Mystic Museum of Art

Our Mission:

The mission of Mystic Museum of Art is to inspire creativity and critical dialogue by engaging the regional community in the understanding, appreciation, and practice of visual art.

To fulfill this mission we will:

- Operate and maintain galleries and studios to support exhibitions and broad based arts education programs.
- Maintain an art museum and permanent collection of works by important regional artists.
- Provide an understanding of the role of the arts in the enrichment of community life and cultural heritage.
- Be dedicated to standards of excellence.

Mystic Museum of Art, a part of the Connecticut art scene for 100 years, is a place where culture, tradition, and the charm of small town New England converge. Founded in 1913 by a group of prominent artists rooted in the philosophy of the 19th century French landscape painters, Mystic Museum of Art today serves as an arts and culture center for southeastern Connecticut. Key figures in MMoA’s early history include Charles H. Davis, founder of the Mystic Art Colony, and Henry Ward Ranger, who founded the art colony at Old Lyme but later moved to Noank village, one town over from Mystic, and began exhibiting at Mystic Museum of Art.

To support its mission as an educational, non-profit organization, open to all, Mystic Museum of Art maintains a historically significant gallery built in 1931 on Water Street, one block from downtown Mystic. Located on the west bank of the scenic Mystic River, the air conditioned gallery operates as an education center for the arts and is the only public green space in downtown Mystic on the Groton side of Mystic River. The museum houses four art galleries, state of the art studio space, classrooms, and an art reference library. The property includes access to the waterfront and an ample parking facility. In addition, the gallery, education center, parking lot, and terraces are fully accessible for disabled patrons.

Mystic Museum of Art’s comprehensive education program offers classes for both children and adults and provides educational outreach programs to regional schools including Groton, Stonington, New London and Norwich. In 2016, the Museum provided on-site and outreach education programs to about 3,800 area students.