The Zigler Museum or Zigler Art Museum (ZAM), located in Jennings, Louisiana, is the largest art museum in southwest Louisiana. The permanent collection of the museum represents major movements in art from the Middle Ages to the present.
Known for its innovative exhibitions, the museum enriches communities through programs, competitions, and rotating cultural and art exhibits. The Festival of Christmas is a yearly event in which galleries are adorned with Christmas trees and other festive decorations.
The Zigler Art Museum’s facilities encompasses approximately 4,500 square feet (418 m2) of exhibition space.
The Ruth B. Zigler Memorial Wing - also called the Fine Arts Gallery, houses a collection of American and European masterpieces by such painters as Anthony Van Dyck, John Constable, George Inness, Rembrandt Van Rijn, Charles Sprague Pearce, Helen Turner, Albert Bierstadt, Camille Pissarro, Maurice de Vlaminck and Albrecht Dürer.
The Fred B. Zigler Memorial Wing - also called the Wildlife Gallery, houses realistic wildlife dioramas, John James Audubon prints and Double Elephant Folios. The wing also serves as rotating exhibition space.
The Front Gallery houses the Zigler collection of the work of William Tolliver, the largest private collection of the artist’s work which is permanently exhibited.
The Central & Sun Room Galleries house a continuing exhibit of Zigler collection of American artists, especially Louisiana artists, with examples by Clementine Hunter, Ellsworth Woodward, Will Ousley, Alexander Calder, and Alexander Drysdale.
The Zigler Museum was created in 1963 by Mrs. Ruth B. Zigler, widow of industrialist and philanthropist Fred B. Zigler. In her desire for a cultural center for southwest Louisiana she donated the estate which had been the Zigler family home since 1908. In 1969 the Greek Revival mansion was renovated and enlarged by the addition of two major wings.