The Milan Museum: The Newton Arts Gallery
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Founded in 1968, The Edna Roe Newton Arts Building houses galleries filled with works from around the world. The building and collection of paintings, sculptures, glass, and decorative arts were the generous gift Bert Persing Newton. Mr. Newton has many ties to Milan, which is why he chose the Milan Museum to house his and his wife's extensive collection.
Images
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Edna May Roe (January 3, 1890 – November 19, 1964) and Bert Persing Newton (July 1, 1889 – January 6, 1976) grew up on farmlands in Oxford Township, just west of Milan. Following Edna’s graduation from nursing school at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan, the two were married on November 3, 1914. The couple traveled extensively due to Bert Newton’s position as vice president in charge of foreign development for Gulf Oil, developing an appreciation for major works of art. Several of the paintings and artifacts on display were gifts to the Newton’s including the six lace mats made by the Lace makers of King Leopold III of Belgium, who presented them to Edna in 1936. Often described as quiet and shy, Edna enjoyed the arts of needle point and petit point design, executing many examples in the galleries.
Sources
The Milan Museum. Accessed June 12th 2020. www.milanhistory.org.
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The Milan Museum
The Milan Museum
The Milan Museum
The Milan Museum
The Milan Museum
The Milan Museum