Abington Art Center

The Abington Art Center is a non-profit, contemporary art museum that seeks to inspire visitors and strengthen communities through “cultivating the power of the arts.” The Abington Art Center does not collect any art, but instead cycles through different temporary exhibits by contemporary artists. In addition to offering numerous exhibits year-round, the Center also offers art classes of all kinds for artists of all ages in order to further its vision of bringing people together through the power of art.

The Abington Art Center is rooted in the Old York Road Art Guild, founded by a group of women in 1939 who believed in the idea that cultural enrichment comes from artistic, creative expression. The Old York Road Art Guild held this belief in the highest regard, and did so for many years, carrying out educational programs for the cultural enrichment they preached for. In 1965, these programs caught the attention of other like-minded individuals, and was made into the Abington Art Center. As the Center carried on, an estate was given to the organization to share with the Rosenwald Collection in 1969, which allowed the Center to greatly expand their vision and mission to bring artistic expression and cultural enrichment to the masses.

Coinciding with the gift of the manor, the Guild decided to disband and instead pursue their vision as a professional organization. The Rosenwald Collection was moved to the Library of Congress in 1981, and as such, the Abington Art Center was able to make full use of the estate, vastly expanding their room for exhibits and educational programs. With the expansion of their space, the Center continued to expand its offerings, gaining a sculpture garden in 1990, beginning a renovation project in 1996, and completed renovations in 2001. In 2003, the Center began working with Abington Township in order to make a public park centered around the sculpture garden, and in 2005, the State of Pennsylvania acknowledged the promise in the plan. The first phase of the redevelopment concluded in 2011, and today the creation of the park is still underway.

http://abingtonartcenter.org/mission-history/