Blanden Art Museum
Introduction
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Founded in 1932, the Blanden Art Museum was the first public art museum established in Iowa. It is located in an attractive neoclassical building and houses an impressive collection of European, American, and Japanese art. Iowa artists are represented as well. Items in the collection include photographs, screens, prints, paintings, and sculptures. The museum offers changing exhibitions and a variety of educational programs and events.
Images
The Blanden Art Museum was established in 1932 and houses an impressive collection of American, European, and Japanese Art.
Backstory and Context
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The museum is named after businessman and former Fort Dodge mayo, Charles Granger Blanden, who donated the funds to construct the building. The Fort Dodge Federation of Art approached Blanden about the museum in 1930. He was living in retirement in San Diego at the time. A year earlier his wife, Elizabeth, died. He decided to donate the money to build the museum in her memory. The property itself was donated by the granddaughter of a local pioneer settler.
The Blanden Charitable Foundation supports the museum financially through museum membership and gift endowment. The museum is a contributing property of the Oak Hill Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Sources
"About Us." Blanden Art Museum. Accessed March 18, 2022. https://www.blanden.org/about.
"Blanden Art Museum." Museums USA. Accessed March 18, 2022. https://www.museumsusa.org/museums/info/3360.
Blanden Art Museum