The Huntsville Museum of Art sits in Big Spring Park, the epicenter of the dynamic and evolving city center that is Downtown Huntsville, and works as a magnet for cultural activities.  Founded in 1970 by city ordinance of the Museum Board of the City of Huntsville, the Museum serves Huntsville and Madison County’s combined population of 420,000 residents. The mission statement of the Museum is to bring people and art together through acquiring, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting the highest quality works of art. The mission statement is based on two beliefs: An understanding that the arts enriches lives; and that visual ideas are best perceived, understood and enjoyed through first-hand experience of original artistic achievement.

Mission Statement:

The Huntsville Museum of Art is a non-profit municipal corporation established by the City of Huntsville, Alabama, and governed by a city-appointed Museum Board. The Museum seeks to foster understanding of the visual arts and appreciation of artistic achievement. The mission of the Museum is to bring people and art together through acquiring, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting the highest quality works of art.

Facilities:

The Museum’s 75,034 square foot facility is located in Downtown Huntsville and includes fourteen galleries covering 20,000 square feet. The original building opened in 1998 and housed seven galleries. The Davidson Center for the Arts expansion in 2010 added seven more galleries to the original seven, for a total of the current fourteen galleries. The Stender Family Interactive Galleries includes an Escher-esque color wheel and “A Walk Through Time,” which reveals ancient cultures and art through the ages.

Numerous meeting and event spaces are available throughout the Museum to accommodate weddings, receptions, meetings and other events.  The entire complex is designed to integrate interior and exterior spaces and serve as a tangible focal point for quality of life and economic development benefiting the entire Huntsville/Madison County area. The Museum is fully handicap accessible.

Permanent Collection:

The Huntsville Museum of Art’s permanent collection features over 3,000 objects with a strong focus on 19th and 20th-century American art, particularly from the Southeast. Anchored by works from iconic artists like Benny Andrews, Elizabeth Catlett, Helen Frankenthaler, Louise Nevelson, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol, the collection includes over 400 works on paper by influential 20th-century artists, as well as a distinctive selection of contemporary works in wood, fiber, metal, clay, and glass by artists such as Dale Chihuly, Harvey Littleton, William Morris, and Ginny Ruffner.
The collection honors the region’s heritage with works by Alabama artists and artists working in the American Southeast, including Vadis Turner and Larry Walker, and celebrates American women artists through the landmark Sellars Collection with works by women active from 1850 to 1940, including Mary Cassatt, Lilla Cabot Perry, and Harriet Whitney Frishmuth. Complementing these are unique collections of South American, Asian, African, and European art, sterling silver animals by Buccellati, Japanese and European prints, and other treasures that invite visitors to explore connections across cultures and time periods.

Please visit our Permanent Collection page for additional information.

Collections for Travel:

The Huntsville Museum of Art has four collections available for travel: 9/11 and Beyond, Vietnam: The Real War, Rebels with a Cause and John James Audubon: The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America.

Visit the traveling exhibitions page for more information. Contact the Chief Curator for availability.

Programs:

The Museum maintains an active, engaging schedule of exhibitions and programs through its permanent collections and special exhibitions.  The Voices of Our Times series brings people of note in the arts, academia, publishing and politics to the Huntsville Museum of Art for in-depth discussions and presentations.  The Family Programs offer fun, interactive art making activities for families with children ages three and up.  In the Museum Academy, art classes are offered weekdays and Saturdays for children ages three and up.  High School and adult art classes and workshops are also available.

Honors & Achievements: 

  • The Museum was first accredited by The American Alliance of Museums in 1980 and re-accredited with distinction in 1989, 2004 and 2020.

  • Named as one of Alabama’s “Top 10” destinations by the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel.

  • The only public collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures and crafts in the area with over 3,000 pieces in its permanent collection.

  • Voted “Best of Bama” by Alabama Magazine for the Best Art Museum in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2022.