The Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art is an independent, non-profit art museum located in Shawnee, OK. It is affiliated with St. Gregory's Abbey

St. Gregory's Abbey (Oklahoma)

St. Gregory's Abbey is a Roman Catholic monastery of the American-Cassinese Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The monastery, founded by monks of the French monastery of Notre Dame de la Pierre-qui-Vire in 1876, was originally located in present day Konawa, Oklahoma and called Sacred...

. It is on the campus of St. Gregory's University

St. Gregory's University

St. Gregory's University is a private, co-educational Catholic liberal arts university. It is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It has its main campus in Shawnee, and an additional campus in Tulsa.-History:St...

. The museum works under the belief that art enriches individual lives and enhances the entire community.

History

It was founded in 1914, and is one of the oldest museums in Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

. The museum is named for Fr. Gregory Gerrer

Gregory Gerrer

Rev. Gregory Gerrer, OSB was a Benedictine Priest at Sacred Heart Abbey , artist, art historian and museum founder.-Art Career:...

, a Benedictine

Benedictine

Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...

 monk, who was an art collector, from whose collection the museum grew. During his travels in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 and South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, he acquired artifacts of artistic and cultural importance to exhibit in Oklahoma. In 1919, the collection was moved to St. Gregory's College.

Collection

The collection contains artifacts from Ancient Egypt, Mesoamerica, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome and China, medieval period and later religious art, and works by painters such as Jean-Léon Gérôme

Jean-Léon Gérôme

Jean-Léon Gérôme was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as Academicism. The range of his oeuvre included historical painting, Greek mythology, Orientalism, portraits and other subjects, bringing the Academic painting tradition to an artistic climax.-Life:Jean-Léon Gérôme was born...

 and Bouguereau. The current museum building opened in 1979.

External links

• Museum website
• Mabee-Gerrer Museum information, photos and video TravelOK.com Official travel and tourism website for the State of Oklahoma