Maryhill Museum Of Art Named Best Gallery Or Museum In Washington By American Art Awards

5 min readMay 13, 2018

Each year the American Art Awards board selects the 25 Best Galleries And Museums In America.

HighlightHollywood.com reported in 2016: “The impressive AAA board chooses only one museum or gallery per state per year. Their selections are based on years established, industry reputation, online buzz, location, size, socially relevant exhibits, motivational and educational programs, represented artists as well as artist, client and visitor references.”

American Art Awards: “We consider thousands of the most established art venues from Alaska to Florida. This year we chose several museums and art centers with historical significance of 100+ years, some with over 100,000 annual visitors, some specializing in global acquisitions, some American treasures, others offering objects preserving their state’s legacy, and some celebrating one specific artist’s life work. We’ve also selected some of the most reputable art galleries; some which offer every style of international art, others exhibiting works from one region or one genre. A Native-American and an African-American facility are included in our Top 25, as well as a long-standing women’s design institution, a popular Boston sculptor’s co-op, and a Hollywood Warhol hot spot.”

Maryhill Museum of Art won the distinction of Best Gallery Or Museum In Washington, 2018, and one of American Art Awards 25 Best American Galleries / Museums, 2018.

American Art Awards: “Maryhill is a feast for the eyes and the soul. One of the most remarkable art institutions in America — collecting, exhibiting and preserving art and historical and natural resources benefiting all residents and visitors of the Pacific Northwest.”

History:

In 1907, Samuel Hill purchased 5,300 acres of land along the Columbia River with the dream of establishing a Quaker farming community, but ran into complications. Ten years later, Loïe Fuller, a pioneer of modern dance living in Paris, convinced Hill to turn his would-be mansion into a museum of art. Fuller’s close association with well known artists in France helped build the core of the museum’s collection, including the acquisition of more than 80 works by French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Hill also transferred his own art collections to the museum.

Although still unfinished, the museum was dedicated in 1926 by Sam Hill’s friend, Queen Marie of Romania (the granddaughter of Britain’s Queen Victoria), in a ceremony that received national attention and was attended by more than 2,000 people. In 1931, Hill, on his way to address the Oregon legislature on behalf of the Good Roads Association, became ill and died three weeks later at the age of 73.

Hill’s death and the drawn out settlement of his estate delayed progress on the museum, which was filled with unpacked crates of art. In 1937, Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, the wife of San Francisco sugar magnate Adolf Spreckels and a friend of Hill’s, took up the task of finishing the museum. She was elected to the newly-formed board of trustees and donated artwork from her personal collection. Under her guidance, the museum was opened to the public on Sam Hill’s birthday, May 13, 1940.

Current Special Exhibitions:

March 15 — November 15, 2018
Richard F. Lack: The Interior Journey — Paintings, Drawings, and Studies

March 15 — November 15, 2018
American Classical Realism

March 15 — November 15, 2018
Maryhill Favorites: Landscape

March 15 — November 15, 2018
Sculpture from the Permanent Collection

March 15–November 15, 2017
Théâtre de la Mode

June 25 — July 31, 2018
Atelier Process & Painting

September 5 -28, 2018
Romanian Identity, Royalty and Architecture

Maryhill Museum of Art | 35 Maryhill Museum Drive, Goldendale, WA 98620 | 509.773.3733