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Erie Art Museum The Erie Art Museum - Dedicated to the promotion and advancement of the visual arts in the Erie, Pennsylvania region

The Erie Art Museum is one of the region's great cultural treasures, presenting quality exhibitions and a rich array of programming and offers.

Today we celebrate Laura Domencic, who leaves her role as Executive Director of the Erie Art Museum effective October 22...
10/22/2026

Today we celebrate Laura Domencic, who leaves her role as Executive Director of the Erie Art Museum effective October 22 after five years of leadership.

Under Laura’s direction, the Museum presented well-regarded exhibitions of regional and national artists, restored in-person programming after the pandemic, and completed the renovation of the Customs House stairs. That includes the exhibitions now on view by Thomas Paquette and Patricia Bellan-Gillen, which Laura was instrumental in bringing to life (pictured here with both artists).

In Laura’s words: “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the staff, the artists, and the community in growing the exhibitions and educational programming. It has been a rewarding experience for me both professionally and personally.”

Thank you, Laura, for your service to the Erie Art Museum and to this community.

The Board has named an interim director while it determines next steps. Read the full announcement: erieartmuseum.org/press/eam-announces-leadership-transition

Exhibitions, programs, and events will continue as scheduled.

Yesterday, 80 art educators from school districts across our region spent the day at the Museum, and we are still smilin...
10/13/2026

Yesterday, 80 art educators from school districts across our region spent the day at the Museum, and we are still smiling. 🎨

The day included educator speed dating, lesson plan swaps, visual thinking strategies, and printmaking. Art teachers are the most wonderful people: thoughtful, creative, interesting (and impeccably dressed!). Being around them all day was inspiring.

Here’s why we host this day: most districts have only a few art teachers, so district-run professional development can leave them isolated. This day brings them together to share what they know with the people who understand their work best.

At a time when arts education continues to be defunded, we remain committed to supporting it.

Special thanks to PennWest Edinboro, Erie Arts and Culture, and Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit 5 IU5 for helping staff and coordinate the day. Thank you also to PennWest University professor Mary Elizabeth Meier and to Erie Arts & Culture’s .armor.3 . 👏

10/12/2026

🌲 “I want to dive into what life was like before we had so much control over so much of the map.”

That’s painter Thomas Paquette on his pull toward old-growth forests, and it’s the kind of thinking behind the work currently on view at the Museum.

This Friday, Oct 16, Thomas joins us for an artist talk and gallery walk. He’ll share how and why he became a full-time artist, then walk the gallery with us, where you can ask your questions and see the large oil paintings and small gouaches up close. They span Pennsylvania, Maine, Europe, and the UK.

🗓️ Friday, Oct 16
3:00–3:40 pm: slide talk + Q&A
3:40–5:00 pm: meet and greet in the gallery
🎟️ Free for members | $5 for university students | Museum admission applies for non-members
Details and info below 👇

Got a milk or juice carton headed for the recycling bin? Hold that thought. 👻This Sunday, October 11, join us for Second...
10/10/2026

Got a milk or juice carton headed for the recycling bin? Hold that thought. 👻

This Sunday, October 11, join us for Second Sunday at the Museum from 2 to 4 PM, where we’re turning ordinary cartons into haunted houses. Make yours spooky, make it silly, make it entirely your own. It’s a perfect way to spend an autumn afternoon creating with your family and loved ones.

Admission is pay-what-you-wish, and donations are always appreciated. Come for a little while or stay for the whole two hours. Drop in whenever you’re ready!

Programming supported by Erie Insurance.

Event details in the first comment 👇

10/09/2026

Meet Eternal Vigilance, like you’ve never seen it before. 👀

This is a 3D model of John Silk Deckard’s sculpture, created by our Digital Specialist Eric Dye using a process called photogrammetry.

So how does it work? Eric photographed the sculpture from every angle he could manage: high, low, and all the way around. Software then compares those photos, finds points that show up in more than one image, and uses them to calculate where each point sits in 3D space. Thousands of those points become a digital mesh, and the photos are wrapped back over it to bring back the color and texture. In short, it turns a whole lot of photographs into one object you can spin around and look at from any side.
We have some fun plans for this scan in the near future. We’re not ready to spill yet, but keep an eye on this space. 😉
Eternal Vigilance is part of the Museum’s permanent collection and stands on the steps of the Customs House.

10/02/2026

Part sculpture, part wall, part living room, and 100% ready for a nap. 😴

While doing inventory, we pulled Malitte out of art storage and had to build it, because that's how you really get to know a piece. Fun fact: it's cozy. 🛋️

Malitte (1966) is a collaboration between Chilean-born artist Roberto Matta and Italian designer Dino Gavina. Matta trained as an architect and worked with Le Corbusier before turning to painting, drawing on Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism with Duchamp and Picasso among his influences. The piece works as a structural wall that can be taken apart into a living room, a way of welcoming guests. The name comes from his wife's first name. And in case you needed more proof of its pedigree, MoMA has the same design in the same colorway in their permanent collection.

Access for All is today, Thursday, October 1, 11am–3pm — free admission to the Museum, made possible by the Art Bridges ...
10/01/2026

Access for All is today, Thursday, October 1, 11am–3pm — free admission to the Museum, made possible by the Art Bridges Foundation.

Wander the galleries and catch Intimate Landscapes, Thomas Paquette's gouache paintings of landscapes he's returned to painting for over thirty years — some canvases built up in layers over years before he considered them finished.

Bring a friend, bring the kids, bring yourself. Free admission until 3pm!
(Link to exhibitions page in first comment)

09/30/2026

Artist Leila Khoury talks about her work in Between Here and Elsewhere. Her installation, "Our Gold is Pressed with the Hands of Our Undying," translates the centuries-old craft of soap-making into sculpture.

Come see it in person. The exhibition is on view through January 10. And don't miss the artist talk on November 13, when Leila and her fellow exhibiting artists will share their work right in the galleries.

👻 Eerie Legends & Folklore: A Spooky Tour + Lecture SeriesErie has more ghost stories than you think — and this October,...
09/27/2026

👻 Eerie Legends & Folklore: A Spooky Tour + Lecture Series

Erie has more ghost stories than you think — and this October, we're digging into all of them. Join the Museum and the Eerie Area Macabre Society for a four-week series exploring the legends, hauntings, and dark folklore woven into our region's history.

Each Thursday brings a new theme: the haunted shores of Presque Isle, a historic walking tour down Millionaires' Row, the dark waters and shipwreck lore of Lake Erie, and a Halloween finale packed with spooky crafts, tarot readings, candy, and an introduction to ghost hunting with paranormal investigators Toni and Devan.

🗓️ Thursdays, October 1–22 | 6:00–7:30 PM
💵 Sliding scale, up to $25/class
🎭 Costumes encouraged for the finale!

Come for the community, stay for the ghosts. Link to register in the comments below 👇

09/26/2026

Who is Patricia Bellan-Gillen's work for? Her answer is simple: everyone. 🎨

In this video, Pat talks about how kids especially light up around her paintings — even with all that delicious darkness woven through them. Great art has a way of meeting people (of any age) right where their imagination lives.

Monsters, Beloveds and Invisible Whales is on view now through March 7. Link to the exhibition page below 👇

Address

20 East 5th Street
Erie, PA
16507

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 6pm
Thursday 11am - 6pm
Friday 11am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 1pm - 6pm

Telephone

+18144595477

Website

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