General Information

Dedicated in 1990, the recently built Castellani Art Museum has had immediate impact on the Niagara University Community and the Western New York region as an important cultural and educational resource.

Visitors to the Museum will find a diverse and challenging permanent collection of over 5,000 artworks.

As the newly appointed director of the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University, I offer my deeply felt thanks to our members. A vibrant and growing membership is the life force of any dynamic museum. Please join us for our upcoming exhibitions and bring your friends as well! My vision for the museum includes a greater emphasis on exhibitions drawn from, or inspired by, our superb collection of modern and contemporary art. In the coming years, expect to see exhibitions focusing on printmaking, photography, women artists, and thematic explorations of the ongoing impact of art from the 1970s and 80s. Many of these exhibitions will travel to additional venues, especially university galleries and museums, calling attention to the wonderful resource the CAM has in its permanent collection. Simultaneously, we plan to nurture increased educational collaborations with Niagara University faculty and students. Our founder often said that he wanted the Castellani to be known as “the education museum.” Every exhibition will now be complemented by a wide variety of programming including artist lectures and demonstrations, films, performances and workshops. Self-guided inter-actives connected to the permanent collection will engage audiences in their own explorations of art. Jackie Kennedy Onassis, commenting on her fight to preserve New York’s magnificent Grand Central Station, said that everyone should be able to walk into, and enjoy, places of great beauty and artistic presence. Like her, I believe that such places energize our senses and expand our vision of the world. The Castellani, an architectural gem in its own right, is the only museum in the Greater Niagara region with a permanent art collection. Guided by Armand Castellani’s dream—and with tremendous support from Niagara University— we continue to offer free admission. With help from our members, volunteers, generous donors, advisory council and talented staff, I envision our museum fulfilling its destiny as a major cultural attraction and educational resource—a true gift to the region and beyond.