Mission & History
In its historic, 27-acre campus in suburban Philadelphia, Abington Art Center is dedicated to providing opportunities for its many audiences to experience, appreciate and participate in the arts at whatever level they choose. From preschool to lifelong learners, casual observers to art enthusiasts, AAC engages visitors, artists and students with its sculpture park and gallery exhibitions of today’s artists, studio art classes, and public programs.
A Community Tradition for 70 Years
Abington Art Center originated as the Old York Road Art Guild. The Guild was founded in 1939 by a group of visionary women who believed in the “benefit of cultural enrichment for individual and community life to be derived from creative artistic expression.” In 1965, the Guild’s educational programs were incorporated as a separate non-profit under the name “Abington Art Center.” Several years later, on Christmas Day 1969, respected rare book and print collector, Lessing J. Rosenwald and his wife Edith, donated their elegant estate, Alverthorpe Manor to the Township of Abington as a cultural and recreational gathering place for the community. Guild members had supported acceptance of the gift which offered the opportunity to expand their program of studio art instruction and exhibitions at the Manor.
Soon after moving to Alverthorpe Manor, the organization made the transition to a professionally managed institution with its first paid director and the Guild was disbanded. In 1981, when the Rosenwald Collection was moved to the Library of Congress and National Gallery in Washington, D. C., the Art Center was able to expand into the former gallery wing of the Manor, doubling its instruction space and enrollment. Since then, the Art Center has continued to grow, establishing a nationally recognized Sculpture Garden in 1990, strengthening its exhibition programs and resources, and enlarging its community outreach efforts. In 1996, the Art Center acquired more space within the building and began a major multi-phase renovation project designed to complete the transformation of Alverthorpe Manor from a private residence into a cultural “campus” for the entire community.
