Bellefonte Art Museum (BAM)
Bellefonte, PA
Where art, history and community meet in the heart of Bellefonte.
The Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County (BAM) is housed in the historic Linn House, a limestone building constructed in 1810. Today, the museum serves as a regional arts destination, featuring rotating exhibitions, local and regional artists, cultural programming, a museum store, children’s art activities, and a permanent Underground Railroad exhibition.
The museum’s mission is to celebrate the human spirit through the arts and recognize the importance of art in our lives by exhibiting work from local artists alongside exhibits that highlight cultural traditions and art forms from different countries.
The Bellefonte Art Museum is more than a place to view art. It is a welcoming cultural stop where visitors can experience regional creativity, historic architecture, local stories, and hands-on arts programming in one of Pennsylvania’s most distinctive small towns. As part of the Susquehanna River School of Art trail, BAM helps connect artists, residents, and travelers to the rich creative life of Central Pennsylvania.
An Historic Home for the Arts
Located in Bellefonte’s historic district, the museum is located in the Linn House, a building connected to local civic history and believed to have played a role in the Underground Railroad.
Since becoming the Bellefonte Art Museum in 2007, the Linn House has been transformed into a place for exhibitions, education, artist support, and community gathering.
The museum includes multiple gallery spaces, monthly exhibitions, a 24/7 Display Window, the Twiga Museum Store, Stanza: A Poetry Gallery, an art library, and gardens dedicated to individuals who helped shape the museum’s growth.
Local and National Exhibitions
BAM showcases local artists as well as art exhibitions from outside the region to Centre County. Its galleries include the Special Exhibitions Gallery, Sieg Gallery, Paulette Lorraine Berner Community Gallery, R Thomas Berner Photography Gallery, and the 24/7 Display Window.
The museum also maintains an Artist Registry, giving accepted artists exhibition opportunities and a public platform. The registry is juried and includes a fee upon acceptance.
Underground Railroad: A Journey to Freedom
One of BAM’s most important permanent exhibitions is Underground Railroad: A Journey to Freedom, located on the museum’s third floor. The exhibition honors the network of people who helped enslaved African Americans seek freedom in the nineteenth century and connects Bellefonte’s local history to a larger national story.