Butler Institute of American Art

Established| 1919
Location| 524 Wick Avenue, Youngstown, Ohio, 44502
Coordinates| 41°06′19″N 80°38′44″W﻿ / ﻿41.105371°N 80.645458°W﻿ / 41.105371; -80.645458
Type| American art
Curator| Dr. Louis A. Zona
Website| http://www.butlerart.com/

Butler Institute Of American Art

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Show map of Ohio

Show map of the United States

Location| 524 Wick Ave., Youngstown, Ohio
Coordinates| 41°6′20″N 80°38′46″W﻿ / ﻿41.10556°N 80.64611°W﻿ / 41.10556; -80.64611
Area| less than one acre
Built| 1919
Architect| McKim, Mead & White
Architectural style| Second Renaissance Revival
NRHP reference No.| 74001567 [1]
Added to NRHP| October 29, 1974

The Butler Institute of American Art,[2] located on Wick Avenue in Youngstown, Ohio, United States, was the first museum dedicated exclusively to American art.[3] Established by local industrialist and philanthropist Joseph G. Butler, Jr., the museum has been operating pro bono since 1919.[4] Dedicated in 1919, the original structure is a McKim, Mead and White work listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]

Among the most celebrated works in the Butler's permanent collection is Winslow Homer's Snap the Whip, a famed tribute to the era of the one-room schoolhouse. Winslow, however, painted two versions of Snap the Whip, with the other version residing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The two paintings differ, with the Butler's version of Snap the Whip[6] having mountains in the background, while the Metropolitan's does not. In 2007, the museum acquired the Norman Rockwell painting Lincoln the Railsplitter for $1.6 million. The previous owner of the 84.5 by 44.5 inch painting was businessman and former presidential candidate Ross Perot. Other aspects of the nation's past are captured in a unique collection of paintings featuring southwestern Native Americans, which were once part of Joseph Butler's personal collection.

Additional highlights include an iconic depiction of George Washington's wedding, William Gropper's celebrated Youngstown Strike, an interpretation of the area's violent 1937 Little Steel Strike, and Albert Bierstadt's The Oregon Trail, 1869\.

Meanwhile, the gallery of modern art features a striking, life-sized painting by Alfred Leslie titled, Americans: Youngstown, Ohio, which depicts personalities connected with the Butler as they appeared in the 1970s. The museum also holds a significant collection of works by the Abstract Expressionist painter Robert Motherwell.

Butler Institute of American Art's Andrews Pavilion

In recent years, the Butler has expanded significantly. A 19,000-square-foot (1,800 m2) south wing, the Beecher Center, was constructed in conjunction with Youngstown State University in 2000 with a focus of uniting technology and art. Two years later, the 3,400-square-foot (320 m2) Andrews Pavilion, featuring a sculpture atrium, gift shop, and café, was added to the rear of the facility. In 2006, the Butler purchased the neighboring First Christian Church facility and converted it into an education and performing arts center. In October 2007, the museum had its first auction in fifteen years. Pieces of art were donated from around the country and up to 125 art enthusiasts and museum supporters gathered to view and buy the pieces of art. All of the money raised from the auction went to the hiring of scholars to produce an updated catalog of all the pieces of art in the museum and[7] its cost of publication. In October 2009, the work of Hyperrealist painter Denis Peterson was featured in a traveling show of prominent Photorealists.

Alongside the many physical renovations to the building, the Butler Institute of American Art has also been advancing in technology as well. In December 2021, the museum partnered with the Aira Tech Corp. to gain access to an app (Aira) to assist visually impaired patrons to experience the artwork displayed. The app is user friendly and easy to use; simply open the app, tap the button, and you are partnered with an Aira agent to help describe each piece of artwork.[8]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. ^ ART. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures: New England. 2004.
3. ^ "Art Institute Gets Bulk of $1,5000,000 J. G. Butler Estate". The Youngstown Daily Vindicator. December 29, 1927.
4. ^ "Summer Refresher". Time. July 28, 1958.
5. ^ "Butler Institute of American Art: About". ARTINFO. 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2008. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help) [dead link]
6. ^ ART. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures: New England. 2004.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
7. ^ SCHMITT, ANGIE. "Couple is sold on Butler art auction". Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
8. ^ D'Astolfo, Guy (January 27, 2022). "Butler Museum Embraces Use of Aira App for the Visually Impaired". The Business Journal. Retrieved October 26, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Butler Institute of American Art.

* Butler Institute of American Art

* v
* t
* e

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Topics|

* Architectural style categories
* Contributing property
* Historic district
* History of the National Register of Historic Places
* Keeper of the Register
* National Park Service
* Property types

Lists by state|

* List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state:
* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Lists by insular areas|

* American Samoa
* Guam
* Minor Outlying Islands
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Puerto Rico
* Virgin Islands

Lists by associated state|

* Federated States of Micronesia
* Marshall Islands
* Palau

Other areas|

* District of Columbia
* American Legation, Morocco

Related|

* National Historic Preservation Act
* Historic Preservation Fund
* List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places
* University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places

* National Register of Historic Places portal
* Category

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

Academics|

* CiNii

Other|

* IdRef

*[No.]: number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template