Donate to the Collections
In 1912, Ella W. Merriman Sharp donated her home, its contents, and land to the city of Jackson with the stipulation that it be incorporated into a Museum and park. That initial donation-the papers, objects, and structures-has been invaluable in giving Museum researchers insight into life in 19th century Jackson. Today the Ella Sharp Museum of Art & History collects visual art and the Jackson area's "past." Recent art acquisitions include the Andy & Sandy Andrews' collection of Wildlife Art and the Philip C. Curtis painting, Memorial. The Curtis piece now hangs in a Donors Lounge as the first installation of significant donations to the Museum's permanent art collection. The Andrews collection is housed in a new gallery and storage area dedicated to a very strong "core" collection of wildlife paintings, sculpture, and prints.
Telling the Jackson story is possible through the thousands of objects in the Museum's collection amassed over four decades and continuing today. The Jackson History Gallery is representative of the many objects in archival storage to be exhibited or researched in the future. Examples in the collection include advertising materials, corporate archives, family ephemera (documents, letters, and diaries), clothing and textiles from the mid-19th to mid 20th centuries, and Jackson-made products. The Museum is actively pursuing the collection of 20th and 21st century area history.
To learn more about donating art or history to the collection, contact the Museum at (517) 787-2320 or email Judy, Collections Manager at Judyh@ellasharp.org
the latest
The Ella is on the National Register of Historic Places, listed as a State of Michigan Landmark and accredited by the American Association of Museums.
