Small but significant, the Swope Art Museum is best known for its collection of works by great American artists such as Grant Wood, Thomas Hart Benton, Charles Burchfield, Zoltan Sepeshy and Edward Hopper. Founded through the forward-thinking efforts of local jewelry merchant and cultural connoisseur, Sheldon Swope (1843-1929), the Museum is dedicated to fulfilling its founder's wishes of providing his community, and all other comers, a place to explore the visual arts "...publicly and free of charge...forever," through exhibitions and educational opportunities.