Established in the late 1930s, the focus of CMA’s Collection is American works on paper from the 19th century forward, with an emphasis on watercolors, and American ceramics from the 1950s through today. 

The Collection includes American masters of watercolor such as Andrew Wyeth, Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, Alice Schille, and Charles Burchfield, in addition to important oils, prints, drawings, and other works by Andy Warhol, Clyde Singer, M.C. Escher, Julian Stanczak, and Roy Lichtenstein, among others. Periods represented range from Impressionism and Realism to American Regionalism, Abstract Expressionism, Contemporary, and more.

Artists such as Viktor Schreckengost, Toshiko Takaezu, Peter Voulkos, Richard Shaw, and Viola Frey are important figures in the Museum’s ceramic holdings. Reflecting the Ohio region’s richness in ceramics, including the influence of Cleveland School artists and Cowan Pottery, CMA’s Collection provides exciting opportunities for discovery. 

With thousands of pieces by outstanding, distinguished artists in watercolors and ceramics, the Museum’s Collection ranks as one of the finest in Ohio. Though it is not possible to display our entire collection at one time, we do rotate what is on exhibit from our collection every 3-6 months. You can see what is currently on display from our collection by clicking on the "Currently on Display" thumbnail below, under "Featured Galleries." In addition to exhibits each year at CMA, works from the Collection are included in touring exhibitions across the United States, as well as on loan to other museums and institutions.

New works to our collection are added through the Collections Management Committee from gifts or purchases from the Museum’s acquisition funds, which are restricted solely for the purchase and direct care of art. CMA’s Collection is consistently updated and available online by clicking any of the selections below.

(Header image: White Houses (detail), 1916. Alice Schille (American: 1869 – 1955). Watercolor on paper, 17 ½ x 20 ½ in. Canton Museum of Art Collection. From James C. & Barbara J. Koppe Collection. Number: 86.15.)