75 Years of the CMA

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When the Columbia Museum of Art began 75 years ago, it did more than just open its doors.

It created opportunities, sparked conversations, broadened perspectives, and ignited moments of discovery through art. Over the years, we have expanded significantly, moving from the stately house on Senate Street to the iconic building on Main Street.

The CMA isn’t just a museum — it’s a dynamic hub where art comes alive, and everyone is invited to join the experience.

We owe our success to supporters like you. Your contributions provide the solid foundation we need to make bold advancements, to continue growing, and to serve our communities in diverse and inclusive ways. Seventy-five years is just the start. Thank you! We eagerly anticipate what we will achieve together next.

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View image for A Note from Executive Director Della Watkins

A Note from Executive Director Della Watkins

Dear Friends,

As we celebrate 75 years of art, inspiration, and community, I am reminded of how much we’ve achieved together. Your support has helped the Columbia Museum of Art become a space where creativity thrives and connections are made.

This milestone is not just about looking back — it’s about building the future. With your help, we can continue to inspire generations to come.

Join us in honoring this incredible legacy by making a gift today.

Give!

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Related Events

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Member Perspectives

Doug Quackenbush, Quackenbush Architects + Planners

As a founding member of the Columbia Design League, I’ve been coming to the museum since it was located on Taylor Street, but my relationship deepened after I began my business 21 years ago, just around the corner from where the museum sits today. Since then, downtown Columbia has evolved into something vibrant, and the museum has definitely played a role in that. Boyd Plaza is an amazing public amenity and serves as an anchor for the downtown area. The CMA is always punching above its weight, given how serious an institution it is for a city of our scale. We wanted to sponsor the museum for its 75^th anniversary because this institution has made great contributions to our city center and it’s a well-managed cultural resource that you want to be part of and you want to show support to.

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three executives from First Citizens Bank standing in the galleries

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Member Perspectives

Kevin Lindler, Area Executive, First Citizens Bank

At First Citizens Bank, we believe that strong communities are built on access to culture and shared experiences. We are proud to be a longtime supporter and serve as a sponsor of the museum’s 75th anniversary because it is a vital resource in Columbia that inspires creativity, sparks dialogue, and brings our community together. The museum’s impact aligns with our commitment to make meaningful, long-term investments in the communities we serve. We have a shared mission of building a future in Columbia where everyone has the opportunity to grow, connect and thrive.

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Member Perspectives

Bill Bodine, Former Chief Curator

"After more than 25 years, I am proud to continue my involvement with the museum as a member of the Collections Committee and a financial supporter of South Carolina’s world-class art museum."

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View image for Shayla Rae Merritt, Member

Member Perspectives

Shayla Rae Merritt, Member

"The CMA isn't just another building on Main Street. It's the heartbeat of downtown Columbia. Here, within these thoughtfully designed spaces, art becomes a universal language that brings people together from all walks of life."

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View image for Lauren Cooper, Member

Member Perspectives

Lauren Cooper, Member

"The CMA truly grows with you, making every phase of life meaningful and connected to art and culture. In my early professional days, I loved attending Contemporaries events, where I could unwind and meet new people in a fun setting. Now that I’m a working mom, I appreciate the museum’s family-friendly events."

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View image for Benjamin Gimarc, Former Board Member

Member Perspectives

Benjamin Gimarc, Former Board Member

"Going to museums became a way of life for us. When we moved to Columbia, it was even easier to visit the museum. We immediately became members, and were amazed by the large number of Italian and Dutch Renaissance paintings."

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Spann in the galleries with a microphone during a program

View image for Dalvin Spann, Artist

Member Perspectives

Dalvin Spann, Artist

"As a local artist, I’ve been able to have a 15 plus year relationship with the Columbia Museum of Art. I have the pleasure of being part of one the museum’s affinity groups, the Columbia Design League. My journey has truly been a great one and I look forward to future projects."

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Deonna Wylie talking with CMA Executive Director Della Watkins

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CMA in the News

Check out this special segment from American Dream TV celebrating the CMA’s 75th Anniversary! Filmed during the Main Street Anniversary Pop-In on July 18, 2025, host Deonna Wylie sits down with Executive Director Della Watkins and Senior Curator Michael Neumeister to discuss this milestone celebration, the lighting renovation project, and the reinstallation of the CMA Collection galleries.

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Timeline

1915: Founding the Art Association

A passionate group of community leaders, collectors, and artists form the Columbia Art Association. They hold events and exhibitions in private homes, local organizations, and City Council chambers. Building a museum for Columbia is the driving focus of the association.

1949: Making the CMA Official

Legislation promoted by Mayor Frank C. Owens and the City Council forms the Columbia Museum and Art Center Commission, the Thomas Taylor property is secured to house the museum, and John Richard Craft is appointed the first CMA executive director.

1950: Opening the New Columbia Museum of Art

The CMA opens to the public on March 23 on Senate Street and launches with a historical portrait exhibition from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., titled The Face of American History.

1954 and 1964: Securing the Kress Collection

The CMA secures two allocations of European masterworks from the 13^th to the 18^th centuries from the celebrated Samuel H. Kress Collection. With additional gifts through the 1970s, these 80 works serve as a catalyst for significant CMA Collection growth, which prioritizes the need for Taylor House renovations and gallery additions.

1964: Acquiring a Monet

Mary T. Chambers donates Claude Monet’s The Seine at Giverny (1897), significantly bolstering the CMA’s European collection. This work remains the number-one fan favorite of visitors to this day.

1986: Showcasing Richard Samuel Roberts

The CMA mounts the first exhibition dedicated to the work of now-renowned African American photographer Richard Samuel Roberts, created in partnership with the South Caroliniana Library at USC as part of their field archival program. The opening event for True Likeness: The Black South of Richard Samuel Roberts is so popular, lines to enter queue up around the block.

1998: Moving the CMA to Main Street

Recognizing the Taylor House facility was no longer serving the growth and scope of the CMA Collection, museum leadership secures support and vision from Columbia City and Richland County councils to build a premier arts destination in the Southeast. The CMA moves to its current location on Main Street, acting as a cultural anchor for the revitalization of the Main Street corridor. The adaptive reuse of a former Macy’s department store provides South Carolina with expansive gallery space for viewing significant international and American art. Over the July 18 opening weekend, more than 25,000 people explore their new CMA.

2009: Gaining Momentum and the Turner to Cézanne Exhibition

After a decade of significant audience growth and regional recognition, the CMA hits its stride, becoming the first stop in the prestigious international tour of Impressionist art from the Davies Collection, National Museum Wales. This exhibition breaks all audience and membership records to date for the CMA, putting the museum on the national radar.

2010: Installing the Chihuly Chandelier

On April 14, CMA affinity group The Contemporaries gifts the Dale Chihuly chandelier to the CMA Collection. Installed in the atrium and full of fiery color and movement, this beloved work serves as the museum’s most recognizable object and a favorite backdrop for all things Columbia.

2010: Debuting Arts and Draughts

Inviting people to enjoy art in a vibrant and social atmosphere with dynamic experiences is the hallmark of 21^st-century arts engagement. The CMA launches Arts & Draughts, an experimental music, beer, and art event. Fifteen years and over 50 art parties later, it’s a mainstay of the Columbia social and arts scene.

2016: Receiving the National Medal

The prestigious National Medal is the nation’s highest honor bestowed on museums and libraries for service to their communities. On June 1 in Washington, D.C., First Lady Michelle Obama presents the award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to Executive Director Karen Brosius on behalf of the CMA.

2018: Expanding the CMA

Driven by collection growth and deeper audience engagement, the CMA reopens on December 4 after an expansive renovation to provide more galleries, more studios, more spaces for programs, and a new entrance on Main Street. The CMA adopts five experience promises to our visitors, members, and communities: We promise to be inspiring, welcoming, community-centered, playful, and vibrant in everything that we do.

2019: Renovating Boyd Plaza

The newly renovated Boyd Plaza opens on March 7 as the premier gathering spot in the Main Street District with plenty of seating, shade, landscaping, and fountains that make for a relaxing place to rest during a busy day. This gift to the city from The Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Foundation Inc. is an outstanding opportunity to build community through arts and cultural activities.

2019: Mounting the Van Gogh Exhibition

Van Gogh and His Inspirations opens on October 4 as the most ambitious project in the museum’s history. Organized by the CMA, this exhibition pairs the work of one of the most beloved artists in the world with a variety of paintings and drawings that shaped his vision. South Carolina residents Steven Naifeh and Greg Smith built a collection of over 30 works by artists who influenced Van Gogh’s aesthetic thinking as they researched their New York Times bestseller Van Gogh: The Life. These works join loans from 12 museums across the U.S. to explore the artistic evolution of Van Gogh through the lens of the artists who inspired him. Bringing international recognition and acclaim, this landmark exhibition still holds the record for highest attendance at the CMA.

2023: Celebrating 50 Years of Catawba Culture

Working directly with and alongside the Catawba Nation, the CMA delivers Resurgence and Renaissance: Art of the Catawba Nation Since 1973, a 50-year anniversary exhibition that builds off the 1973 CMA exhibition of Catawba potters recognized as pillars of excellence in their craft. The citizens of the Catawba Nation continue to preserve their heritage through artistic traditions and innovation. The exhibition includes some of the finest Catawba makers over the last half century, including many practicing today.

2024: Delivering Access for All

On May 24, the CMA ushers in a new era of access with Free Summer at the CMA, offering all residents of South Carolina free general admission to the museum from Memorial Day to Labor Day thanks to a transformative three-year grant from the Art Bridges Foundation. The results exceed expectations as the museum welcomes more than double the number of visitors year over year, and 55% of visitors surveyed had never visited the CMA before. (And this is only the beginning!)

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young students on a field trip in the galleries

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Staff Perspectives

What We Can't Wait For

Growing up in a small town hours away from any art museum it was always a rare treat when my class took a trip to visit a museum. Now, living in Columbia, I have the privilege of working in an art museum where students from all over the state visit for that very same experience - and I get to be on the other side of that, finding ways for audiences to access art in new and interesting ways. And now as a new father I have the chance to look at that role through a new lens, looking for the simple pleasures that interacting with art can bring us. I look forward to continuing my work as a museum staffer as we welcome new exciting exhibitions and a freshly reinstalled Collection, and to giving my son the regular access to art that I enjoyed in person so rarely as a child.

— Wilson, Education and Engagement

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Staff Perspectives

What We Can't Wait For

While I have been visiting the CMA since I moved to Columbia over a decade ago, in the past few years, I have been fortunate to see the museum in a new way: through the eyes of my now 3-year-old daughter. When she was an infant, we enjoyed taking her through exhibitions in her stroller and seeing which pieces caught her eye. Now, we love playing in the Cross Hatch together and making up our own scavenger hunts, like finding every dog depiction in the galleries — there are more than you might think! Our experience continues to evolve as she grows, and I’m excited to continue to keep art in her life through summer camps, art classes, and regular visits to the CMA in the future.

— Lauren, Development

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Staff Perspectives

What We Can't Wait For

I grew up in the suburbs of DC, and once I had that driver’s license, I headed up to the Smithsonian pretty much every weekend of the summer months. Having that place to linger as a teen, where I could soak up art and be welcomed to spend time without spending money, it was life-changing.

I’ve been working at this museum for fifteen years now, and throughout that time I’ve loved seeing our growth into a more and more accessible place. Last year when we were able to launch free summers, that felt like the ultimate win to me. I’m thrilled we’ll be able to offer that again, and I can’t wait to see all the ways we continue to make this museum more accessible. I think back on what my art museum did for me when I was young, and I can't wait for our museum to do that for as many people as possible now.

— Jessica, Communications

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Staff Perspectives

What We Can't Wait For

I moved to Columbia in 1998, the same year that the museum moved to Main Street. I don’t recall a pivotal first visit, I feel like the museum has always been a part of my life in Columbia. From visiting for assignments in college, to attending Arts & Draughts with friends, visiting with family to see the latest exhibitions, my daughter growing up going to camps and workshops, and now working here. It’s really come full circle.

I'm excited to welcome both new and familiar faces to the CMA as we grow and learn together. Each individual's diverse perspectives and experiences enrich our journey and build deeper connections within our community.

— Erica, Visitor Experience

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A docent telling stories on stage while surrounded by children

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Staff Perspectives

What We Can't Wait For

As we celebrate 75 years of the Columbia Museum of Art, I’m excited to see how our affinity groups — the Columbia Design League, the Contemporaries, and Friends of African American Art & Culture — will continue shaping our future. These groups bring new audiences and fresh perspectives into the museum, fostering deeper connections and making the CMA a true hub for creativity, collaboration, and community. Their partnership with the museum ensures that our next 75 years will be even more inspiring, inclusive, and impactful.

— Kaity, Learning and Engagement

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visitors looking at the Chihuly chandelier

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Staff Perspectives

What We Can't Wait For

I am looking forward to a reimagined collection and wonderful exhibitions that will ignite curiosity, inspire, spark wonder, and leave a lasting impression in every visitor. I am excited to see how we connect vibrant programming to the art on view in a warm, inclusive atmosphere, where we continue to build a place where community thrives, creativity flourishes, and everyone feels at home.

— Katie, Visitor Experience

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Countdown to the Collection

For the CMA's 75th anniversary, the curatorial team is transforming the collection galleries, set to reopen in January of 2026. See a preview of what's coming each month as we countdown to the collection!

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10 Water Jar

This remarkable earthenware jar has a special connection to the CMA — it was crafted by famed Nigerian potter Ladi Kwali here in Columbia during her demonstration tour in spring 1972. Kwali was one of, if not the, most celebrated African potters of the 20th century. Her jar is a true standout at the museum as the only work by an African artist in the CMA Collection.

During her tours, Kwali worked her vessels by hand using the traditional Gwari coiling and pinching methods she learned as a child. An article in the Columbia Record (April 7, 1972) describes the few tools she used to make the jar, in just two hours in the courtyard in front of the museum: “a gourd, string, leather, a knife made from palm to draw the intricate designs.”

Ladi Kwali (Nigerian, 1925–1984)
Water Jar, 1972
Earthenware
Gift of Ron and Hester Meyers, CMA 2010.12

9 Roses in a Green Vase

Charles Ethan Porter’s Roses in a Green Vase is just one example of the many still life paintings in the CMA Collection across all four collecting areas. Porter is the first known professional Black still life painter. He was celebrated in his town of Hartford, Connecticut, for his skillful rendering of fruit and flowers, a talent he’d honed through years of training in New York and Paris. His sustained interest in and practice of still life may have been linked to its marketability and his desire to demonstrate that Black artists, working within the conventions of academic Western art, were just as capable as their white counterparts. In that case, Roses takes on new resonance beyond its simple beauty as a vehicle for racial agency in Porter’s time.

Charles Ethan Porter (American, 1847–1923)
Roses in a Green Vase, c. 1885–1890
Oil on canvas
Museum purchase, CMA 2015.3

8 The Jump

Acquisitioned in 1975, The Jump has not yet been on public view at the Columbia Museum of Art. Similarly, the artist goes relatively unknown despite a successful career spanning the mid-20th century. Marguerite Stix started her career in Vienna, Austria, where she grew up. As a young artist, she worked alongside some of the country’s most acclaimed artists including Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. She fled the Nazis in 1938, losing her family in the process. Stix sought refuge in Paris, and it was there that her work caught the eye of fashion houses like Schiaparelli and Balenciaga. Soon after she immigrated to New York, where she found great success making and selling jewelry, with clients including Jackie Kennedy Onassis and retailers including Cartier. In her later years, Stix concentrated on working in bronze; The Jump reflects this mature period.

Marguerite Stix (American, 1907–1975)
The Jump, c. 1950-1960s
Bronze
Gift of Bernhardt Crystal

7 Inner, Outer

Inner, Outer is a breathtakingly vibrant painting by Columbia-born artist Osamu Kobayashi. He creates his sweeping abstractions by first planning and drawing out how the brushstrokes should appear. To construct the wide paint brushes he uses to create his expansive shapes, he secures several utility brushes together into a strip with molding and screws. The act of painting is a physical one that involves moving his whole body to control the brushes. The result is a canvas saturated in color and a form that feels both familiar and unknowable.

Osamu Kobayashi (American, born 1984)
Inner, Outer, 2023
Oil on canvas
Museum purchase, CMA 2024.1

6 Pair of Batacchi (doorknockers) with Nude Females

Of the more than 7,000 works of art in the CMA Collection, nearly 3,000 are classified as decorative arts. Designed with an emphasis on both visual appeal and practical use, these objects are as functional as they are beautiful. The decorative arts collection at the CMA encompasses a wide range of objects, from furniture pieces like chairs and armoires to glassware and even the doorknockers featured here.

This pair of 16th-century bronze doorknockers was created by Tiziano Aspetti, who belonged to the second generation of sculptors working in the maniera or Mannerist style in Venice. Mannerist artists emphasized flair and finesse over realistic depiction, creating figures with exaggerated poses, elongated proportions, and complex compositions with a heightened sense of artificiality. Some of these characteristics are evident in these doorknockers, which depict the birth of Venus.

Tiziano Aspetti (Italian, c. 1559–1606)
Pair of Batacchi (doorknockers) with Nude Females, c. 1595–1600
Cast bronze with medium brown patination
Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, CMA 1963.47

5 Joseph Presenting His Father and Brothers to the Pharaoh

This early-career painting demonstrates Francois Boucher's ambition to become a history painter, the highest honor in the French Academy — and one he would achieve in 1731. The subject is drawn from Genesis, the first book of both the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. The artist’s free, painterly brushstrokes and gentle coloring are reminiscent of Venetian painting; they also foreshadow the Rococo style for which he would become best known.

This piece is part of a significant gift of 80 works of art donated to the museum from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. That transformative contribution laid the groundwork for the CMA’s evolution into an international art museum, establishing European art as one of its four main collecting areas. This particular work arrived in the second wave of gifts from the foundation in 1962, alongside other iconic pieces in the CMA Collection such as Guido Cagnacci’s David Holding Goliath’s Head and Jacopo Tintoretto’s A Gentleman of the Emo Family.

Francois Boucher (French, 1703–1770)
Joseph Presenting His Father and Brothers to the Pharaoh, c. 1723
Oil on canvas
Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, CMA 1962.23

4 Target

Speaking of curatorial team, did you know that iconic American painter Jasper Johns helped with exhibitions at the Columbia Museum of Art as a young man? While stationed at Fort Jackson in 1951 — just five miles from the museum’s former home, the Taylor House — Johns worked with director John Richard Craft to curate the Jackson Gallery, a dedicated space showcasing artwork by members of the armed forces. It was the first museum gallery of its kind in the nation, and Johns even contributed works for some exhibitions on view there. Two years later, he lent the museum a collection of Japanese art he had gathered during his overseas service.

Over the decades, Johns has remained a generous supporter of the CMA, gifting major works by fellow influential postwar artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Josef Albers, Roy Lichtenstein, Ellsworth Kelly, Andy Warhol, and of course, by Johns himself. Many of these extraordinary works were brought together in the 2018 exhibition Midcentury Masters: Jasper Johns’ Gifts to the CMA.

Target, Johns’ very first published print, is an example of the artist’s inquisitive approach to the medium, questioning its status as strictly representational. Sporadic mark-making and smudging obscure the subject, creating a sense of movement and unease that contradicts the typical stillness of a target. It also resembles an eye, returning the viewer’s gaze, a subtle reminder of the relationship between art and its beholder.

Jasper Johns
Target, 1960
Lithograph
Bequest of Dr. Robert D. Ochs, 2005.6.20

3 Untitled Landscape

Landscapes are an enduring subject matter in art. For millennia, artists have looked to the world around them for inspiration, contributing their own perspectives and influences to this timeless genre. The CMA Collection reflects this rich tradition across all four of its collecting pillars — Asian, European, American, and Modern and Contemporary. From the meticulous elegance of Ming dynasty scrollwork, to the idealized vistas of the Hudson River School, to the shimmering impressions of Claude Monet, or even quiet and atmospheric scenes such as this example by Charles Warren Eaton, each landscape offers a unique interpretation of nature’s enduring beauty.

Eaton was deeply influenced by the Tonalist movement, which sought to convey the emotional resonance of natural scenes through color and composition. In this work, the soft hues and balanced structure of the scene offer a gentle reflection of nature’s quiet elegance. His use of soft light creates a powerful mood of tranquil reflection, where nature and the human spirit seem to harmonize.

Charles Warren Eaton (American 1857–1937)
Untitled, 1922
Oil on Canvas
CMA 2002.12

Tang dynasty (618–907) Neighing Caparisoned Horse

2 Neighing Caparisoned Horse

The CMA’s collection of Asian art covers a broad historical span, with objects dating as far back as the Neolithic period. Holdings are particularly strong in art from the Tang dynasty (618–907), a period when China served as a vibrant economic and political center that fostered a cosmopolitan, global culture. As such, many of the objects reflect a dynamic synthesis of cross-cultural influences as they disseminated across the ancient Silk Roads.

Horses were prized in China not only for their nobility and prowess in war, but also because they were believed to be imbued with supernatural qualities. During the Han through Tang dynasties, military expansionism to the far western regions was spurred by the quest for heavenly horses called “blood sweating” horses, which were associated with dragons. The harness on this horse is decorated with elaborate ornaments called xingye (apricot leaf). The use and style of these ornaments originate in earlier royal Persian tombs and Sasanian metalwork luxury goods, while in China they were produced as bronze ornaments for the leather harnesses of horses ridden by the Tang royal court.

China
Tang dynasty (618–907)
Neighing Caparisoned Horse
Glazed ceramic
Gift of Robert Y. Turner in memory of M. W. Doty
CMA 2003.10.16

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Lighting Renovation Project

CMA Collection galleries are temporarily closed for a lighting update project. We are still open for the exhibition Keith Haring: Radiant Vision, plus events and rentals. Learn more about the project here.

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Support the CMA

Your anniversary gift is crucial in supporting the CMA’s mission to spark powerful connections through art from around the corner and around the world.

With your donation, you help us preserve and care for cherished artworks that tell our stories and expand our perspectives. Your support also enables us to make these pieces more accessible to a wider audience. We have exciting plans to welcome and inspire everyone who visits your beloved international art museum, and we need your help to make it happen.

Be a part of our journey and help us continue to grow and serve our community in enriching ways.

Give!