About
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Crary Art Gallery was established in 1977 as a nonprofit art museum by painter Genevieve Walker Crary in memory of her husband, the industrialist, philanthropist, and accomplished photographer Clare Crary. Today, the Crary Art Gallery is dedicated to enriching the region's cultural offerings through noteworthy temporary exhibitions, and the display of historical works. The Permanent Collection includes early and mid 20th-century paintings and prints, Japanese prints, and photographs by Edward S. Curtis. The gallery also owns an extensive inventory of Gene and Clare's own paintings and photographs, some of which are always on display at the gallery. A collection of several Marion Sanford sculptures is on long-term loan from the Warren County Historical Society. The facility may be rented for weddings and private meetings or functions.
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BACKGROUND
From 1900 to 1937, a very different structure stood on the site where the Crary Art Gallery now stands. The residence of Jerry and Laura Dunham Crary, built in 1902, was one of Warren's largest manors. It boasted an Italian Renaissance style, featuring a broad front porch facing Market Street and a portico on its north face. Today, only the carriage house to the west of the gallery on Sixth Avenue remains from that era.
The current structure, erected in 1962 as the Stuart J. Myers family home, is a modern building inspired by the layout of a Roman villa. In the early 1970s, photographer Clare J. Crary and his painter wife, Genevieve (Gene) Alden Walker Crary, purchased the Myers home with the intention of turning it into an art gallery. Sadly, Clare passed away in 1975 before their vision could be realized. However, Gene persevered and opened the Crary Art Gallery two years later, inaugurating it with a memorial exhibition of her husband's photographs.
Following Gene's death in 1988, the Board of Directors expanded the gallery's scope, opening new spaces within the building: the Oriental Room, the Crary-Dunham Room, and the Fountain Room. The gallery continued to evolve, and in 1997, after hosting a series of guest artist exhibitions, it underwent further transformation. The northeast walled garden was converted into the Sculpture Court with the addition of a glass ceiling.
The gallery's grand reopening in 2000 showcased works by sculptor Marion Sanford, Gene's close friend and fellow Pratt Institute alumna. These pieces remain at the gallery on extended loan from the Warren County Historical Society and Warren General Hospital. Today, visitors can enjoy not only these sculptures and the permanent collection—which includes photographs by Clare Crary and Edward S. Curtis, paintings by Gene Walker Crary, and various collected artworks—but also temporary exhibitions by contemporary artists, curated to educate and delight the community.
