Delaware Art Museum Store

A very memorable experience for me was my visit to the Delaware art museum. I would say in general this was a bit of a let down. I loved the exhibits actually and the art was very nice. They even had a cafe inside the museum. The wait time was practically non-existent when I went, and I went with my friend. Each ticket cost us $20 however I believe this was a fair price for the amount of content that we could see. The cafe was a fair price and similar to others in the area. I believe this cafe would’ve been a managed service, and the cafe is an outsourced business/third party. However my experience was mostly negative. From the time we entered the first exhibit, a staff member told us that we were too close to the artwork; When we were several feet away. Later on we noticed a large group of kids being very loud. This was most likely a field trip which I understood but no staff members had approached them and the kids continued being loud. Then maybe 10 minutes later we walked into another exhibit where we were another 3-4 feet away from the artwork and their sensors had malfunctioned. Saying that we were once again too close to the artwork. I furthermore had to explain to the staff member and reassure them that we will not be close to the art work and explain the issue with the sensor, which they were not very understanding to. Later on we decided to visit the Cafe, we had purchased 1 drink each, for me and my friend and the cafe was a pleasant experience. The staff was nice and the interior was nicely furnished. However when we decided to exit the cafe we were told we could not enter back with our drinks. I understood this, and it made sense to me. However there were no signs or instructions/rules indicating this before we left the cafe. So once again our peace was interrupted by staff. We had then thrown our drinks away and continued exploring the rest of the museum until we entered a small exhibit where we saw a staff member leisurely laying down in the middle of the room on their phone. We felt uncomfortable being in this small room with her and we felt like we were interrupting her break or something. This was very frustrating to us because we couldn’t comfortably see that room and the artwork there in peace. Later on we entered the last exhibit. I had been taking pictures with my phone and some more pictures on my META sunglasses. Approximately 2 minutes later we were approached by the same staff member that we saw laying down in the other room. She told us that we could not take pictures with flash and that it could damage the art. Once again we shrugged it off but at this point we were mad. The art that we took a picture of with the flash was a metal sculpture that was already being illuminated by about 10-15 separate lights and we were never given instructions or warnings about the flash. Ultimately this left a sour experience for me and my friend and unfortunately in that condition i couldn’t recommend to anyone or want to go there ever again

Beautiful, well curated museum with a diverse collection of paintings from many different time periods, styles and regions. A little bit of something for everyone. To top it off the sculpture garden surrounding the museum is a great way to start or finish your experience.

Maybe it was because our first visit coincided with an Eagles game, or the beautiful fall weather that there were no crowds to contend with, leaving us to enjoy the museum at our own pace. The permanent exhibits provided a great opportunity to view multiple pieces by Sloan and Pyle as well as the excellent temporary exhibits on Illustrating Race, and Plant Photography.

The Delaware Art Museum is truly one of my happy places. Every time I visit, I leave feeling calmer, inspired, and mentally refreshed. There’s something incredibly grounding about wandering through the galleries—the pace, the light, the artwork—it all creates space to breathe and think clearly. Whether I’m seeking creative inspiration or just a quiet moment of peace, this museum always delivers. It’s beautifully curated, never overwhelming, and feels like a sanctuary in the middle of everyday life. I’m so grateful to have a place like this in Delaware—it’s a gift to the community and a constant source of inspiration for me. Highly recommend to anyone looking to reconnect with creativity, beauty, and a sense of calm.