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American Visionary Art Museum
Category: Arts & Entertainment Museums Museums [Edit]
800 Key HwyBaltimore, MD 21230
Neighborhood: Federal Hill
(410) 244-1900
- Hours:
Tue-Sun 10 am - 6 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
116 reviews for American Visionary Art Museum
Review Highlights
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"A must see for visitors and locals alike." In 8 reviews -
"almost like the mind of one of the featured artists." In 27 reviews -
"The artists are self-taught, but it is distinct from folk..." In 6 reviews
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116 reviews in English
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Review from Christa R.
Bel Air, MD
5/5/2012
This is a must see for locals and travelers. It's my favorite museum in Baltimore and it showcases outsider art. They always have unique and off beat exhibits. Since the first time I went there a few years ago, I've seen pretty much every one. The art is amazing and much different from what you see in a traditional museum. Absolutely worth it! Every time I visit, I like to read all of the descriptions for every artist and piece of art work. I would suggest going during the week to avoid crowds as the museum is really busy on the weekends. It's much better to walk through and look at without lots of noisy children and people talking loudly.
I would not necessarily recommend this museum for kids. Even though, it is interesting to look at, I would not personally take any kids to it until they were at least in high school because older kids appreciate the art work a little more.
The gift shop is the coolest museum gift shop ever! I always spend so much money when I go there.
This museum is absolutely a must-see for anyone who likes offbeat and outsider art or just wants something different to do in Baltimore. -
Review from Kate T.
Baltimore, MD
4/25/2012
SO cool. Most definitely my favorite museum in Baltimore.
They have insanely cool art. For example, they have sculptures made of Styrofoam cups and a selection of awesome crop circle photos. Some of the art is from people at Mount Sinai's Hospital that use art to help cope with their mental disorders. One of my favorite pieces in the whole musuem was this: http://www.youtube.com.... It was absolutely amazing. All the art in the museum is made by self-taught artists- which makes it even cooler.
They also have 3-D glasses to wear around the museum; you can look at the pieces with a lot of red and it looks three dimensional. The docents were super awesome and helped me see all the awesome features and told me which pieces of art looked the best with the 3-D glasses. It also utilized every space; there was art on the stairs (crop circle art). There was even art near the bathroom stalls about farts.
Definitely suggest checking it out. It costs quite a bit, but there are Groupons frequently which cut the price in half. -
Review from Jenna M.
3/5/2012
While visiting Baltimore for a conference, it was strongly suggested that we check out the American Visionary Art Museum if we had any spare time. Thankfully, the museum was just a fifteen-minute walk from our hotel, so we squeezed in a visit to the museum on a Friday afternoon. I am so glad we did; this place is a gem.
Housed in three buildings near Baltimore's inner harbor, the AVAM looks a little bit like a garage sale exploded. There are sculptures from bottle caps and paper cups, structures built out of thousands of toothpicks, recycled glass mosaics, postcards, a, 1800lb ball made entirely of bras, art cars, and so many other quirky, fantastic exhibits -- and we only made it to one of the three buildings. I found myself completely overwhelmed by the expanse of the museum and wishing I had way more time to explore this amazing place.
The price of admission is about $15 for adults (not sure if there are discounts for students or seniors), and the museum store is stocked with all kinds of quirky treasures. There's also a museum cafe. I get the impression that lots of people come to Baltimore's harbor for business or conferences and then never leave their hotels, so I hope hope hope that people will brave the sidewalks and take a stroll to the AVAM. It's easily the highlight of my trip. -
Review from Jason A.
Fairfax, VA
5/17/2012
Right now....stop what you are doing...get in your car and visit this totally cool place. Who knew Baltimore was an oasis of art museums?! We sure didn't...tell all your friends....
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Review from C K.
Baltimore, MD
5/18/2012
AVAM continues to keep Baltimore weird (in the best sense, of course)! Great place to show off your hometown love. Don't forget to check out their yearly Kinetic Sculpture Race (kineticbaltimore dot com)!
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Review from Bonnie O.
Baltimore, MD
4/17/2012
The AVAM pretty much encapsulates what's charming about Charm City. It's quirky, unexpected, fun and thought provoking. From the moment you see the mosaic mirrored building and all the sculptures and art that surround the AVAM, you just have to go inside. It's a great place for kids or adults, and on my first visit there, I got a peek at the setup for a beautiful wedding in their events space. The location is convenient to a stroll around the inner harbor and up Federal Hill. When I was first thinking about moving to Baltimore, I came to the AVAM and it was one of the things that sold me.
Listed in: At Home in Baltimore
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Review from Nina U.
2/27/2012 2 Check-ins Here
The AVAM is my type of museum! I knew this from the moment I walked up and before I ever stepped inside. There's a little wooden playhouse outside with neat animals like a pig ready to attack and play and a tall skinny giraffe ready to pose with you. There's a creepy hand sticking out the side of the building that's pinching poisonous power or at least that's what I imagine, along with the shimmery tree along the road and the short bus covered in recycled glass and collectables. It's super artsy and it was all I could do not to get sucked into the gift shop before exploring the museum.
If you see a Groupon deal, snatch it right up! It's about 50% off the regular price and a great day outing. Street parking was easy and you'll need at least 3 hours especially if you're going to enjoy a bite to eat in their fun restaurant. I want to take some of the artwork in the hallway home and definitely wanted to push ping pong balls down the toothpick display maze that was featured on TV. Too bad we weren't allowed to touch. All of the little things kept my eyes busy like the bottle caps strung under the railings and I had to stop to take in the different artwork. I love the crop circle art and Pez dispenser collection, the faces cut out of Styrofoam cups and all the fantastic art in the third building. Don't skip it!Listed in: Love me some Fed Hill (Bmore,…, Baltimore MD
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Review from Anita W.
4/5/2012
I took a 3.5 year old and an almost-7 year old to this museum with my husband and his mom. It was a little hard for the 3 year old to understand the don't touch rule, but they both loved it. There are a few touchable exhibits - Fart Art in the basement of the main building and the art machine toys in the 3rd building. Photos are only allowed outside, which was a bummer. The gift shop was fantastic! Offbeat jewelry (some fit for a drag queen), books, and tons of cheap kid's trinkets. I think we spent an hour in the gift shop alone.
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Review from Linda W.
Kimber and I had been looking forward to visiting the American Visionary Arts Museum (AVAM) for a couple of years. Each year we visited, something else came up. This year, we finally made it! Well, except last year AVAM came to us on our visit. What? Yep, we'd been waiting for quite a long time for a Water Taxi that never came to head across the water from our hotel to AVAM. We gave up, headed back to the hotel and we saw what we thought was a big pink poodle driving down the street? What? So we walked towards what we thought was a mirage.
Lo and behold, there was a parade of oddly intriguingly whimsical floats traveling the street ahead of us. We saw an elephant - HUGE, baby carriage complete with bonnet-ed, diapered "babies" pedaling the carriage, colorful canoes on bicycles, a long green, sinewy caterpillar with a giant head and a loopy grin, clowns, giant killer fish - also on bicycles...somehow we had stumbled into the middle of the annual AVAM Kinetic Sculpture Race! See...AVAM DID come to us!
What is the race? Massive kinetic sculptures that traverse land, sea, mud and cobblestone streets and spreads joy all along the route to the harbor. So much fun! Check out the AVAM website to see when it will happen in 2012 and get there!
So what about the museum? Several floors of fascinating art - like I said, it is fun! Yes, some do require some standing and pondering and some is laugh-out-loud funny! Tiny, intricate pieces of styrofoam cups cut into imaginative portraiture, vacuum cleaner parts assembled into space ships and robots, massive metal sculptures, toothpick and wooden ruler thrones and crowns and ships, mandalas, 3-D art and a gift shop that is an absolute hoot! If the hunger pangs kick in? Check out Mr. Rain's Funhouse for cuisine that matches the creativity of the museum.
And don't miss the sculpture garden. Oh! And the Kinetic sculpture race? Check out some of the floats in one of the buildings along with a car encrusted with cobalt glass and kinetic sculpture toys you can actually operate and other curious art - including the local folk art of screen art. Not what you think...don't miss it..
Go. Have fun! Enjoy the art! -
Review from Andrew R.
Baldwin, MD
2/17/2012 5 Check-ins Here
This is one of those places that makes you proud to be from Baltimore.
It is so much fun. When we have out-of-town guests, this is stop #1 before Fort McHenry.
See if you can find the one, none metal item in the stair case.
Do not miss the gift shop.
Don't forget to check out the other buildings and outside art.
You can get a scavenger hunt map at the front desk for added fun.
Mr. Rain's Fun House has wicked tasty food.
Great street parking.
I love this place! -
Review from Colleen B.
Glyndon, MD
2/27/2012
I loved this place. I took my almost 15 year-old and we had a great time. It was the All-Things Round exhibit. I really wanted to see "What Makes us Smile (or was it laugh?) but their last day was the same day as the downtown car race! I especially enjoyed reading the artists' stories and seeing the videos.
The bra ball was too cool! I also really enjoyed the kinetic sculptures so if you go -don't miss the second building.
We stopped for a soda (the menu was a little too pricey for me - $2.50 for a 4oz bottle of soda). The view from the cafe window is of the the condos across the street. All I could think about was how bizarre it would be to live there when the sun hits the museum (it's covered in broken glass).
The shop was packed with oddities and overwhelming. I bought a few things for my daughter but would have been inclined to spend more if they had some unique jewelry or more original pieces of art by the artists. -
Review from Sarah S.
Falls Church, VA
4/8/2012
A fun & unique museum; a definite must see!
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Review from Ysa P.
Los Angeles, CA
4/5/2012
Every time I visit Baltimore, I insist on going to this museum. From folk art to PostSecret to strange statues woven by a mentally disabled woman, AVAM has it all. The outside of the building is just as creative as the inside, and lets you know what fun you're in for. I always stop by the gift shop too; they have a great selection of quirky pins.
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Review from MacRae O.
11/16/2011
Ohmigosh ohmigosh ohmigosh ohmigosh ohmigosh! {{jumping up and down clapping}} Ohmigosh ohmigosh ohmiGOSH! Best museum ev-ar! {{twirling and jeté-ing}} My new favorite museum in the whole wide world!
OK. Deep breath.
My utter delight and sheer excitement aside, the American Visionary Art Museum is fee-freakin'-nominal (which is not to say that the entry fee is nominal: it's $15.95 for adults). I had the extreme pleasure of accompanying a few students on a field trip to AVAM. I have to admit I had no idea what "visionary art" was before my visit; but to hear the kids tell, it's art produced by self-taught, ordinary Joes (or Josies) without intending it, necessarily, for public consumption. Which means that my napkin doodles and magazine collages make me a visionary artist, all good news.
No, no. I don't at all intend to demean the artists or work on display here at AVAM. Because it is mind-blowing, beginning with the building itself, which is one giant, mirrored mosaic. One of the real highlights for me personally was a collection of some of the postcards that have been sent into the PostSecret project (http://www.postsecret....).
There's also a replica of the Lustania made (almost) entirely of toothpicks and glue that took nearly three years to complete;
a humongous Pez collection;
an oversized chess set (that you can play!) made from nuts, bolts, and all manner of soldered metal;
painted window screens;
intricate pen drawings that look truly look like the physical representation of the artist's debilitating OCD;
an enormous bra ball made in the style of a rubber band ball;
the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, an array of intricate automata patrons can operate via push-buttons;
aerial photographs of crop circles;
statues made entirely from bottle caps or telephone wire;
a gargantuan bird's nest observation deck; ANNND.....
......the Flatulence Post, a mosaic'ed podium decorated with fart art. When pressed, a button on the joystick atop the post plays recordings of all the winning farts from the annual Crepitation Competition, sponsored by the Canadian Broadcast Company. Contestants have one minute to produce the best sounding fart they can, and farts are then judged by length, tone, timbre, and variety of noise. If you think you've outgrown fart humor, you are dead wrong. The kiddos thought this installation was hilarious, but we adults were laughing so hard we were crying.
I must mention the gift shop, which has to be one of -- if not THE -- best museum gift shop I have ever, ever been in. First of all, it's huge. Second of all, the merchandise is supercalafragilisticexpialidocious. There's real art -- one-of-a-kind paintings, mosaics, ink drawings -- from the artists shown at AVAM. There are accessories like chunky necklaces, rhinestone Eiffel Tower Pendants, or Jesus scarves. There are gag items like plastic dog poo, fart powder, Whoopee Cushions, and self-adhesive mustaches. Books and decks of cards, wind-up toys and wax lips, lucha libre masks and sock monkeys. You could spend as much time in here as you could in the AVAM collection. Fantastic.
AVAM is a manageable size, but there is *so much* sensory stimulation in here. You'll leave panting, sweating, heart-racing, and in need of a cigarette. If I lived in Baltimore, and the price of admission weren't so dear, I'd be here all.the.time.Listed in: You Shouldn't Have, Feed Your Soul, Beyond the Beltway, Gifted, Murrlin'
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Review from Sahar R.
In the fourth grade, a boy walked up to me, handed me a piece of paper and said he drew a picture of me. On that paper was a blob of multi-colored dots. Rather than appreciating the fine piece of artwork in front of me, I thought he was poking fun so I knocked him on the ground, sat on him and pummelled his chest with my little fists until he would say I did not look like a series of dots in real life.
Later, in the principals office, I learned two things: 1) Art is completely subjective, 2) boy in question saw me/described me as fireworks and drew me as such.
As I continue to further my art appreciation education, I realize that the Visionary Art Museum is a marvel in its own right. It showcases art produced by self-taught individuals, much like the kid in fourth grade. He grew up to be a skater punk kid who sold his Ritalin in the hallways in high school, not an artist.
Some exhibits make you think they gave out smelly markers and four lokos at the local mental health care facility and let them have at it. Some exhibits look like your scribbles during a long work meeting, others look like kid's refridgerator art. One exhibit looked like really intricate spin art (http://www.vonbruenche...).
And then some exhibits are hilarious. There's even a whole section devoted to potty humor ( "What Makes You Smile Exhibit"), which showcases a bench made out of whoopee cushions and has a section devoted to the form of holistic anesthesia against pain employed by Dr. Patch Adams and Brazillian bikini waxers everywhere: using humor as a distraction.
The best part of the museum was the kinetic art exhibit in the second building. Basically you spend 10-20 minutes pushing buttons and watching art move. I can't quite do it justice by my simplistic explanation, but most of the art in this section is pretty intricate, arks made out of popsicle sticks moving through waves, making Anubis (jackal headed Egyptian god) do sit-ups, etc.
The gift shop is kinda awesome. I found a gansta rap coloring book and a toaster that burns an image of Jesus onto your toast. All added to my wish list.
Only downside, admission is $15.95. When you're used to the free Smithsonian museums this is a hard pill to swallow. However, you can't play "Jingle Bells" with a bunch of eight year olds on whoopee cushions at the Smithsonian, can you?Listed in: I've got five on it.
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Review from Meridith H.
Boston, MA
8/15/2011
I get "museum brain" easily, so tend to avoid the cause. However, this museum came highly recommended by friends, and this trip to Baltimore might not be repeated in the near future.
1. The husband & I took a leisurely tour through the first building. Nearly everything was intensely interesting, and there were plenty of places to sit and admire your surroundings. This did a lot to prevent "museum brain."
2. The outdoor garden! And the treehouse! Also, the guestbook on the bench.
3. The second building! Fifi! No, really. FIFI. http://www.takepart.co...
4. Back to the first building, and the macabre circus ferris wheel. Did you see that?
In conclusion, when I'm old and cranky, I hope to produce similarly amazing things. Like that schoolbus. -
Review from Simone G.
Los Angeles, CA
7/25/2011
Art is subjective.
Subjectively speaking, the art housed in this museum is fabulous.
I wish I could have taken pictures, but the hidden cameras brought to my attention by the sweet, glorified hall monitor at the Info desk were duly noted.
This place is fukin rad. There is a Lusitania scale model ship made up of hundreds of thousands of toothpicks. Being the impatient overachiever I am, I of course hammered home the "WTF factor". In quick domino-like fashion I was inquiring if the construction was the act of a team or the credited artist, how long it took, how did they paint it, were the toothpicks donated, etc. etc. etc. The thing is though, A LOT of the exhibits within the museum ignited this heightened curiosity in me. There was a series of comic strips by this dude who's name I've since forgotten but I'm sure you could google. I mean comics are brilliant. In one line, two tops, he encompassed the most succinct intelligence.
i could go on and on, including, but not limited to the Post Secret postings lining the stairs, or the bathroom decor, but I'm being yelled at so I need to wrap this review up. :)
I have walked through many museums. Some are like going in to restaurant where nothing on the menu looks the least bit enticing. But this one was not like that at all. I wanted to check everything out. -
Review from Christa H.
Lexington Park, MD
7/25/2011
I'll show up here once a year with some friends for a walk-through and I haven't been disappointed yet! Although finding parking can be difficult (there's only street parking), the AVAM is fairly easy to navigate to.
The exhibits change out a lot, so there are always interesting contemporary pieces that are pretty to look at and make you think. I especially love the interactive pieces -- there are almost always buttons to push or pieces that move!
Look for the Post Secret postcards that line the stairs, it's one of my favorite parts.
The gift shop is really interesting and holds lots of treasures, but it can get super humid in there.
Oh and also important -- the bathrooms are always clean! -
Review from MaJ C.
Silver Spring, MD
7/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
IF you can tear yourself away from the most magnificent gift shop I have ever dreamed of, You will find the rest of this, my favorite of Baltimore museums, unlike anyplace you have seen.
Havent been?
This should be on the places-to-go-before-you-kick-the-bucket-List.
Parking right next to Federal Hill Park, Easy Walk from Inner harbour shops side.
You have no excuse. -
Review from Justin K.
7/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was sort of nervous at first coming to a place like this. Art and I do not get a long, mostly because I don't understand it. I have been to the Philadelphia Art Museum more times than I can count on my hands. It is ok to go there but I don't like being looked down upon if I don't recognize a famous painting or I don't know a certain artist. That really irritates me. I don't poke fun at hipsters for not knowing about sports or understanding financial ratios, my understanding of art is, it is what you interpret it to be.
I brought my parents here and I was very interested in seeing the "Why we Smile" exhibit. When we arrived, the first thing I notice is the building; the building is awesome, it is covered in glass in a mosaic pattern (Dropping art knowledge!) Really just a neat and interesting building; I can understand why people would want to have events here. Going through the museum I found myself laughing out loud as some of the artwork. I also found it interesting that they had the background of the artists on the wall next to their artwork. Two pieces that really stuck out to me was the Apple Wood self carved sculpture (Read the background on the artist, truly amazing). The other was the section about Dr. "Patch" Adams. That was really a cool piece as well.
Overall it made for a great Saturday afternoon, I would recommend people check it out, even if you are not into art, I think it makes you change your opinion on what could be art.
One quote that stuck out in my mind there was this one and it is so true:
"Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it." - Bill Cosby -
Review from Matt G.
1/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
Yeah, this place is fantastic. Great for children as well as adults, we wandered around for hours and still left feeling like we'd missed something. Bonus for the discounted admission for students. Definitely a great way to spend part of your day in Baltimore.
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Review from Sophie V.
Bethesda, MD
3/29/2011 ROTD 7/9/2011
This museum is utterly spectacular. Just driving up to the building, it's all sparkles and wild imagination, so you know you're getting something good inside. That crystalline Christmas tree and the mosaic egg have me starry-eyed every time I see 'em.
There is a permanent collection of different pieces of American folk art and experimental visual expression. Paintings by mental patients, a giant mural within a mural... some of it is quite strange, all of it is eye-opening and stimulating.
The exhibits that come through here are extremely cool. The one I saw when I went was called "What Makes Us Smile" and was diverse art ripples on the theme of comedy and laughter. It was fun and creative, displaying video clips of stand-up comedy, a throne crafted entirely of beer caps, a bench made of Whoopie cushions (yes, you sit on it), and so much more. There was a whole room devoted entirely to Patch Adams and his "laughter is the best medicine" philosophy. Literally everywhere you turn in this place is something else clever and new to look at, watch or play with. It's Wonderland!
OH and I cannot forget two essential mentions for the AVAM. You probably think, as I did before coming here, that museum cafes and gift shops are always the same type of thing. Sandwiches and gelatos, art prints, old-lady jewelry and postcards.
This is sooooo so so not that. First of all, "Mr. Rain's Fun House" (the museum cafe) is a princess, neverland dreamworld of a restaurant. They serve up delicious culinary experiments, like a crab and mango tartare with horseradish vinaigrette, delicious black-eyed pea cakes, and quirkier dishes like a roasted bone marrow appetizer with beet preserve (I was relieved to be a vegetarian for that one, but I was told good things by the waitress). Sparkling mobiles dangle above the bar, and the large window lets in lots of natural light.
OK, THE GIFT SHOP? It's pretty much everything you could want in a store where you're not looking for anything in particular. Books of only the most amazing and interesting kinds. A mechanical stuffed pig that rolls around on the floor laughing. Magic kits and hats and candy and tons and tons and TONS of unbelievable costume jewelry... you could literally spend hours in there (I spent just about one, but my parking meter was running out).
I cannot say enough about how magical this museum is. Plus the staff is accommodating and friendly, and have a cool alternative edge. The only downside is that you can't take photos inside the museum (although I snuck a few on my phone anyway, because I'm a rebel like that).
This isn't the museum from Elementary school field trips past, and is a Baltimore must-see. Wild imaginations and open souls required.Listed in: see and hear
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Review from Holly W.
Cambridge, MA
6/21/2011
More places like this should exist in cities across America. This is the kind of museum where you actually want to read the bios the curators put on the walls; the life trajectories of the artists will make you reevaluate what art is, who makes art and why you aren't at home making art instead of watching reruns of Top Chef on Bravo.
The gift shop is astounding. Unlike most museum gift shops, this one isn't overpriced. The assortment of books--pop-up books, design books, children's books, etc--you could look at alone for a few hours. There's some great art in here you won't see in the museum, too, so that's worth checking out.
If you're a student, the admission fee is only $10--worth it.
(Only regret, I wish they'd let you take photos. But most museums don't, so oh well.) -
Review from Edward L.
5/31/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Cool. Weird. Funny. Odd.
Found out about this place when my company held their holiday party here. My wife liked it so much that she organized a trip for our friends to come back here a few months later. We saw the "What Makes Us Smile" exhibit which goes on until Sept 2011. It was curated by Matt Groening, creator of the Simpsons. The exhibit was just like how I described the museum above.
The gift shop is very random as well. They have AVAM-inscribed stuff as well as random pieces from around the world. They also well Matchbox cars, little plastic army men, bags, books, and just about anything you'd expect to find in a pawn shop. Just like the museum, the gift shop is very eclectic. They had some Alex Grey books and videos there, too. -
Review from Dee B.
5/23/2011
A cool place to spend a couple of hours and considering my admission was paid by a $6 Groupon, I was happy to finally check this place out. However, the current admission fee of $16 is a high for my taste. However, AVAM does have the most eclectic giftshop you'll find at any museum, and you might spend almost as much time there as in the museum itself!
Don't forget to check out the garden and the third building!Listed in: Charmed in Charm City
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Review from Eric C.
2/19/2011 2 photos
It's a shame that I haven't gone to the American Visionary Art Museum sooner; it's a visually appealing place to go to if you're into art.
The main exhibition at the American Visionary Art Museum is "What Makes You Smile", which runs up until September 4, 2011. As I was making my way throughout the museum, I smiled (and also laughed) at numerous artworks. I had the privilege of viewing the works of Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, an artist who created 1,080 pieces of artwork. I got to learn about the Mbuti Pygmies, an ancient group who believed in laughter, lot of it. Speaking of laughter, there's a piece called "10 Astonishing Facts about Laughter" which is well, astonishing.
There were plenty of artists who I became intrigued in, such as Gloria Garrett, who was known as the "Mother of Makeup art" and Sermet Aslan, whose artwork expressed messages about everyday life and its struggles. Then you also have Shannon Warren, who seems to love candy. Her candy gingerbread house is one of the most visually appealing houses I've ever seen. Good thing there's a do not touch sign, especially for the exhibit; it would've been have eaten, or even left to crumbs.
There's also a library, the Hoffberger Family Foundation Library. However, there's a sign on the door that says appointment only so plan accordingly. There's a cafe on the top floor as well, but I didn't go in to check it out. I did maneuver my way to the gift shop, but I didn't buy anything. Oh, and no photos can be taken inside the museum. Yeah, it was the only downfall of the experience, but the art will leave images burned in your brain for a while.
Parking is pretty easy, as you can either decide to park on Covington Street (right behind the museum), or on Key Highway if you want to do a little bit more walking. If you're an art fanatic, this place should be worth the $15.95 admission you have to pay to get in. It's cheaper for kids/students/senior citizens, so don't worry. Must see.Listed in: Museums: You Need to See 'Em
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Review from Becky K.
Gaithersburg, MD
2/22/2012
this just might be the best museum i've ever been to! i've seen about three themes pass through, and each time it's completely spectacular, fully absorbing and a lot of fun!
just the outsides of the buildings are worth seeing--the mirror collages surrounding the main building and all of the neat outdoor sculpture are all so amazing!
totally a must-see for anyone at any age. -
Review from Mimi X.
Silver Spring, MD
11/22/2011
I was skeptical, but this museum was amazing. I just loved it. The stories of the artists were inspiring and moving and the art was funny/beautiful/thought-provoking/awe-inspiring. Go. Go!
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Review from Catherine A.
Smyrna, GA
11/28/2011
Time well spent; parking is easy. Spiral up & down checking out local artwork. Inspiring...well worth every penny.
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Review from Brski B.
San Francisco, CA
3/1/2011
My advice would be to go straight to the top, have something to eat/drink at Mr. Rain's Fun House, and wind your way down. The museum is kid-friendly, adult-friendly, and adults-who-like-remembering-the-awe-of-childhood-f riendly. I cannot imagine spending hours upon days here, but I can't imagine more spaced-out Baltimore-flavor fun for the visiting out-of-towner.
One note: 3 boos on the no-picture taking policy (inside). Come on, it's not Gauguin, Matisse, or Picasso hanging on those walls. -
Review from Eileen M.
Washington, DC
7/12/2011
This museum is amazing -- their exhibits are always really interesting and well produced. But what I'm shocked that no one else has mentioned in their reviews is that you can get in free the first weekend of each month with a Bank of America card:
"Bank of America card members can take advantage of the Museums on Us program, which gets cardholders free admission to more than 150 museums around the U.S. during the first weekend of each month."
I would definitely recommend checking that out, as well as the free outdoor movies on Thursday nights. AVAM has a distinct advantage over the other outdoor movie events in that it's located right next to a hill. So almost anywhere is a great view as you're elevated above AVAM where they show the movie against the wall of the building. -
Review from Carl L.
San Anselmo, CA
2/19/2011
I'll get my only complaint out of the way up front. Don't call it a "Museum." That word gives the impression that it's stuffy and formal; the sort of place where people who take themselves waaaaaaaaaay too seriously stand three paces back from paintings they're supposed to like and say "hmm."
It isn't that kind of place.
What it IS, is a collection of hand-made, spontaneous, witty works of creativity from people who aren't normally categorized as "artists."
The collection radiates a raw, joyful, unbounded, amateur spirit. If many of these artists were alive today, they'd be bloggers -- people who just needed to get their works seen, by any means necessary.
During our visit, we came across a wall filled with the cartoons of John Callahan -- the irreverent, quadriplegic artist who channeled his situation into cartoons that mocked every constituency with even-handed savagery. In my book, any museum that gives him his own wall deserves your money.
In the lobby, they proudly display an article from a major travel magazine that lists the American Visionary as the 4th best art museum in the country, after the Met, The Frick and...I think the Chicago Institute.
And yet, it's nothing like them. They're for the canon. This is for the vernacular. You must see it. -
Review from Becky L.
4/11/2011
Such an awesome place! The museum is filled with great, funky, cool and weird art. The pieces are unique and the stories behind them are more so - my favorite was the sculpture carved by a mental patient from one long piece of apple wood, his only work of art, he had never shown an inclination for art before and never made another piece once the sculpture was complete. The large scale artworks in the Jim Rouse Visionary Center are truly amazing and even the outside of the buildings are covered in unique work.
The museum is right by Inner Harbor and Federal Hill, you can make a day in the area but if your time is limited, I would highly recommend stopping here over the aquarium or science center. -
Review from Joy F.
8/5/2010
This museum is amazing. Probably the most unusual and intriguing museum I've been to in a long time, including the awesome ones I visited in Paris and throughout Spain last year. One of the best parts was how much information was available on each artist--it added so much more to their art to know who they were, and what the art was really meant to represent or be a part of, instead of just the very general (and mostly useless) information art museums put up on their walls.
Some of the exhibits that stood out most to me: the art by long-term prison inmates; the mirror mosaic pieces of Icarus and the sun that hang in the stairwell; the mechanical something-somethings (aka the wooden wind-up toys) in the third building. But really, almost everything was cool.
We were lucky enough to come on a day when they were throwing a safari-beer-garden-themed party in the second building. We paid $10 to eat unlimited snacks & sandwiches, and drink unlimited locally brewed beers, for three hours of fun. There were pups running around, all sorts of friendly locals, and a man in a King Kong costume (the party was in honor of their screening of King Kong). It was awesome! -
Review from Janey R.
Baltimore, MD
5/21/2011
I went here as a field trip. I liked it a lot and it is definitely a MUST SEE!!
They have a variety of exhibits and it makes me feel like a child. :}
If you haven't been you have to go.
I even bought an elephant hate from their store!
Check up on their exhibits as well, they have changing exhibits along with a permanent one. Go when you are most interested, that is all I can say. -
Review from Kelly A.
8/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
WOW. I can't believe that my favorite museum during our 7-day family vacation to DC and Baltimore was The American Visionary Art Museum. We went to numerous Smithsonians, for crying out loud. I was absolutely mesmerized by the color, the imagination, the variety of media and subject matter. I loved this place, and so did my whole family! An art museum with an entire exhibit devoted to "art that makes us laugh?" A bench, centered in the "Toot Suite," upholstered with working whoopee cushions? A ginormous metal bird peeking into her 3rd story metal nest, guarding her humongous mirrored mosaic egg? Awesome, fabuolous, inspiring. Bring your kids, all ages. Do not miss this magical place.
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Review from Rich P.
Plainfield, NJ
11/10/2011
I am not into art but this is a must see! Very cool stuff! The store in side has an awesome assortment of little oddities that you will not see elsewhere.
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Review from David M.
Norristown, PA
8/16/2011
The American Visionary Art Museum is exactly what a museum should be. It's an experience. This is not "outsider art". This not just "abstract". These works are truly visionary. Visionary in the sense that they are born out of a need to create. These works don't scream passion. They scream obsession. The most original artists come from a raw, pure place, and the American Visionary Art Museum is an astounding venue for their works.
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Review from Ryna D.
8/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
This museum was really awesome! Lots of funky, modern, counter culture type of art. I was really happy I went. It's just too bad you're not allowed to take photos.
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Review from John I.
11/29/2010
I have been to a variety of museums from around the world and quite appreciated Baltimore's American Visionary Art Museum. Although the depth of the museum is lacking, there is significant breadth across a variety of modern theme concepts. This is not your typical museum in that the genre of art is from recent years and portrays (at least while I was there) concepts within human and/or societal emotions. I would recommend approximately 1.5 hours for the museum and interesting gift shop. The gift shop is worth mentioning as it sells a variety of unique gag-like gifts presented over the last ten years. You can find anything from fart cushions, spider necklaces, President Obama mugs, etc.
The Museum is situated in a wonderful area and I highly recommend you walk around the harbor. Also, try a lunch spot (e.g. Regi's) in the Federal Hill area. It was quite pleasant.
In summary, the Museum was just A-OK. Enjoy Baltimore!!
