Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture

Photo: Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture via Google Maps

The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, known around Spokane as the MAC, sits in Browne’s Addition, one of the city’s historic neighborhoods. Founded in 1916, it is operated by the Eastern Washington State Historical Society, which is both an agency of the State of Washington and a nonprofit, and it is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and associated with the Smithsonian Institution.

The MAC is where to go for the bigger story of the Inland Northwest. Its galleries mix regional art, history and the culture of the Plateau tribes, drawing on collections the museum says number more than one million objects. Next door, the 1898 Campbell House shows how Spokane’s mining wealth lived at the turn of the last century, and a visit to the museum includes it.

What You’ll See

• Plateau Indian art and artifacts. The museum describes its Plateau collection as the largest in the world, and the building also houses the Center for Plateau Cultural Studies.
• Regional art, history and textiles. The MAC keeps a broad collection of art, historical objects and textiles from the region, shown across five galleries.
• Campbell House. This 13,000 square foot home was designed by Kirtland Cutter, Spokane’s most fashionable architect of the era, with Karl Malmgren, for Amasa B. Campbell, who made his fortune in the Coeur d’Alene mining region. Historic Spokane describes it as Tudor Revival with Arts and Crafts influence, and visitors can tour it on their own.
• Joel E. Ferris Research Archives. Researchers come from around the world to dig into the museum’s archival holdings.

The Story Behind It

The organization began as the Spokane Historical Society in 1916 and took the name Eastern Washington State Historical Society in 1918. Its most important early gift came in 1924, when Helen Campbell donated her childhood home in memory of her mother, Grace. The Campbell House became the society’s first museum and held its exhibits until a new building, the Cheney Cowles Memorial Museum, was dedicated next door in 1960.

In 2001 the museum expanded again, renovating the Cheney Cowles building and adding a new wing, and the society began operating as the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. The Campbell House went through a long formal restoration from 1984 to 2001 that touched everything from the interiors to the wiring.

Tips for Your Visit

• Parking is free in the museum’s three level garage next to the main building, with limited ADA spaces and elevator access. Street parking is also available on First Avenue and Hemlock Street.
• The galleries, museum store, auditorium and restrooms are wheelchair accessible, and the museum has wheelchairs to borrow. The historic Campbell House is not ADA accessible, but the Carriage House Activity Center is.
• Visitors with color blindness can borrow EnChroma glasses at the museum.
• Campbell House keeps shorter tour hours than the main galleries, so check the schedule on the website and plan that part of your visit first.
• The MAC Café has been closed for remodeling, so check the website before counting on lunch there.

Plan Your Visit

Address: 2316 W 1st Ave, Spokane, WA 99201
Phone: 509.456.3931
Website: northwestmuseum.org
Hours and admission: Check the museum website for current days, hours, and admission before you visit.
Directions: View on Google Maps