Friends of the Susquehanna River Art Collection

SUSQUEHANNA RIVER ART COLLECTION FINDS A NEW HOME IN COLUMBIA, PA!

For centuries, the Susquehanna River has inspired artists to capture its beauty and history, and for the last decade, Rob Evans has made it his life's purpose to share that story with the world. Working alongside arts patron and philanthropist James Snyder, Rob built the Susquehanna River Art Collection into a rare and extraordinary portrait of American history, told through the river that shaped it. In 2025, that vision became an organization: the Friends of the Susquehanna River Art Collection, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was founded to secure, grow, and share this collection with the public for generations to come.

Today, the Collection includes more than 150 works spanning over four centuries, including paintings, drawings, engravings, lithographs, etchings, books, maps, ceramics, and vintage printing plates and tools. Together, they tell the story of the Susquehanna from first contact with Native populations through conflict, settlement, agriculture, and the expansion of industry along its shores.

Now, we've reached one of the most exciting moments in our young organization's history: the Friends have acquired a historic building at 22 S. 2nd Street in downtown Columbia, PA, where the Collection will open to the public for the very first time. Here we will develop a robust program that connects works currently housed in the Hellam Preserve with those installed in the new building, creating a two-site journey across the river.

Primarily housing historical work at Hellam Preserve and 20th-century-onward work in Columbia lets visitors see the river's landscape firsthand, pairing the Preserve's pastoral setting with Columbia's industrial character, with each location weighted toward, but not limited to, the era and themes most connected to it.

Under the leadership of our Board of Trustees and Executive Director Quinn Evans, working alongside Founder and Chief Curator Rob Evans, Museum Consultant Terrie Sultan, and Administrator Carol Foley Bolt, the Friends remain committed to:

• Encompassing the wide range of cultural, social, political, and economic narratives that define the history of the river and its importance to the American story.

• Ensuring many voices and artistic perspectives are represented, telling the full story of the river's creative legacy and contemporary meaning.

• Advancing scholarship in American art history through exhibitions, programs, and publications.

• Building educational partnerships with organizations like the Lancaster Conservancy and the Susquehanna National Heritage Area to deepen community engagement.

• Meeting professional museum standards as we develop this new space.

The Collection was recently featured in the major exhibition American Identity: Restoring the Susquehanna River's Artistic Legacy at the Susquehanna Art Museum in Harrisburg, PA, drawing record attendance and generating strong regional and national press attention.

Become a Friend of the Susquehanna River Art Collection and help us build an organization that will inspire future generations of art lovers through our mighty river's artistic heritage. Your gift today supports our general operating costs: the curatorial work, staffing, and day-to-day management that make it possible for us to grow the Collection, plan our new gallery space, and work toward a world-class museum for the Susquehanna River's story.