A Cultural Anchor in Framingham Since 1975
Danforth Art Museum\School was established in 1975 by a committed group of community activists, business owners, educators, artists and art-enthusiasts. A former Framingham Public School, the Danforth Building at 123 Union Avenue in Framingham, Massachusetts, became its first home. Forty years after its founding, Danforth Art continue to serve a broad and diverse community, now with exhibitions of American art from the 19th century to the present day, over 400 quality studio art classes annually, family and public programs, a thriving membership, and events for artists and art-lovers alike.
Desiring a new permanent home that would better serve its patrons, Danforth Art purchased the Jonathan Maynard Building on Framingham Centre Common from the Town of Framingham in 2014. The purchase agreement included in-kind community services.
To date, Danforth Art has served the Framingham community with:
- Free admission to Framingham residents
- Free admission to the staff and faculty of Framingham State University
- Free school tours for Framingham Public Schools
- Discounted museum memberships
- Free public and family programs
- Studio Art School scholarships
On Friday, May 13, 2016, the Town of Framingham informed the tenants of the municipal-owned Danforth Building that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts would no longer renew the permit on the building’s boiler, making the heating system obsolete. Danforth Art has identified a temporary solution to include: relocation of administrative offices, collections storage, and studio art school classrooms to the Jonathan Maynard Building by January of 2017, and offsite exhibitions through 2017. (The Jonathan Maynard Building, currently occupied in part by Framingham State University, is not by itself large enough to accommodate all of the organization’s short-term needs.)
Although exhibition space will not immediately be available in the Town of Framingham, Danforth Art will continue to work with community partners such as Framingham Public Schools, the Framingham Public Library, the Callahan Center, and the like to provide talks, educational programs, and special events in the community. These programs will be listed on our website in the coming weeks.