The Palmer Museum of Art: Ever Been Inside?

You walk by The Palmer Museum of Art every day, but have you actually stepped inside?

Junior Shannon Agredo goes frequently.

“I’ve been to the Palmer many times being an art major and all,” says Agredo. “It’s almost mandatory.”

The Palmer Museum of Art, found on campus next to the Forum building, is an admission-free arts and cultural resource for the University and surrounding communities. The museum boasts 11 galleries, a permanent collection that holds more than 5,000 works of art, a print study room, a 150-seat auditorium and a sculpture garden.

The museum’s collections have been funded over time through graduating classes, the University, private donors and the Friends of the Palmer Museum of Art, a membership group that helps with the museum’s fundraising efforts.

While most students pass the museum almost daily, Agredo explains that the museum is “greatly overlooked by students.”

“I took my boyfriend, who’s a business major, to the museum for the first time and he thought it was amazing. I know a lot of people don’t know what the building with the paw prints is, and it’s too bad because it’s something unique,” Agredo says.

From American and European art, to non-western collections and ceramics, the Palmer Museum of art has something to offer students, residents and visitors of the region.

“Students would benefit from seeing the museum because it shows local artists as well as pretty popular ones. It’s also one of the hidden gems Penn State has to offer that each student should see at least once before they graduate,” says Agredo.

The Palmer Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Saturday 10-4:30 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.palmermuseum.psu.edu.

Photo by Gabrielle Mannino