Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum

Visiting the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum

Visit and explore the diverse collections of art presented throughout Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s ever-changing exhibitions. Self-guided tours offer time for reflection, rejuvenation and independent exploration.

Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum Collection

The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum boasts over 5,000 works of art including paintings, drawings and field graphics, graphics, photographs and sculpture that celebrate birds from around the world. Additionally, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum houses a decorative arts collection comprised of over 125 Victorian glass baskets, early 20th century utilitarian and decorative glassware and porcelains, nearly 100 Royal Worcester porcelain bird figurines designed by Dorothy Doughty and a survey collection of historic and contemporary glass vessel forms and sculptural objects.

Exhibitions

The Museum features eight to ten diverse exhibitions throughout the year including exhibitions drawn from the Museum’s collection, focused on art of the natural world and its internationally renowned Birds in Art exhibit. In addition, the art museum hosts exhibits that feature diverse works of art from around the world.

Birds in Art

Since its beginnings, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum has hosted Birds in Art annually. This fall exhibit showcases the best in contemporary artistic interpretations of birds and related subject matter. You will see two and three dimensional works of art in all media, apart from crafts and photography, as you explore the exhibit.

Gardens and Grounds

The Museum’s art galleries are not the only place art abounds, the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum’s gardens and grounds feature sculptures around every twist and turn highlighted by scents, colors, forms and textures that change seasonally. Sculpture highlights include Deborah Butterfield’s Kua, Burt Brent’s The Heavyweight and Kent Ullberg’s whooping cranes made of bronze that stand as iconic sentinels at the garden’s entrance.

Margaret Woodson Fisher Sculpture Garden

The Margaret Woodson Fisher Sculpture Garden was created in 1995. Large and small scale sculptures dot the garden of manicured native grasses and heirloom flowers. The garden is a flexible space in which a range of outdoor activities take place.

Travel Tips

- Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum is ADA compliant. Wheelchairs are available for use.

- Videos throughout the Museum’s galleries expand on exhibition themes.

- Guest artists often visit Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum to offer in-depth presentations of varied mediums and processes. Visit the official Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum website to find out more about visiting artists.