It's quite interesting to have a museum in the midst of the college town. It's in existence due to ongoing art donations to the college. The museum's history dates back to 1917. The building was designed in an Italian Renaissance-style that truly stands out at the campus. I first drove by the museum months ago and was struck by its gorgeous exterior. I intended to visit for a while and then had the perfect excuse - Picturing Paris: Monet and the Modern City exhibit. I invited my mom to enjoy the museum with me. AMBIANCE: The museum is an architectural gem - gorgeous arches, ornate ceilings, angel fountain, and spacious room housing famous art. Dare I call it the little CMA, it has so many various works of art on two floors. There are so many remarkable works I didn't expect to see in a small college town. Works by Degas, Monet, Rubens, Rodin, Cézanne, Chagall, Warhol, Renoir, Sisley, Pissaro, Modigliani, and more. Sculpture, fabrics, prints, vases, and paintings can all be found at the museum. The collection seems very eclectic and has various styles of art all intermingling. That's due to donations being received for years from multiple collectors. They might have been better organized but the collection is so impressive that it really doesn't matter. Monet exhibit occupies one of the rooms and features four paintings. I always thought that Monet only paints fancy swamps but he apparently had an era of city landscapes. The painting are so gorgeous and have his signature precise paint strokes. Must see! SERVICE: Most of the museum workers were very friendly except security. I was actually disgusted with the security guard's behavior. The security guard approached me and asked if I wanted to turn in my coat. There was no coat check indicated anywhere so it was an odd request. He then told me that my coat is all over the place and I must be careful around art. He said this in a very rude and confrontational manner, later stared me down from every corner of the museum. It was wild to say the least. I did not approach art closely, simply held my coat against me, and was in no way disruptive or loud. I respect art very much so this was uncalled for. I visited many world's museums but never had such a disturbing interaction. It was shameful and not at all welcoming. It was not even in line with any museum culture. He could have asked the same thing in a polite way without singling me out, being rude, or staring at me in a belligerent and intimidating manner. This interaction ruined my whole experience. ADMISSIONS: The museum is open to the public, professors, and students. Entrance is free of charge to all. That even applies to special exhibit like Monet. No bookings in advance, just arrive! Incredible! Donations and museum shop are available in case you're interested in supporting the museum. PARKING: Parking is available onsite. There is also plenty of parking by the square. The area is very walkable in case you're interested in doing some shopping, going to the movies, or dining nearby. The museum's ornate building and art collection are impressive. Make sure that you view the museum from the windows on the first floor for extra wow factor. While I loved the museum, I hated security's unwelcoming and targeted behavior. I'd rather visit a museum where I can enjoy art without drama. Due to this interaction, I don't plan to return. read more

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My child graduates in 4 days after 4 years at Oberlin College and I'm flummoxed as to why today was my first day in this stunning art museum!! How could I have missed this experience?? Our first year was messed up by COVID but I can't believe I've been on this campus at least 5 times since then and I've never been here before. Today's visit was absolutely breathtaking. I'm still lost in thought. It was so beautiful. Totally free. Not crowded. Quiet. Smelled gorgeous. Drenched in sunlight. Stunning. I want to go back tomorrow! read more

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This is a really small, yet really great art museum! The staff is super awesome and really curated an awesome insightful experience for my middle school students when we went here for a field trip. The space has some awesome contemporary art as well as art from around the world and different time periods. The space is beautiful, it's easy to park on the street, and I highly recommend checking out this museum if you're in the area! read more

I was delightfully surprised at the wide variety of art on show in the Allen's galleries, from medieval to contemporary, which I feel is a rare occurrence for museums on college campuses. Highly recommend, indeed! read more

I stopped by the Allen Museum while out in Oberlin for the Frank Lloyd Wright House tour and was suitably impressed. While relatively small, the museum is nicely set up and has a very nice collection with a wide variety of items. The building itself is very nice with a big open central gallery and a number of smaller satellite galleries surrounding it. The collection seemed strong in Asian art and a nice overview of Western art. I was especially impressed with the special exhibit in the large new exhibition hall called Afterlives of the Black Atlantic which explores the complexities of memory, identity, and belonging in the wake of the transatlantic slave trade. The pieces are interesting and challenging with a wider variety then I was expecting. I also enjoyed the special exhibits in the upper level galleries. The Allen Memorial Art Museum is an excellent smaller museum which is well worth a visit. read more

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I wish I would have relaxed more in college. I wish I would have drank less gross concoctions (coca cola and Carla Rossi Sangria = yuck) in college. I wish I would have procrastinated less in college. I wish I would have gone to more concerts. I wish I would have taken more art classes, theater classes, and film classes. And I wish I would have visited the Allen Memorial Art Museum more. Immersed in a confusing world of hormones, freedom, and finding myself - I neglected to take better advantage of this outstanding art resource. The Allen Memorial Art Museum - founded in 1917 - hosts more than 14,000 works of art. It's a unique statuesque building - with prominent sandstone colored arches - and a wealth of history. Probably the most unique aspect of this museum was it's art rental program - http://www2.oberlin.edu/amam/artrent.html . An unreal and inspiring art program, which allows Oberlin students (the same students who drink absurd things like cola and Carla Rossi) to rent priceless masterpieces of art - for a semester - for just five dollars. Everyone would drag themselves out of their dingy single dorm beds - the big day of this program, excited - for first dibs on the truly astounding assortment of art - which could be rented out from here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMoESL_dtuw . If you got to the Museum early enough for the program - you could walk away with a Picasso or Dali. Imagine. Just imagine. A dorm room - littered with gum wrappers, illegible class notes, ramen packets, Grateful Dead tapestries, dirty laundry, and red wine carpet stains...with a Renoir proudly hanging up in the corner. Beautifully absurd. read more

Oberlin Ohio has to be one of the coolest smalltown college towns in America.Any place that has this much good art is a 5 star place read more

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I went to Oberlin College for a conference, and was happy to hear that there was a free art museum on campus. "That will be fun to check out during our lunch break," I thought, naively thinking about 15 - 20 minutes would be more than enough time to fully appreciate everything in a small campus art museum. Needless to say, that Allen Memorial Art Museum absolutely blew me away. It's not only impressive for a college museum, it's impressive for *any* museum. If you're anywhere near this part of Ohio, it's worth a side trip or a detour on your route to visit. There's an excellent collection of a wide range of art (including ancient artifacts, Asian art, medieval art, and European painting), most of which I only got to see very hurriedly. And the admission is FREE! No food or drink allowed inside, but the kind front desk staff let me leave my coffee at the desk. One really cool feature that I've never seen in another museum: a small statue is set up near the ceiling by a window, and a telescope is set up, trained on it so you can look at its details up close! read more

Free entry to a great art museum in the quaint Ohio town of Oberlin. It is wonderfully curated with a wide selection of priceless art from medieval times up through contemporary modern art. If you're ever anywhere near Oberlin by all means, stop in. read more

What an amazing resource! Some really excellent pieces and rotation. Very knowledgeable and friendly staff and volunteers

What a cute museum and the admission is free. You can lock your stuffs in the locker that they provide for free of charge. They have interesting and good painting collections. I was there about a month ago, their 2nd floor was under the construction. read more

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FABULOUS!! What a treasure for Oberlin college and the community. Seriously one of the best college art museums in the US (actually, a museum that any city would be proud of as well!). Art rental program that the AMAM runs for students, faculty and staff is absolutely amazing. Well worth the trip. read more

This place is an absolute GEM. I decided to take a scenic route from Columbus to Cleveland for Labor Day weekend, going through Oberlin on the way. It was meant to be a drive-though, look-at-the-quaint-college-town, but then there was this museum and we were in no real hurry, so why not? BEST. DECISION. OF. OUR. TRIP. It looks small from the outside, but the collection is mighty. A two story open floor plan, tasteful and congruently designed space and collection management. I think "floored" would describe our reaction. The building itself is gorgeous, and the displays themselves are beautiful. Upstairs was a collection of Asian silk drawings, silk rugs and paintings on the walls and in large oak cases. You can look out and see the wall inscriptions and the main floor. On the first floor, the periphery encompasses art of historical and far-flung origin, as well as textiles. The side rooms offer portraiture and sculpture, with a strong focus on Biblical themes (St. Sebastian seemed to be a consistent subject). In the back, a room of dark cabinetry housing the smaller pieces in their collections. Enough DuBuffet to make me want to stay for the rest of the day. A local professor's collection of contemporary pieces, including Miro works and classic Warhol. What we thought would be a 30 minute sideline ended up being a couple of hours of exploration, and we subsequently spent most of our day in Oberlin. Absolutely worth the detour, the stop, the time! read more

One of the top college art museums in the country, Allen also runs a unique rental collection that lets students pay a 1-figure fee per semester to take home real art by significant artists, including Picasso, Lichtenstein, and others. The museum is closely aligned with one of the most renowned art conservation labs in the world, where priceless pieces are lovingly cared for, repaired, and restored by consummate conservators. Side note: I had a painting STOLEN here! An enormous 48 x 54 canvas thickly coated with paint, an image of two large plaster masks. I was doing a winter term project in the paintings studios behind Allen, and the day I was to turn it in, it disappeared from the studio. They didn't take my stretched blank canvases, my paint or my tools. They wanted my art. I was so proud to be victimized in this way. If you see it, call me. read more

I only participated in Art Rental during my last semester at Oberlin. It is one of the things I really wish I'd done the entire time I was there. Even the experience leading up to art rental (where people sleep in the museum overnight in order to get a good number and thus, a good piece) was lots of fun. They have some awesome pieces and I'm happy I had the chance to have two of them in my room for 5 months. read more

free admission to one of the best college art museums in the nation -- need i say more? the selection of art on display is quite eclectic -- be prepared to travel several centuries and continents as you move from room to beautiful room -- and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. it's definitely worth the time to visit! read more

Don't let its size fool you. This small museum packs a big punch. Their collection of modern and contemporary works are excellent, and change with enough frequency to keep things interesting. People in-touch with the art world will likely recognize the works of many high-profile artists. They have a nicely-curated collection of antiquities and a beautiful hall of oil paintings. This museum is extremely accessible to people who are curious about art but may not be devotees yet. Small enough to have a thorough look at everything on display in a couple hours. Free to the public, and always worth the trip. read more

I love this museum. Interesting and totally free. If you are near, I would 100% recommend stopping by.

Fantastic collection in a wonderful space. Only 5 or 6 galleries, but one can see medieval tapestries, a great JMW Turner landscape of Venice, Eva Hesse sculptures, one of Joseph Cornell's miniature boxes, a Jan Steen painting, and many other wonderful things that I can't remember right now. read more