The Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art is located on the square in downtown Marietta, about twenty miles northwest of Atlanta, and occupies a Greek revival–style building constructed in 1909. The structure housed the Marietta post office until 1963 and subsequently housed the town library until 1989. Founded in 1990 by a group of art patrons, the museum is supported through funding from the Georgia Council for the Arts, the City of Marietta, and Cobb County.
The permanent collection of the Marietta/Cobb Museum is primarily nineteenth- and twentieth-century American art. The museum rotates exhibitions quarterly, highlighting regional artists, works from the permanent collection, and national traveling exhibitions. Exhibitions at the museum have included Winslow Homer Facing Nature, the Wyeth family exhibit, the Paul Jones Show (a collection of African and African American art), and Telling It Like It Is: Photojournalism in the Post-Modern World, which featured works by several regional artists. Nationally and regionally acclaimed artists who have exhibited at the museum include Dale Chihuly (glasswork) and Martha Simkins (painting), among others.
The Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art facilities include galleries, a gift shop, and a children’s gallery with hands-on exhibitions. The museum provides a variety of programming for the public, including tours, lectures, classes, workshops, an art camp, family activities, and art festivals.