The Allentown Art Museum was established through a grassroots effort led by the teacher, painter, and critic Walter Emerson Baum (1886-1956). Founded and incorporated during the Great Depression (1934 and 1939 respectively), the Museum served the local community for twenty years in a city-owned, Federal-style house primarily exhibiting the works of area artists.

Today, the Allentown Art Museum embraces our broad audiences, offering variety and quality in our collections and exhibitions, educational programs, and public events. The Museum’s collection of more than seventeen thousand works of art offers our community the opportunity to experience nearly two thousand years of cultural heritage in an accessible and visitor-friendly environment.