Our History

From a Little White House to a Community Landmark

The Nicolaysen Art Museum began in 1967, when Casper resident Mary Durham and a group of friends hosted the city’s first community art show in a small white house that still stands at the corner of “A” and Park Streets. The nonprofit art gallery was first known simply as Gallery A.

Growing Into a Regional Museum

In 1972, the newly renamed Central Wyoming Art Museum moved into a 7,000-square-foot former bus station on Rancho Road. The expanded space provided room for exhibitions, classes, and community art programs.

By 1977, mortgage payments had become a burden—until Gerald G. Nicolaysen, a Casper-area rancher, generously paid off the debt in full. In gratitude, the Board of Trustees renamed the museum the Nicolaysen Art Museum.