Museum Atrium
Mission
The Mission of Plains Art Museum is to bring people and art together for learning and inspiration. As a public institution, we celebrate the finest of human achievement and inspire and engage diverse audiences in the creation, exhibition, collection, and preservation of art.
History
Plains Art Museum began as the Red River Art Center in 1965 and was housed in the former Moorhead, Minnesota, post office. The Museum acquired its present name in 1975 and maintained residency in Moorhead until 1996. The Museum renovated a turn-of-the-century warehouse in downtown Fargo, North Dakota, and opened to the public in October 1997.
Facility
The redesign of the International Harvestor (IH) branch house was directed by Hammel Green & Abrahamson, Inc., whose work also can be seen in the award-winning Minnesota History Center, the Walker Arts Center and the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts.
Plains Art Museum facility features 56,000 square feet of which 9,000 have security, climate, and light control properties. The building is fully accessible and contains the Hannaher’s, Inc. Print Studio, The Dawson Studio, Café Muse, The Store, the Goldberg Resource Library, meeting and reception space, frame shop, wood shop, visitor services center, two and a half story projection wall, performance areas and permanent collection storage and care areas.
Programs
The Museum offers approximately 12 special exhibitions along with smaller exhibitions each year. These exhibitions feature art of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Classes, lectures, studios, collaborations with other disciplines as well as social events and performances complement the exhibition schedule.
Permanent Collection
Throughout its history, the Museum has collected, preserved, exhibited and interpreted art. Today, its permanent collection contains approximately 3,000 works including national and regional contemporary art, traditional American Indian art, and traditional folk art.
Administration
Plains Art Museum is a non profit 501 (c) 3 organization governed by a board of directors.
In accordance with ND Charitable Gaming regulations effective 07/01/12, General Rules Chapter 99-01.3-02-3 Subsection 3 #4. Plains Art Museum notifies its membership that the organization’s total adjusted gross proceeds; cash profit; cash long or short; net proceeds; excess expenses; reimbursement of excess expenses; and eligible uses are available for review at 704 1st Ave. N., Fargo, from 10am to 5 pm Monday-Friday.
Accreditation
The American Association of Museums granted accreditation to Plains Art Museum in 2003 in recognition of the Museum’s commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. Of the nation’s nearly 16,000 museums, approximately 750 are currently accredited after a rigorous process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. Plains Art Museum is the only art museum accredited in North Dakota.
