University Delaware Museums, White Clay Creek State Park Travel Guide

The University of Delaware Museums offer a multifaceted exploration of art, history, and natural science. The museums consist of three locations each with its own unique focus.The Old College Gallery, situated in the historic Old College Hall, a building on the National Historic Register since 1834, features a collection of over 10,000 works, including American prints and drawings from the 19th century to the present. The gallery is known for its extensive holdings of vintage and contemporary photographs, including comprehensive surveys of Gertrude Käsebier and Clarence Hudson White, as well as Pre-Columbian and Native American ceramics.Mechanical Hall, which was renovated in 2004, houses the Paul R. Jones Collection of African American Art. This collection includes works by artists such as Kofi Bailey, Romare Bearden, and Elizabeth Catlett, and serves as a focal point for the study and appreciation of African American art. The gallery offers changing exhibitions of African American art drawn from the University's collection and elsewhere.The Mineralogical Museum, located in Penny Hall, displays approximately 350 specimens from Irénée du Pont's original collection, which he acquired in 1919. The museum's collection has grown to include approximately 3,000 specimens of minerals, meteorites, gems, and carvings. Exhibitions highlight fine crystallized minerals, specimens from significant recent discoveries, and themes such as crystallography and crystal growth.The University Museums also enrich cultural life beyond the campus through the presentation of recognized artists and outreach programs to K-12 students, educators and historically black colleges and universities.