Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences

The mission of the Lakeview Museum of Art and Science is to collect, study and interpret human culture and creativity in order to inspire lifelong learning for the Illinois River Region and the world in which we live. Lakeview is the largest private museum in downstate Illinois and serves a varied audience of both rural and urban populations. The diversity of the permanent collection provides a wonderful platform from which the museum can fulfill its mission. The fine arts collection includes a variety of paintings, prints, sketches and sculpture, many of which were created by artists from Illinois and the Midwest. The museum has a wide ranging decorative arts collection. It also has developed a reputation for Midwestern and Illinois folk art including an extensive collection of waterfowl decoys. The museum also has an excellent African art collection, as well as Native American and Pre-Columbian artifacts. There is also an extensive natural science collection of minerals, fossils, insects and shells.