William King Museum of Art, located in Abingdon, Virginia, serves the Tri-Cities/Abingdon/Bristol, Tennessee and Virginia areas. Located in an historic 1913 building that is a fully renovated former school, the William King Museum of Art features galleries showcasing art of the region and of the world, both contemporary and historic. The museum also features resident artist studios, an outdoor sculpture garden and the VanGogh Educational Outreach Program. The William King Museum of Art is a partner of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and a member of the American Alliance of Museums, the Virginia Association of Museums, and the Southeastern Museums Conference.
The museum
Artist studios
The museum's studio artist program is open to visual artists working in all media. While taking advantage of large, well-lit studios, artists provide opportunities for school and public audiences to observe art in process.
Library
Serving the entire southwest Virginia region as well as northeast Tennessee, western North Carolina and southeastern Kentucky, William King's library is the only one west of Roanoke whose primary objective is arts and culture education. As such, it is the museum's mission to bolster the region–whose roots have long been planted in the cultural arts–with awareness and respect. To meet this goal, the library intends to accommodate specific areas of education. These include cultural heritage, exhibition history, curatorial records, and general arts based collections of books. Because the books cover such a large range of time and culture, a project that is currently underway will soon allow visitors to browse the library electronically. The Print Archive is one of the most recent additions to the library. Upon completion, visitors will be able to access all print materials affiliated with the museum, including gallery guides, newsletters, education materials, special events, and much more. Ultimately, the library will provide a dedicated environment of arts based literature focusing on both the immediate region and across the world. The library space is technologically equipped for projection purposes and the physical space is available upon request to host classes, discussions or lectures. It is with hope and hard work that one day William King Museum's library will not only be another open door in the community, but a gateway into the world.
Research archives
The Cultural Heritage Archive is the research and data center for the Betsy K. White Cultural Heritage Project, a program of William King Museum. Since 1994, the project has documented and photographed over 200 objects made by hand in southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee prior to 1940. The goal of the archive is to provide a lasting record of the region's contribution to American decorative arts, including furniture, textiles, pottery, metalwork, musical instruments, art and other forms of material culture.
Sculpture garden
Weather permitting, the permanent collection of outdoor sculpture can be viewed on the museum's grounds. Several pieces are on view from the museum's most recent outdoor sculpture competition, held biennially. An additional work is here on extended loan. In August 2016 the Museum unveiled 3 new sculptures as part of the Out in the Open: Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition.
Education programs
Classes in the visual and performing arts are offered year-round for both children and adults, and school programs are available both on-site and directly in the schools through our outreach program.
VanGogh Outreach takes the art room directly into the second grade public school classroom four times a year with SOL-based lessons and an emphasis on the visual arts using the study of China, Egypt and Native American Indians. Classes are 90 minutes in length with a 30-minute lecture and a 60-minute art project.
A program for third graders, Art Express offers youngsters across the region a full day's visit to the Arts Center. During their day, students tour the art museum - a first-time experience for many children - then take part in two art activities related to what they have seen in the galleries. Pre and post-visit classroom activities enable teachers and students alike to maximize the experience.
Heritage Express
An SOL-based program for fourth grade Virginia history students which focuses on the region's rich cultural heritage. The 3.5-hour program offers opportunities to enrich and reinforce students' classroom learning experiences through guided tours of the cultural heritage galleries at the museum and the Fields-Penn 1860 House Museum and a hands-on art project.
Tour Plus
Hands-on art activities and a museum tour tailored to students in grades preK-12 focusing on a selected topic.
Art Enrichment
Customized off-site program with hands-on projects designed to meet the needs of a wide range of both school and public audiences during a 90-minute lesson.
ArtShops
Designed for middle and high school students to explore and expand their skills in a specific art medium taught by highly trained and experienced artists.
Summer art camps
Offers week-long day camps at the museum, area schools, and other off-site locations for students in grades preK-12. Instructors lead campers in a variety of projects exploring both visual and performing arts.
Youth & adult classes
Local artists and museum staff provide classes for children and adults using a wide array of media including ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking, and jewelry making.
Student gallery
Provides regional art teachers the opportunity to showcase their students' art; the department hosts an opening reception for these exceptional student artists.
Teacher workshops
Custom designed in-service opportunities utilizing art methods to enhance core curricula.
Visitor information
The museum is located at 415 Academy Drive in Abingdon, Virginia. From Interstate 81, take Exit 17 to Cummings Street, left onto West Main Street, right onto Academy Drive just past Abingdon Police Station. Highway directional signs mark this route. From Highway 19, drivers should turn left onto Russell Road, then right onto Academy Drive.
