That citizen’s efforts to draw attention to and protect this body of work awoke the the Town of Arlington to the greatness of its adopted son.

Over eleven years, the Cyrus E. Dallin Committee restored all the art works in the Dallin Collection, thanks to contributions from hundreds of individuals, and grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council disbursed by the Arlington Arts Council. To ensure that the collection would continue to be maintained, Town Meeting established the Cyrus E. Dallin Art Museum in 1995.

In the fall of 1998, the Museum opened two rooms of its collection in a temporary home: the Jefferson Cutter House in the heart of historic Arlington Center. Another room opened in September of 1999—a fourth opened in November of 2002.

Now, the Museum has embarked on an acquisition program to obtain Dallin works from beyond the Arlington community.

At the Museum, visitors can see the works of this master sculptor in context and—except for the larger monuments—at one location. The Museum provides a secure, climate-controlled environment to protect and preserve Dallin’s sculptures and archives into the future. Dallin’s sculptures are on display, along with exhibits about his life and work. Soon, researchers can study his papers and photographs.

The Museum will be more than a historical showcase. It will maintain a gallery for temporary exhibits, including shows by living artists. A studio for art classes and a hall for talks by artists and art historians will make it a vital facility for art in Arlington.

The expense of this ambitious plan is substantial. Fund-raising will begin shortly. In the meantime, we are completing the collection in our temporary home—our goal is to prove to funding institutions that we have an important body of work and an audience.

The community interest has been enormous—in the few years we have been open, several thousand visitors have come by.