The Everson Museum of Art in Downtown Syracuse, New York is a major Central New York museum focusing on American art.HistoryThe museum was founded in 1897 by art historian George Fisk Comfort (who also helped found the Metropolitan Museum of Art); at that time, it was called the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts. In 1911, it announced that it would seek to collect only American art.Over time the museum occupied several different buildings, including the Onondaga Savings Bank and the Syracuse Public Library, but it outgrew each facility.In 1941, Helen Everson made a gift to the city of Syracuse for the purpose of erecting an art museum. A groundbreaking took place in 1965, and in 1968 the new Everson Museum of Art opened. The new building was designed by internationally acclaimed architect I. M. Pei, and is regarded as a work of art in its own right.The Everson Museum collaborates with Light Work and the Urban Video Project (UVP) to exhibit video art on the facade of the building, including important works by Bill Viola, Jenny Holzer, William Wegman, among others. In the summer time, they host a film series which is very popular for residents of Syracuse.The Everson Museum of Art is also a famous location for skateboarders. Although illegal, on June 21, better known as National Go Skateboarding Day, skateboarders are allowed to skate at the museum. Central New York skateboarders often have signs that say "FREE eVe" meaning free the Everson Museum of Art.
"The Everson is a museum of firsts. It was the first museum to dedicate itself to the collection of American art, to create a permanent collection of ceramics, to collect video art, to create a docent program and to hire the now internationally-known architect I.M. Pei to design its building, a sculptural work of art in its own right. The Everson is home to more than 10,000 works of art: American paintings, sculpture, drawings, video, graphics and one of the largest holdings of international ceramics in the nation. The Everson is located in Syracuse, New York, across from the Oncenter on Harrison and State Streets."
