Cedarhurst Center for the Arts

An extraordinary personal art collection was the reason John and Eleanor Mitchell planned a museum in rural southern Illinois. The museum was built to house the couple's collection of late 19th and early 20th century American paintings and artifacts. The significant collection included works from their friend and fellow collector John Parish. The Mitchells began collecting fine art and artifacts on their travels abroad and engaged several dealers in New York to purchase art for them. Together John and Eleanor built a collection that would become the basis for building the Mitchell Museum. In the past 40 years, Cedarhurst has grown into a cultural mecca, which includes a gallery, classrooms, and studio space.