Taubman Museum of Art

The Taubman Museum of Art, formerly the Art Museum of Western Virginia, is an art museum in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, United States. Formally established in 1951, the museum was housed in several locations around Roanoke before moving in 2008 to its current home, a contemporary architecture building designed by Randall Stout. The museum specializes in American art, and provides free general admission daily. History In 1947, the Roanoke chapter of the American Association of University Women requested a major exhibition from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts , which moved part of its staff and permanent collection to the Hotel Roanoke for a period of time. In 1951, the Roanoke Fine Arts Center was incorporated as an independent organization. The institution used the City of Roanoke's main library for exhibitions during the early 1950s. The center rented a building on Franklin Road in 1954, and in 1955, moved into a new facility at the corner of 25th Street.