Mission:
The Minnesota Marine Art Museum engages visitors in meaningful visual art experiences through education and exhibitions that explore the ongoing and historic human relationship with water.
Vision:
To be an art museum valued and supported by the region and recognized nationally as a unique visual art institution dedicated to community engagement and the exhibition, preservation, and interpretation of great art inspired by water.
History:
The Museum opened July 27, 2006 featuring three major art collections, making it a regional and national attraction. On loan to the Museum, the Burrichter/ Kierlin Marine Art Collection features oil paintings, watercolors and three-dimensional objects from a variety of countries and periods which were created by many of the world's most important marine artists. The Leo Smith Folk Art Collection consists of distinctive wood carved and hand painted sculptures that capture the spirit of small town river life. These whimsical, colorful sculptures represent and celebrate the flora, fauna and folklore of the upper Mississippi River region. Finally, the Museum’s permanent collection features historic marine art, artifacts and objects ranging from items such as personal letters from Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson to his wife to large stained glass window displayed in the Museum’s atrium.
On May 1, 2009 the museum opened a new expansion gallery and educational room. The new gallery features Impressionism and Hudson River school works from Renoir, Monet, Pissarro, Homer, Sisley, Cole, Bierstadt, Buttersworth, Silva and includes one of Vincent van Gogh's first oil paintings.
