Center for Creative Community Development

The Worcester Art Museum

The Worcester Art Museum first opened its doors in the spring of 1898. The institution, founded by Stephen Salisbury III “for the benefit of all the people,” today houses more than 35,000 works of art representing more than 50 centuries of creative spirit. The internationally renowned collection bears tribute to the philanthropy and civic pride of the Museum's benefactors, as well as the pioneering vision of its distinguished directors and curators. Thirty-five galleries offer visitors a walk through time and across cultures. The journey begins with sculpture and decorative arts from ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece including the largest and finest group of Antiochin mosaics in America, on display in the Renaissance Court. The Museum's twelfth-century Romanesque Chapter House - one of the first medieval structures transported to the New World - adjoins galleries featuring paintings, frescoes and liturgical objects from the European middle ages. The Asian collection, established with the 1901 bequest of John Chandler Bancroft's Japanese prints, now includes textiles, prints, ceramics, sculptures and paintings representing the major periods of Persian, Chinese, Indian and Japanese art.