• Home
  • U.S. Destinations
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • Northwest
    • Southeast
    • Southwest
    • Coastal
  • International Destinations
    • Africa/Middle East
    • Antarctica/Arctic
    • Asia
    • Canada
    • Europe
    • Mexico/Central America/Carribean
    • Oceania
    • South America
  • Food & Drink
    • For the Home
    • On The Town
    • At the Bar
    • Recipes
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Getting There
    • Staying There
    • Travel Tips
    • Travel Gear & Gifts
    • People Stories
    • Focus on Photos
  • About
    • Our Site
    • Contributors
    • Write To Us
    • Write For Us
    • Work With Us
    • Disclosure
    • Subscribe
    • Privacy Policy
Confetti Travel Cafe
Celebrate travel, culture, connection
Maryhill Museum of Art
Art & Culture, Northwest, U.S., U.S. Destinations 2

Maryhill Museum of Art: An Eclectic Art Museum in the Columbia Gorge

By Nancy Zaffaro · On March 5, 2018


The Louvre.  MOMA. The Met. The Uffizi Gallery. The Art Institute of Chicago. The Prado. The British Museum. Some of the top major art museums in the world. We all have our favorite world-class art museums. We all also have our favorite smaller art museums, perhaps considered secondary stops on the tourist circuit, or housed in smaller cities. For all my travels, one of my favorite smaller art museums remains the colorfully eccentric, out of the way, “off-the-beaten-track” Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, Washington.

Maryhill Museum of Art

The Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing added 25,500 square feet to the museum’s gallery space

“What in Sam Hill?”

“What in Sam Hill?” You may or may not have heard this old saying, but as it turns out, it has nothing to do with the Sam Hill who established the museum. The Sam Hill who built Maryhill Museum of Art was a businessman and entrepreneur, a philanthropist and a world traveler. He built roads throughout the Northwest, including the Pacific Highway and the Columbia Gorge Highway in the early 20th century. In 1914, he started construction on a magnificent home on 5,000 acres along in Goldendale, Washington, 104 miles from Portland.

Maryhill Museum of Art

Sam Hill was also a man who circulated in very wide social circles. He counted among his close friends Queen Marie of Roumania, modern dancer Loie Fuller, and heiress Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, as well as members of the business communities, philanthropic communities, writers and artists. These three women convinced him to turn the Beaux Arts mansion into a museum and aided the effort with significant and eclectic donations.

The Maryhill Museum of Art: An Eclectic Collection

The museum’s permanent exhibits and collections are as eclectic as the man himself. When you enter the museum, you’re greeted with a collection of Queen Marie’s personal and family items. The Queen, born in 1875, was very much celebrity royalty at the time. She drew crowds and the press wherever she went. Her attendance at the museum opening helped make it a big-deal event.

The museum includes a wonderful collection of American and European paintings, and an impressive collection of Art Nouveau pottery and glass. The Loie Fuller exhibit lends a fascinating history of the early days of modern dance.

Sam Hill was fascinated by Native American cultures, especially baskets, and the museum currently has a significant collection of art and artifacts spans from tribes across North America.

Maryhill Museum of Art   Maryhill Museum of Art

Auguste Rodin

It was Loie Fuller, a close friend of sculptor Auguste Rodin, who helped secure a collection of the artist’s work for the museum. Today the museum includes 87 works by Rodin. Initially, it was this collection that most impressed me at the museum. Today, I visit some of the pieces like old friends—without a return trip to Paris’ Rodin Museum.

Maryhill Museum of Art

The museum includes an extensive collection of works by Auguste Rodin, including larger works.

Chess Sets

A favorite for all ages is the collection of chess sets. The nearly 300 chess sets are beautifully displayed. The collection included pieces made of all material; wood, stone, bone and ivory, metals, gems and porcelain. The sets are incredibly diverse in design.

Maryhill Museum of Art

The chess set collection includes sets made from countries throughout the world

Théâtre de la Mode

“I had no idea!” I once heard a woman say in the dimmed lighting of the Théâtre de la Mode display. The exhibit draws you to Paris in 1944. Just liberated from German occupation, the city was in ruins. Resources were scarce. The organization responsible for creating war relief approached the fashion industry for a fundraising effort that would also serve the city’s population.

But it wasn’t the time or place for a gala fashion show. Instead, Robert Ricci of the House of Ricci distributed wire mannequins to the couture houses. Designed from such fashion houses as Balenciaga, Nina Ricci, Schiaparelli, and many others created designs in miniature. Jewelers, including Cartier, made broaches, tiaras and other adornments. Stage sets were designed and the mannequins displayed. The exhibit was widely popular to a population eager for a little beauty at a very dark time in history. The war ended just two days before the exhibit was to close. It continued touring throughout Europe and even made its way to the U.S.

Maryhill Museum of Art

Théâtre de la Mode features post-war fashions in miniature, created by the top fashion houses

The Sculpture Park

Enjoy expansive Columbia Gorge views from inside the new Terrace Level or outdoors on the museum’s café patio.

Maryhill Museum of Art

The museum overlooks the Columbia Gorge

The museum offers incredibly beautiful views outdoors as well of the Columbia Gorge, and in the distance, Oregon’s Mount Hood. Do spend some time exploring the grounds. The Sculpture Park includes more than a dozen large scale sculptures by more than a dozen Northwest artists.

Maryhill Museum of Art

Stroll the outdoor patio and lawn Sculpture Park

Maryhill Museum of Art

If you’re lucky, you’ll see one of the peacocks roaming the grounds

Stonehenge Memorial

Before you head out for meal, a hike, wine tasting (Maryhill Winery, one of the Northwest’s best wineries has a beautiful estate tasting room only a mile away) or whatever else you plan, there’s one more stop to make. Four miles east of the museum, Sam Hill built a Memorial to local veterans who perished in the First World War. The memorial is a life-sized sort-of replica of Stonehenge. I enjoy the way the Stonehenge replica fits in with the environment—and how it’s so in line with the eccentricity of the museum.

Maryhill Museum of Art

The Stonehenge Memorial in spring

Maryhill Museum of Art

When to Go

I’ve visited the museum in summer and fall when the hills are brown and I’ve visited in spring when the wildflowers are in bloom. Any time is a time of great beauty at the Gorge. As a nod to the remoteness of the site and the winter winds that often whip through the area in the winter months, the museum closes each year mid-November through mid-March.

Maryhill Museum of Art opens for its 2018 season on March 15. Enjoy their permanent exhibits as well as a number of temporary exhibits. A few of the temporary exhibits include Pacific Northwest Plein Air in the Columbia River Gorge, Richard F. Lack: The Interior Journey—Paintings, Drawings, and Studies, and another of American Classical Realism.

Much to See and Do in the Columbia Gorge

Enjoy the drive out. Make a day or weekend of it, or better yet, an extended trip. There’s so much do in the Columbia Gorge, but the Maryhill Museum of Art has something that will move and enchant you and draw you into a particular period of time and place.

Columbia Gorge Mount hood

The Columbia Gorge with Mount Hood in the background

 For More:

  • Maryhill Museum of Art, https://www.maryhillmuseum.org/
  • Maryhill Winery, https://www.maryhillwinery.com/
  • On our site: Columbia River Gorge: Hiking, Rafting & Horses
  • On our site: Northwest Carriage Museum, World-Class Collection in Raymond, Washington
  • Also on our site: Sam Hill’s friend, Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, was related by marriage to John D. Spreckels (another colorful figure) who built the Spreckels Organ in San Diego’s Balboa Park.
  • One more off-the-beaten-track museum on our site: Northwest Carriage Museum, World-Class Collection in Raymond, Washington

-All photos by Nancy Zaffaro.

Download PDF
artart museumAuguste Rodinchess setsColumbia GorgeGoldendaleMaryhill Museum of ArtStonehengeWashington
Share Tweet
Nancy Zaffaro

Nancy Zaffaro

Nancy Zaffaro took her first solo trip at 17 years old and has been hooked on travel ever since. She's a long-time writer and editor and the Editor of ConfettiTravelCafe.com. You can see more of her work at NancyZaffaro.com.

You Might Also Like

  • Coastal

    Making the Most of a Trip to Tampa Bay, Florida

  • road trip in an electric vehicle Getting There

    Take a Road Trip in an Electric Vehicle

  • business travel post covid Getting There

    Future of Business Travel Post COVID-19

2 Comments

  • Avatar
    Mary Charlebois says: March 6, 2018 at 8:33 am

    Nancy I love how you write. Sam Hill is now one of my favorite people.
    I’m adding Maryhill to my must see in the NW list. Also, Mary Hill is my maiden name.
    Well done. –MaryGo

    Reply
  • Nancy Zaffaro
    Nancy Zaffaro says: March 6, 2018 at 8:57 am

    Mary, Thanks so much for your kind words. Sometimes the best sites aren’t at the top of the city guide books. Maryhill’s collections and exhibits are just such a treat for me, and the Columbia Gorge is one of my favorite places to visit out here. Make a visit soon!

    Reply
  • Leave a reply Cancel reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Search

    Like What You See? Write For us!

    We're always interested in publishing new stories that celebrate travel, culture and connection. Take a look at our Submission Guidelines and pitch your story.

    Follow Us on Instagram

    confettitravel

    The shooting star is my favorite dish right now at The shooting star is my favorite dish right now at Broder Sud; a #smøørbrod of pan-fried #sole fillet, #skagen bay #shrimp #gravlax tartar sauce, and fish #roe , all on a black bread called #rugbrød 
.
Girlfriend had #æbleskiver and their #rhubarb crisp.
.
.
Felt so good to get out and staff did such a great job!
.
@broderpdx #bröder #brodersud #scandinavian #scandinaviankitchen #scandinavianfood #portlandoregon #portland #oregon #eatingout #besafe #restaurant #girlfriendsarethebest
    My belated new year’s brunch with a fabulous gir My belated new year’s brunch with a fabulous girlfriend at one of our fav spots (Broder Sud!) of course began with cocktails! The venue of this #scandinavian #restaurant also hosts the cultural center, Nordic Northwest, an art gallery and a gift shop.
.
Methinks they need a good market too! 😜
.
.
@broderpdx #portland #oregon #diningout #diningoutside #scandinaviandesign #french75 #scandinavian75 #aquavit #cocktails #southwestportland #girlfriends
    My city, my parks; at Mount Tabor Park. Forested c My city, my parks; at Mount Tabor Park. Forested city park with trails, downtown city views, tennis courts, picnic areas and an extinct volcano cinder cone. Cool, yes?
    Yes, I did deserve a #donut break today! . . #brea Yes, I did deserve a #donut break today!
.
.
#break #doughnuts #donuts #donuts🍩 #donutsofinstagram #takeabreak #snacktime #snacks #sugarrush
    Do you say sneakers, runners, gym shoes, walking s Do you say sneakers, runners, gym shoes, walking shoes, tennis shoes ... what else? Whatever you call them, these put me in a sunny weather frame of mind!
.
#shoes #shoeaddict #shoeaddiction #vansshoes
    At Twisted Fish in Seaside, Oregon. Famished from At Twisted Fish in Seaside, Oregon. Famished from walking walking walking the beach. Local #sisu beers, sweet potato fries and kick-ass sandwiches revived.
.
@sisubeer @twistedfish #seaside #seasideoregon #coastallife #localbeer #redale #chicken #bacon #avacado #friedegg #sandwich #foodie #foodanddrink #wheretoeat #atthebeach
    Okay, I’ll stop now! . . . #seaside #seasideore Okay, I’ll stop now!
.
.

.
#seaside #seasideoregon #oregon #oregoncoast #oregonexplored #atthebeach #sunsetwalk #takeawalk #surf #sand #promenade #estuary #boardwalk
    Don’t forget to look east when the sunsets; ther Don’t forget to look east when the sunsets; there’s color there too!
.
#nofilter #seaside #seasideoregon #oregon #oregoncoast #oregonexplored #atthebeach #sunsetwalk #takeawalk #surf #sand #clouds #cloudscape #sunset #pink #sunsets
    360 degrees of surf, sand and color ... Sunset in 360 degrees of surf, sand and color ... Sunset in Seaside, Oregon!
.
.
.
#seaside #seasideoregon #oregon #oregoncoast #oregonexplored #atthebeach #sunsetwalk #takeawalk #surf #sand #clouds #cloudscape #sunset #sunsets
    Surf and sand art the Oregon coast. . . Sunset in Surf and sand art the Oregon coast.
.
.

Sunset in Seaside!
.
.
#seaside #seasideoregon #oregon #oregoncoast #oregonexplored #atthebeach #sunsetwalk #takeawalk #sand #surf #thecove #estuary
    Sunset in Seaside! . . #seaside #seasideoregon #or Sunset in Seaside!
.
.
#seaside #seasideoregon #oregon #oregoncoast #oregonexplored #atthebeach #sunsetwalk #takeawalk #myhappyplace #happyplace #sunset #sunsets
    Playing catch-up ... there’s no place for me lik Playing catch-up ... there’s no place for me like the Oregon coast! And Seaside has been a long-term and beloved corner of it, including the cabin, No-Snow-Eh!
.
.
#seaside #seasideoregon #clatsopcounty #atthebeach #mybeach #myhappyplace #thecove 
.
    Bananas a little to ripe, so the perfect excuse fo Bananas a little to ripe, so the perfect excuse for a loaf of some Easter chocolate chip banana bread!
.
.
#banana #bananabread #easter #breadmaking #bread #snacktime😋 #foodies #foodie #homemade
    Haystack Rock, mermaid’s purse, community mask s Haystack Rock, mermaid’s purse, community mask sign ...a day at the beach.
.
.
#cannonbeach #cannonbeachoregon #cannonbeachoregon #oregon #oregoncoast #haystackrock #besafe #wearamask #wearyourmask #mermaidpurse #skatefish #skateeggcase #mermaids
    Day trip to Cannon Beach means fish and chips and Day trip to Cannon Beach means fish and chips and sunshine and weathered and charming and yet unfortunately expensive cedar shingled beach homes, art galleries, bookstores and bakeries and of course, salt air and surf and the monolith, Haystack Rock.
.
.
#localgrillandscoop #cannonbeach #cannonbeachoregon #fishandchips #atthebeach #dayatthebeach #takeawalk #oregon #oregoncoast
    Little red roses to brighten a kitchen counter. . Little red roses to brighten a kitchen counter.
.
#redroses #roses #rosesofinstagram #miniroses
    Downtown Milwaukie ... no, I didn’t misspell ... Downtown Milwaukie ... no, I didn’t misspell ... it’s Milwaukie, Oregon.
.
.
#milwaukie #oregon #milwaukieoregon #milwaukie #takeawalk #mainstreet #mainstreetusa
    The house always can use a little more #color ... The house always can use a little more #color ... and a little mire #drama doesn’t hurt either.
.
#rose #roses #flowersfromafriend #flowersofinstagram #peach #peachroses
    This boy-dog, my #grandpuppy the fabulous, @cooper This boy-dog, my #grandpuppy the fabulous, @cooper.d.shiba cooper.d.shiba 
.
.
#shibainu #shibastagram #shibainu @feltforyoucreations #doggielove
    Keep looking up ... clouds, mountains, and the alw Keep looking up ... clouds, mountains, and the always captivating #moon .
.
.
#moonlight #moonphase #lookup #lookuptothesky #takeawalk #nightwalk #night #colors
    Load More... Follow on Instagram

    Our Contributors!

    We love our Contributors and enjoy building a community of writers. Take a look at who’s writing for Confetti Travel Cafe on our Contributors page!

    Find us on Facebook

    Recent Comments

    • Richard Bucci on The Burton: A Historic Tavern in Allegany, New York
    • Mark Oliver on The Burton: A Historic Tavern in Allegany, New York
    • Monica on The Burton: A Historic Tavern in Allegany, New York
    • Mark Oliver on The Burton: A Historic Tavern in Allegany, New York
    • Monica on The Burton: A Historic Tavern in Allegany, New York
    • Nancy Zaffaro on The Burton: A Historic Tavern in Allegany, New York

    Archives

    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016

    Categories

    Recent Posts

    • Making the Most of a Trip to Tampa Bay, Florida
    • Safeguard Your Good Night’s Sleep While Working From Home
    • 5 Post-Pandemic Gap Year Programs
    • Dishes for a Modern Passover Seder Dinner
    • The Best Travel Apps for 2021 and 2022
    • Take a Road Trip in an Electric Vehicle
    • Future of Business Travel Post COVID-19
    • Home
    • Our Site
    • Contributors
    • Write To Us
    • Write For Us
    • Work With Us
    • Disclosure

    Categories

    • Africa/Middle East (15)
    • Antarctica/Arctic (1)
    • Art & Culture (27)
    • Asia (31)
    • At the Bar (58)
    • Canada (3)
    • Coastal (37)
    • Europe (42)
    • Food & Drink (142)
    • Food And Drink (71)
    • For the Home (35)
    • Getting There (26)
    • International (93)
    • International Destinations (117)
    • Mexico/Central America/Carribean (13)
    • Midwest (4)
    • Northeast (13)
    • Northwest (76)
    • Oceania (7)
    • On The Town (77)
    • Outdoors (16)
    • People Stories (24)
    • Recipes (30)
    • South America (6)
    • Southeast (34)
    • Southwest (17)
    • Staying There (50)
    • Travel & Lifestyle (74)
    • Travel Destinations (21)
    • Travel Gear & Gifts (28)
    • Travel Tips (59)
    • U.S. (76)
    • U.S. Destinations (142)
    • Uncategorized (1)

    Recent Posts

    • Making the Most of a Trip to Tampa Bay, Florida
    • Safeguard Your Good Night’s Sleep While Working From Home
    • 5 Post-Pandemic Gap Year Programs
    • Dishes for a Modern Passover Seder Dinner
    • The Best Travel Apps for 2021 and 2022
    • Take a Road Trip in an Electric Vehicle
    • Future of Business Travel Post COVID-19

    Tag Cloud

    Italy Westward whiskey birds of prey Valdobbiadene Hakone Tiger's Nest Ayurveda Grassa canopy walkway beach walks blood and sand cocktail culinary program Gregory Gourdet Gran Caffe Rossi Martini Emirates Air travel by train in Europe long trip appetizers Candi Licence New Majestic Bellingham SeaFeast Empire State Building state parks health tips for travelers Turkish cofee Mark Kronquist bird watching Penn Station Willamette Valley whiskey cocktails energizing yoga poses crabcakes auto mode D.C. car camping Blossom Vinegars grottos blueberries waterfalls saguaros

    © 2020 Confetti Travel Cafe. All rights reserved.