This art museum just east of downtown Salem has a wonderful permanent collection of outstanding art by Northwest artists, as well as excellent temporary exhibits. Admission is FREE on Tuesdays.

The Hallie Ford Museum just east of downtown on State St. is a treasure trove of Northwest art. Don't miss the current exhibit, "Manuel Izquierdo: Myth, Nature, and Renewal" The downstairs exhibit of sculpture & prints ends Mar. 24; the upstairs exhibit of prints & small sculptures ends Feb. 10. Admission is free Tuesdays!

This is definitely worth a visit. The museum is quite comfortable and has a variety of permanent collections, although small, the collections are excellent. There are also a number of exhibition halls that change regularly. I was there during the Family Holdings exhibition of nomadic material culture - weavings that displayed a brilliance of color and design.

The museum is small by most standards but it makes up with quality and a great variety of art. It is one of the best museums we have seen. It is amazing how the time flew while we were in the museum.

The Willamette U campus is lovely, and this Museum adds to the quality with its architectural aplomb. The art shown is exciting and changes often.

From the exterior this looks like a small little museum that would take only a few minutes to tour. Wrong! It is quite large. The lobby is an open and airy welcoming. The artifacts are varied and interesting. Instead of a few minutes of your time plan on a few hours to be amazed at all there is to see.

I went to see a specific artist they were displaying, but was impressed with quality of other art they had as well. Free admission on Tuesdays too.

This small art museum, affiliated with and located on one corner of the Willamette University campus, on the edge of downtown Salem, is a real gem. It is small enough to be manageable, yet filled with several collections of merit. Admission fee is very modest. Campus and on-street parking is available at no charge.

Who knew there was such a great little art museum is downtown Salem. This museum contains a couple of wonderful exhibits of ancient art from China, Egypt, Africa and another dealing with Native American art. In addition they have a gallery displaying comtemporary art from NW artists and another rotating show currently highlighting Portland artist Henk Pander. All this for... More