Permanent Collection

The permanent collections of Lakeview Museum of Arts & Sciences include many works by nationally and internationally known artists and examples of the earth sciences. The first donations of archaeological and geological specimens were accepted in 1964 and the collections have continued to grow through donation, purchase and bequest, numbering over 16,000 works and items at this time.

The Museum collects objects and works of art that by themselves are of historic or contemporary significance or are by artists of historic or contemporary significance. The collection focuses on material made in the United States and Europe, with an emphasis on works from Illinois and the Midwest region. The collection represents the Museum’s legacy for the future; it forms the foundation for the Museum’s role in the community as a center for the study and appreciation of art and science.

Lakeview Museum’s collections fall into five categories:

• Fine Arts (paintings, sculptures, works on paper)
• Decorative Arts (furniture, ceramics, metal, glass, textiles)
• Folk Art (paintings, sculptures, graphics, decorative arts, etc.)
• Ethnographic Arts (Native American, African, Oceanic, Asian)
• Natural Sciences (mineralogy, geology, entomology, conchology)

One gallery of the Museum is devoted to the rotating displays of works from the Museum’s permanent collection, and examples of Illinois River wildfowl decoys as well as a selection of Illinois Jacquard coverlets are always on view. Due to space limitations, not all works from the permanent collections are on display at any given time, so if you are interested in viewing a particular collection, please call ahead to confirm what will be on view at the time of your visit.