Permanent Collection
The Spartanburg Art Museum’s mission is to serve the citizens of Spartanburg and surrounding areas by providing them access to the very best contemporary as well as historically significant art and art education. As important to this mission as assembling varied exhibitions of the highest-quality contemporary and historic art in the Museum’s gallery spaces, is collecting individual works or groups of work representative of such trends. While preserving such works for future generations, the Museum also endeavors to make them available to current ones in ways which advance its stated mission.
As of 2021, the Spartanburg Art Museum's Permanent Collection consists of over 1100 objects, including drawings, paintings, prints, sculpture, rare books, and other artifacts.
The Spartanburg Art Museum's Permanent Collection is endowed by the Palmetto Bank, in honor of Betty + Les McMillan.
Maintenance of, conservation of, research on, and supervision of the Permanent Collection is funded primarily by an endowment provided by the Palmetto Bank, but is also supported by individuals and by funding groups established by the Museum.
Historically, the Spartanburg Art Museum’s Permanent Collection and archive collection were built by purchase, gift, and bequest, as well as by works allocated by the local government. The core of the Permanent Collection is comprised of such gifts, bequests, and purchases.
The current process is that the Permanent Art Collections Committee makes formal recommendations to the full Board of Directors whereupon they are submitted to a vote. Final decisions about all proposed acquisitions, loans, and de-accessions are made through this process.
To submit a work for consideration for acquisition, please contact the Museum staff at 864.582.7616 for information.
