The Butler Institute is the first museum of American art. The original structure, dedicated in 1919, is a McKim, Mead and White architectural masterpiece listed on the National Register of Historic places. The museum's mission is to preserve and collect works of art in all media created by citizens of our country. The Institute's holdings now exceed 20,000 individual works, and the Butler is known worldwide as "America's Museum."

The Butler is located in Youngstown, Ohio, in Mahoning County, and receives no revenues from the city or county. The Butler charges no admission fee at the main location or at its branch museums, and relies on contributions from the community and the nation to meet its cultural mission.

The Beecher Center, housed in the south wing of the Butler's Youngstown location, is the first museum addition dedicated solely to new media and electronic art. The facility regularly displays works of art that utilize computers, holography, lasers and other digital media. The Beecher Center houses the Zona Auditorium, a digital media theater designed for performance art and high-definition film presentations.

The Butler also operates two satellite facilities in nearby Columbiana and Trumbull Counties. The Salem branch, funded by The Salem Community Foundation, presents selections from the Butler's permanent collection, exhibitions by nationally-known contemporary and historic artists, and the best of regional art talent. The Butler's Trumbull branch, funded in part by Foundation Medici, focuses on important international artists whose works have profoundly influenced America, as well as exhibitions of works by contemporary master painters and sculptors.