Expanding the Collection: Recent Acquisitions

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January 31 - June 14, 2026

Greider Family Gallery | Level 2

Every few years, the Palmer Museum of Art schedules an exhibition that allows us to celebrate our most recent collecting efforts. Reflecting the nearly encyclopedic nature of the permanent collection, these new acquisitions represent a wide range of cultures, time periods, and artistic approaches. In this exhibition, prints by historical European artists, such as Rembrandt and Albrecht Dürer, appear alongside etchings by Americans Mary Nimmo Moran and John Sloan and lithographs by Woodstock artist Konrad Cramer and Philadelphian Vincent LaBadessa. A dramatic watercolor of the Maine coast by Winslow Homer is shown with Andrew Wyeth’s drawing of a Chester County barn, while works by contemporary artists—including Jody Mussoff, Elizabeth Whiteley, Wolf Kahn, and John Day—highlight the continued relevance of drawing today.

 

Expanding the Collection also offers insight into how works of art enter the museum’s holdings. Most acquisitions arrive as donations, either as outright gifts or as promised bequests that allow collectors to retain their works during their lifetimes. The museum also purchases works—at auction, from dealers or galleries, or directly from artists—using endowed funds designated for specific types of acquisitions. Occasionally, objects are transferred from other Penn State departments that can no longer properly house them. All collecting is guided by the museum’s Collections Plan, which defines the scope of the collection, identifies areas for growth, and establishes priorities to ensure that each acquisition contributes meaningfully to the museum’s mission and long-term vision.