Academy Art Museum

The Academy Art Museum serves as a cultural hub for Maryland’s Eastern Shore and is among the most acclaimed museums along the Eastern Seaboard. Located within a historic downtown building originally constructed as a school in 1820, the museum has completed several renovations and additions through the years. In the 1980s, an adjacent historic home was added to the property, which now houses galleries, a dance studio, and space for events and arts educational programming.

As the museum celebrated its 60th anniversary, it sought to expand the reach of its exhibitions, events, and educational programs. The main entrance was relocated and enhanced with a striking new glass entry vestibule, creating a more prominent streetside identity for the museum as a centerpiece of the downtown cultural corridor. The building’s reoriented reception area, which also serves as a gallery space, was upgraded with a new LED lighting system that highlights collections and HVAC systems that provide a comfortable environment for visitors and suitable humidity control for collections care. The improvements underscore the museum’s contemporary role as a leading arts institution while honoring the legacy of the prominent historic buildings and local landscape.