How to Prepare for Your Museum Visit

The West is a Big Place… and so is the Museum!

The Museum is open Wednesday – Saturday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Admission is free. The Museum has instituted new safety protocols for the well-being of visitors and staff.

Museum staff want visitors to remember that “The West is a Big Place… And so is the Museum” which makes it ideal for a safe visit. There is also a wide array of content available through social media, YouTube, and the website.

Below is a short video about the safety protocols in place and what you can do to have a safe and enjoyable visit.

Exhibition Galleries of the Stark Museum of Art

Lobby:  Introductory Exhibit

Western bronzes; Southwestern Weavings; The American Birds of Dorothy Doughty: The Southern and Western Trips.

Gallery 1: Exploring America’s Frontiers

Early exploration art of the American West. John James Audubon (The Birds of America, double elephant folio) to Thomas Moran. Nineteenth century.

Gallery 2: Picturing the Wild West

Art portraying the drama and romance of the Old West. Works by Frederic Remington, Charles Marion Russell, N.C. Wyeth, and others. Late nineteenth–early twentieth century.

Gallery 3: Portraying an Idyllic Place

Art depicting the beauty of the landscape and the cultures of the West, especially of New Mexico. Features Taos Society of Artists, Georgia O’Keeffe, and others. Twentieth century.

Gallery 4: Creating from Traditions: Arts of the American Indians

Beadwork, baskets, pottery, jewelry, carvings, sculptures, prints, and other arts by American Indians. Nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Gallery 5: Special Exhibitions

The Special Exhibitions gallery changes out twice a year. Please see Exhibitions page for information on the current and upcoming special exhibitions.

Hallway 1: Edward Marshall Boehm

Sculptures by Edward Marshall Boehm.

The American Birds of Dorothy Doughty: The Early Years

The exhibition of Doughty Birds begins in Hallway 1 and continues in the Lobby.

Hallway 2: The United States in Crystal

Steuben Glass bowls of the fifty states and nation.

Expectations

Thank you for your interest in visiting the Stark Museum of Art and The W.H. Stark House. At these venues staff and visitors work together to ensure the safety of the collections you will see. To prepare you for an enjoyable visit, please review the following expectations.

Children under age 12 are welcome to visit the Museum, but must be accompanied by an adult.

Eating and Drinking

For the safety of the collection, there is no eating or drinking allowed in the Museum galleries, main Stark House, or adjacent Carriage House. There is a café at Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center as well has many eateries in the area. Gum and candy are also not allowed in the Museum galleries or historic house.

Photography and Video

Light, both visible and invisible, damages most objects. Museums and historic houses try to eliminate all natural light from their galleries and rooms by using filters. Still photography for personal, noncommercial use is permitted in the Museum’s permanent galleries as well as the Carriage House and grounds. No video, flash photography or additional light, selfie sticks, monopods, tripods or similar equipment is permitted. Please be aware, photography may be restricted in special exhibitions, specific galleries, or with specific works of art designated as “No Photography” on labels, signs, or other methods.

Members of the Media should contact the marketing department of the Stark Foundation

Touching

Museums and Historic Homes across the country preserve collections for current and future generations. Visitors can help protect the objects that are on display at the Stark Museum of Art and The W.H. Stark House by not touching objects, works of art, or the walls of the historic house. The oils in your hands and skin can damage the historic and artistic objects. Your touch may seem insignificant, but the slightest contact will damage the surface of a painting or textiles, discolor stone and porcelain, and wear down metal. To enhance the visitor experience the Museum and House make every effort to provide interactive areas and opportunities to touch similar, non-collections, materials.

Tobacco & Firearms

For the safety of the collection and comfort of other visitors, use of tobacco products of any kind is forbidden. Firearms are also not allowed in the Museum and House.

Purses and Bags

To insure the safety of the House and Museum collection items, all visitors are required to lock any bags, packages, or other carried items in lockers; and store umbrellas and large coats in the cloakroom.