This facility presents a variety of exhibitions which are planned by staff. It showcases seven to nine rotating shows annually; an exhibit can range from 4 to 12 weeks in duration. The Museum/Art Gallery features local, national, and international art and historical exhibitions from our collections, private lenders, and other museums. Our shows are accompanied with free public receptions and lectures. We also feature an 800-square foot permanent display of dinosaur and prehistoric mammal fossils.

We have displayed an array of artwork and historical items including ancient Egyptian mummies, Mayan artifacts, race cars, antique automobiles, civil war memorabilia, robotic dinosaurs, Native American artifacts, NASA space suits, and artwork by Picasso, Renoir, Rembrandt, Goya, Daumier, da Vinci, Chagall, Bischoff, and many others.

The historical exhibitions are usually based on the Museum/Art Gallery’s permanent collection. We receive local donated items from Antelope Valley residents who wish to see the history of the Antelope Valley preserved for future generations. We now have over 2500 historical items in the permanent collection.

The City of Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery was officially dedicated on January 18, 1986. However, the site’s historical importance reaches back into the very beginning of Lancaster’s history.

A railway siding at Lancaster was created after the Southern Pacific Railroad came through the desert floor during August of 1876. A town was laid out at the beginning of 1884. The area where the Museum/Art Gallery is located was at first empty land behind the general stores, a blacksmith shop, various businesses, and private residences clustered on Sierra Highway (old Antelope Avenue) and Lancaster Boulevard (old Tenth Street). A house located on the southeastern corner of the Museum/Art Gallery’s parking lot served as the first school (c. 1885/86).

When the Western Hotel (located ½ block northwest of the Museum/Art Gallery on Lancaster Boulevard) opened (c. 1888/89), the Museum/Art Gallery land was used as corrals for the animals of the hotel’s guests and later the crews working on the Los Angeles Aqueduct (c. 1908-1912).

Different businesses were established on this site through the years but one of the most important was the old Valley Theatre. It was built by the Carter family in 1926. The facility could seat 500 people. Carter later rented it to Frank Gumm, the father of actress Judy Garland (Frances Gumm). It was at this location that Judy and her sisters entertained local audiences.

Later a Shopping Bag market was here. Afterwards the building would house a commercial enterprise. The old Shopping Bag building then stood vacant for several years. It symbolized a major challenge for City of Lancaster planners. At first it was proposed that this structure become the new City Hall. However, it was then decided to work with the Antelope Valley Union High School District and renovate this building into a modern structure serving as the District’s headquarters and a Museum/Art Gallery.