Established in 1878 by a talented group of artists and art patrons, the Lowell Art Association is the oldest incorporated art association in the United States. The founding members - including prominent Lowell residents Thomas Bailey Lawson, Freeman Shedd, Helen Whittier, and Rev. Horatio Wood - formed the association to “advance the study and progress of art in the city where it was formed.”

Today, the Lowell Art Association continues to operate the Whistler House Museum of Art, maintaining a permanent art collection, organizing contemporary and historical art exhibitions, and sponsoring varied educational and community-oriented cultural programs. With a growing artist membership from around the world, the Lowell Art Association prides itself on promoting the legacy of its founders to “develop, nurture, and increase a love of, and taste for, art in all its forms among the citizens of Lowell” and beyond.