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Image description: A ground of people gather around a square hole in the ground that has projecting metal slats at different heights and lengths that intersect.

This Teacher Appreciation Week, we want to celebrate and recognize all of the wonderful teachers who have engaged their ...
05/08/2026

This Teacher Appreciation Week, we want to celebrate and recognize all of the wonderful teachers who have engaged their students with the AMAM. We are so grateful to have worked with 29 schools across the state to reach nearly 2,000 preschool and K-12 students this year!

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Image descriptions:
1. A few preschool age students sit in a row in front of a dragon sculpture, raising their hands.
2. A group of preschoolers sit around a museum educator who is holding a 3D print of a small sculpture beside the original work.
3. Many high schoolers circle around a work of art, filling the room.
4. Elementary students sit around a large sculpture of a mechanical head with an elongated skull while a museum educator stands to talk.
5. Students group around a stand with a Greek vessel while the museum educator holds up a copy to be held.

Address

87 N Main Street
Oberlin, OH
44074

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 1pm - 5pm

Telephone

+14407758665

Website

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