Help Us Save the John F. Peto Studio Museum!

The John F. Peto Studio Museum  stands on the threshold of a momentous opportunity.  We need your help.

Our benefactor, who owns the Museum building at 102 Cedar Avenue, Island Heights, New Jersey, has generously offered to donate the building and grounds to us.  He has imposed one condition: we must raise $300,000 to be used for the sole purpose of preserving the building’s interior and exterior in its present outstanding condition.

We MUST raise this $300,000 and, in fact, have currently raised $265,000 towards this goal through volunteer Board member fundraising efforts.  If we fail, the building will be given to another non-profit, and the Peto Museum will be forced to close its doors forever.

The Peto Museum is a vibrant hub of artistic and community activity.  This is a unique opportunity to permanently save a rare treasure.  Peto’s studio is one of only a handful of renowned artists’ studios nationwide, along with the studios of Georgia O’Keeffe, Jasper Johns, Andrew Wyeth and Winslow Homer.  We are committed to the preservation of this historic site and its continuation as a cultural center. 

Please help us continue his legacy and provide a first-class arts and cultural heritage experience to the people of New Jersey and beyond.  Any donation will help make an impact. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause, which means so much to our nation's art community.

About John Frederick Peto and the Museum

The John F. Peto Studio Museum possesses historical and architectural significance of great value. It is a monument to the life and work of renowned still-life painter John Frederick Peto, often called the American Rembrandt. Peto is recognized by the art world as an American master of the trompe l’oeil or “fool the eye” school of still-life painting. He was born in Philadelphia in 1854, attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1877 and exhibited there that same year. The artist created his works in Island Heights, New Jersey in virtual obscurity during his lifetime. However, today, the work of this significant 19th century American artist can be found on the walls of major art museums across the country. The John F. Peto Studio Museum is dedicated to preserving Peto’s legacy by maintaining the historic property as a working museum, fostering educational opportunities and serving as a partner in the community.