South Bend Museum of Art

Museums, Historical Sites, and ZoosUnited States11-50 Employees

Founded in 1947, the South Bend Museum of Art is the premier cultural destination for the community, providing insight into the art, history and culture of the region. SBMA celebrates 75 years in 2022, with a new outlook for growth, and a refreshed vision for the future.

Conceived by a local teacher, Carlotta Banta in her bequest to the city, the South Bend Art Association was created through efforts of local leaders and originally established in the carriage house of the Studebaker mansion. The founding collection of works by Indiana artists was donated by Mr. and Mrs. E. M. Morris. In the early 1970s, the museum, the city, and the arts council combined efforts to create the new Century Center on the banks of the St. Joseph River in downtown South Bend. SBMA occupies 6000 square feet on three levels in the northern wing of the building. The reinvisioned SBMA was accredited in 1987 by the American Alliance of Museums; that accreditation was renewed in 1999 and 2011.


SBMA is a world-class arts institution with deep roots in the community through exhibitions, programs, and studio arts classes. The brand identity tagline of See, Belong, Make, Art (SBMA) reinforces the museum’s commitment to displaying and creating art with inclusiveness and accessibility as cornerstones of its work.
The collection is rich in regional art, from the nineteenth century to the present, and has long engaged with contemporary artists from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri. The museum puts on several major exhibitions every year. SBMA has fostered generations of emerging and established artists of all ages in it's art studios for ceramic, weaving, painting, photography and more.

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