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Henry Strater painting en
plein air on the Ogunquit shore.
Henry
Strater's Big Museum in a Small Town
The history
of the Ogunquit Museum of American Art
See this
page for a year-by-year list of all Museum exhibits since
1953.
See below
for a Timeline of OMAA History.
Visitors often ask how a nationally recognized art museum came to be located in a small coastal fishing village in southern Maine. The answer lies in both the beauty of the area, which lead to the formation of the famous Ogunquit Art Colony in the late 1890’s, and the drive and generosity of the Museum’s founder, Maine painter and philanthropist Henry Strater.
The Museum of Art of Ogunquit, as it was called until 1992, was completed in 1953, and the collection grew rapidly with donations by Strater, John Marin and other artists and collectors.
1951 - Museum of Art of Ogunquit incorporated
1952 - Museum of Art of Ogunquit building construction begins
1953 - Museum construction completed; museum dedicated; first exhibition season; museum Founder Henry Strater becomes the first Director; Permanent Collection consists of thirteen works of art
1954 - 50 works added to the Museum's Permanent Collection
1986 - Museum Bulletin is first published; museum has 86 members
1987 - Founder and Director Henry Strater dies; John Dirks becomes the second Director in the Museum's history
1988 - Climate control system installed; first attendance records show 2545 visitors for the 1988 season
1989 - Docent program begins
1991 - 1400 sq. ft. climate-controlled Permanent Collection storage facility added; the Museum Shop opens; Permanent Collection now exceeds 1000 works of art
1992 - Museum is renamed the Ogunquit Museum of American Art; membership exceeds 300 for the first time
1994 - An admission fee is instituted; season is extended to September 30 (was traditionally July 1 - Labor Day)
1995 - Michael Culver becomes Curator/Associate Director
1996 - Barn Gallery Associates Wing is added
1997 - Membership exceeds 600 for the first time
1999 - Evening Education programs begin
2000 - Attendance exceeds 10,000 for the first time; season extended to October 15
200I - October free admission program for school students begins; John Dirks steps down as Director, names Michael Culver as Director
2003 - 0MAA celebrates its 50th Anniversary Season
2005 - First Almost Labor Day Auction is held; attendance record set with 13,493
2006 - 0MAA season extended to October 31
2007 - Attendance record set at 16,580; membership record of 854 set
2008 - 0MAA celebrates its 55th Anniversary Season; the Permanent Collection now exceeds 1600 works of art
Images from the OMAA's history (click an image to see it larger):
Ogunquit
Museum of American Art, 543 Shore Road, Ogunquit, Maine 207-646-4909
© 2009 Oqunquit Museum of American Art, All rights reserved.
