The Everson is a museum of firsts. It was the first museum to dedicate itself to the collection of American art, to create a permanent collection of ceramics, to collect video art, to create a docent program, and to hire the now internationally-known architect I.M. Pei to design its building, a sculptural work of art in its own right. The Everson is home to approximately 11,000 works of art: American paintings, sculpture, drawings, video, graphics, and one of the largest holdings of international ceramics in the nation.

Through dynamic and meaningful encounters with modern and contemporary American art, the Everson Museum of Art engages diverse communities, inspires curiosity and lifelong learning, and contributes to a more vital and inclusive society.