Johnson Museum General Information

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art is located on the Cornell campus in Ithaca, New York. It houses Cornell's art collection, which was begun in the 1880s by Cornell's first president, Andrew Dickson White.

In 1973, the Museum moved into its present building, designed by I. M. Pei; it is a small masterpiece, with stunning views of Cayuga Lake, the campus, and Ithaca.

Herbert F. Johnson, a graduate of Cornell's Class of 1922, was chairman of S.C. Johnson & Sons of Racine, Wisconsin, and a lifelong enthusiast of art and great architecture.

The Johnson Museum has one of the finest collections of art in New York State and is recognized as one of the most important university museums in the country. Metered parking is available adjacent to the building, which is located on the corner of Central and University Avenues. The building is available for rental for special occasions; priority is given to Cornell events.

The permanent collection consists of more than 30,000 works of art. Aside from the outstanding Asian collection, its greatest strength is in European and American prints, drawings, and photographs, presenting the history of graphic art from the fifteenth century to the present, American painting and sculpture, European art from ancient Greece to the present, African sculpture and textiles, and pre-Columbian sculpture and ceramics are also well represented. We are in the process of digitizing the entire collection to make it available online for study and research.

The Museum hosts over 80,000 visitors every year and presents over 20 special exhibitions annually, as well as numerous tours, lectures, family Saturday programs, and other events.

More than 7,000 schoolchildren visit the galleries each year for special tours and programs, including the celebrated OMNI program, which uses art to teach children about other cultures and societies.

The Johnson receives funding from Cornell University, as well as from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the New York State Council on the Arts, as well as foundations, corporations, businesses, and private donors.

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art is committed to providing programming and excellent museum experiences for visitors with disabilities. For more information, please click here.

If you would like to contact a specific member of our staff consult our staff list.

Questions about rights and permissions to use images of art in the collection, and other questions about the collection should be directed to the curatorial office at 607 254-4546.

Student interns are selected in the spring. Applications are available at the Museum in February/March for a variety of positions, with an April application deadline. Internships applications are currently being accepted for 2008–09. For more details, click here.