george walter vincent smith art museum

I visited this Museum in the summer to get out of the heat and see something new. I wasn't expecting much but the lighting and feel of the second floor Chinese exhibits were meditative AND my wife couldn't shake the feel that one of the larger male warrior statues was watching her. I loved it! I'd go back for the impact on mood or to see my wife freak out. We spoke to one of the guards at a special exhibit at the MFA diagonal to the GWV building, that people have seen ghosts there for quite a while. Oooohhhh! (trying to make a ghost sound)

The Science Museum is great for children. Small hands on area. The museum has events, would have to go on web site to find out when. The rest of the museum is best for older children or adults. Good parking. There is a fee for individuals living outside of Springfield, MA.

A day well spent and very educational for the children... We all had a wonderful time and we learned different things from each Museum... I would recommend families to visit these Museums...

I love Asian art and this place was a treasure. So thankful I had a digital camera and my cell phone. Took so many photos of cloisonne that I had never seen. Truly enjoyable.

GWVS has had and continues to have some wonderful art for a small city museum. Certainly worth the time and effort to see. I suggest, even if you don't have an eye for art, you take the time to go the the GWVS Art Museum.

Admission to this museum was included in the price for the area museums. Very interesting Chinese collection and I loved the roman plaster pieces.

I especially enjoy looking at all the old Asian artifacts.. I remember the large plaster casts of the Roman Statues as a child, and love going to the George Walter Vincent Smith Museum to see them again now that they are on display again.. This museum offers new surprises every time we visit..

This place is loaded with history and is next to a Dr. Seuss Museum. If you haven't been here then you will not know what beauties and history that Springfield has hidden next to it's public library. This place is a must see. As a kid and an adult i go back to this place many times to dream and see how ppl lived in the past and to help my creative side to enhance itself.

Collection of superb 19th Century American paintings included with a collection of Asian art in a turn of the century museum

Thoroughly enjoyed this museum. It's a manageable size, with an unusual collection of samurai weaponry and armor; Japanese netsuke, Chinese cloissonne, and plaster casts of Venus de Milo, the Discus Thrower, and other renowned sculptures. My friend, a retired professor of Japanese religion/anthropology, said the collection was very good. There are stunning Tiffany windows, an Egyptian coffin, remarkable carved woodwork and furniture, and other oddities. The parking lot is in a safe neighborhood with a tall fence around it - don't be afraid of Springfield!

As an undergraduate art history major at Northwestern, we had a semester where we learned about cabinets of curiosity, which rich, (occasionally eccentric) people would keep to entertain guests. (No TV or video games back in the 16th-19th centuries, for better or worse.) Arguably, Springfield's greatest collector was George Walter Vincent Smith, who collected not merely a "cabinet" of curiosities, but a sizable museum's worth.I've read reviews criticizing Mr. Smith's taste in art and artifacts; however, one must remember that this was the 19th Century -- and things which, today, one could track down via computer if one really wanted, were very difficult to come by.For example, this museum features suits of ancient Asian battle armor. (Where else are you going to see that?!) Also, it features the largest collection of Chinese cloisonne outside of China, which is very impressive considering the breadth of the collection and its value.Like the Gardner Museum in Boston, the Smith Museum (with which the Gardner is comparable) is set-up exactly as Mr. Smith wanted it, and showcases the curiosities in exactly the way that he wanted them showcased.Personally, I found this to be a fascinating museum, not only as an art history major, but as someone who is interested in all different types of things (and there are ALL different types of things here -- and not just Asian, although Smith did seem to have a fascination with the Orient, as many did during that time, (I think of Delacroix.)The kids on the tour liked the museum because it was weird. Without any prompting, one of the kids with us said "this is the weirdest place I've ever been." My opinion is pretty close to that; however, for me, weird is good. Additionally, entrance to this museum gives you entrance to the excellent other museums at The Quadrangle.

入って左手にあるエジプト時代の黒い犬の像が印象的だが、これは近世の模造品だった。2階には中国の発掘品や陶磁器が整然と並んでいる。広い1室が日本の装飾品に割り当てられ印籠や根付け、陶磁器等がこれらも整然と展示されていた。1階には日本の鎧が何体も並び、刀剣、火縄銃等武具が大部屋に隙間なく陳列されている。ミケランジェロの実物大のモーゼ像などの石膏模造彫刻が勢揃いする体育館のような部屋もある。