Welcome to the Butler

Termed “America’s Museum,” the Butler Institute is devoted to celebrating America’s visual arts heritage. Founded in 1919, the Butler is one of the earliest museums dedicated exclusively to collecting, exhibiting, and preserving the art of America’s past, present, and future. The Butler’s collection is one of America’s treasures and is known and admired throughout the world.

The Butler Institute of American Art is formed for the purpose of establishing and operating a museum dedicated exclusively to the collection, exhibition, and preservation of American art locally, nationally, and internationally. The Butler strives to promote and cultivate aesthetic values in the visual arts by creating awareness and appreciation of the contributions of American artists, both historical and contemporary, in a range of 2- and 3-dimensional mediums. The Butler also provides quality educational programming for the community, including instruction in the creation of visual art.