FRAMEWORK FOR THE PRESENTATION: Yesterday- Today- Tomorrow- SLIDE #1 introduction CLAREMONT MUSEUM OF ART 2.0 – Catchwords: Learning from the past; preparing to meet the needs of the present, innovating for the future. This is the new CMA
SLIDE #2 YESTERDAY’S CMA Over twenty years in the making, the Claremont Museum of Art won critical acclaim and attracted a great deal of interest upon its debut in 2007 with arresting contemporary art exhibitions and public events. Overseen by an ambitious Board of Directors, and staffed by those who wished to make a museum with regional, national, and international significance, CMA worked hard to meet those expectations. By 2009, pilot community arts education programs, such as the innovative ARTX student art competition, the aRtPM graffiti artist residency with teens from the Youth Activity Center, and the Museum’s popular free monthly Family Art Days, had begun to make inroads in the community, and help the institution begin to take root in its home-town. Sadly, despite the heroic efforts of some to build a lasting institution, CMA closed its doors at the end of 2009, a victim of the recession.
Slide #3 TODAY’S CMA (image: photo of Sandy/Ellen, various activities from late 2009 when the CMA was trying to connect with the community and come back from the brink.) In early 2010, a newly formed and re-energized Volunteer Board of Directors took the helm, and identified four key steps to achieving a CMA revival: Establish a solid financial footing for the organization going forward Secure the museum’s art holdings and collections; Design programs that engage and serve Claremont’s core audiences, (adults, families, and students) Serve the community by putting collaboration and education at the heart of the CMA’s new mission. The Board acted quickly to address all three, giving advisors and members a mandate to put events and programs in place that would allow the organization to remain as a museum without walls, offering members exclusive access to private art collections, while contributing to a lasting future of community-based programming, grounded in the real needs and interests of CMA audiences. The focus of this presentation is to share how CMA is laying the foundation for its next incarnation.
Slide #4 - BUILDING SUPPORT (images: candids from Artful Affair, Artful Evenings, etc) Taking lessons from community arts council events across the country, CMA introduced fundraising events called Artful Evenings as exclusive, member-based events that allow adults and seniors to enjoy a festive atmosphere while continuing their education about notable art, architecture, and celebrated artists who make or once made their homes in Claremont. Events are hosted in private homes, or other locations of significance
SLIDE #5 LAUNCHING THE MUSEUM WITHOUT WALLS (images – Bas Jan Ader opening and works) CMA Board Members worked with their colleagues at the Pitzer College Galleries to find a home for the orphaned Bas Jan Ader retrospective that was in the pipeline when the museum closed, demonstrating that the museum without walls could move to different venues as needed.
SLIDE #6 ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY: OPENART STUDIO TOURS (images: artists in-studio, etc.) In 2010, CMA introduced an Artists’ Studio Tour, which allowed new and experienced art collectors to access the array of artistic talent throughout the community, and learn about art from the artists who make it. The event galvanized art lovers, as well as artists themselves, two key constituencies identified by the Board as core audiences.
SLIDE #7 TOMORROW BEGINS TODAY: CMA EDUCATION PROGRAMS (image: ArtSpot drop-in art, an ARTx, ARTstART related visuals) After re-establishing relationships with its members and funders through the adult-oriented and educational Artful Evening, special events, and Artist Studio Tours, the CMA has taken the best of the CMA’s first incarnation, improved upon them, and re-booted these items alongside new programming initiatives we hope to fund in the coming years. They are: ArtSpot Family Art Booth (formerly Family Art Day) ArtX exhibition Project ARTstART Teen Outreach
SLIDE #8: ARTSPOT~ DROP-IN FAMILY ART BOOTH (images: independence day art booth, sample works of art, etc) Taking advantage of community celebration days, CMA has improved upon and re-introduced its most popular offering, ArtSpot, a drop-in art happening for Family arts and crafts. Created using engaging art-making techniques, ArtSpot Family Art Day crafts allow families to have fun making art together, using simple materials to explore themes related to the festival day. Based on the success of the 2 pilot programs held in 2010, CMA is ready to launch four ArtSpot Family Art activities during festivals, at farmers’ markets, and for special holiday occasions should funds become available. ***Note: the original slide 9 has been removed, at the suggestion of the Board Members.
SLIDE #10 ARTX STUDENT ART COMPETITION & EXHIBITION (images: 2009 reception, winners, current artworks) After a one year hiatus, the high school art competition and exhibition - ArtX - has returned, under the watchful eye of former CMA Education Director Lori Evans Lama, who piloted the first ArtX in 2009, and organized ArtX 2011 Based on lessons learned in 2009, Museum staff and volunteers have undertaken a concerted outreach effort to art teachers and art students, and ensure community interest. Held in 2011 at the Claremont Heritage’s Ginger Elliott Galleries, at the historic Garner House, the event featured submissions from all three major high schools in town, and provided young artists the opportunity to have their works judged by working artists and museum professionals, and hung in a professionally installed exhibition.
SLIDE #11 ARTX CONT’D (image: muted background, current judges, works, etc) The winning and honorable mention artists (23 notables out of 77 submissions were received for ArtX 2011, a sizeable increase over 2009) received cash prizes, and all participants had their works displayed in a virtual exhibition both at the gallery and at ArtX’s website. CMA plans to raise money for staffing, materials/installation costs, and prizes that will enable ArtX to once again become the kind of high-quality annual tradition in Claremont that the community’s young artists deserve.
SLIDE #11 PROJECT ARTstART (images: HRM docents and Exploris docents at work, along with Maia’s ARTstART logo) – This is a preview of CMA’s tomorrow – Project ARTstART Slated to join the public offerings of CMA’s new community-based arts education line-up is Project ARTstART, a collaborative project that melds the best aspects of Claremont’s cultural offerings and educational institutions into a single program Utilizing partnerships formed with high schools, colleges, district administrators, and cultural venues, ARTstART will feature older students teaching about, and younger students learning about how to appreciate new and different ways of making art. In partnership with the CUSD, CMA plans to recruit high school students to serve as ARTstART Teens -their job: to learn about local exhibitions, get trained on how to best present activities and lessons to elementary school students, and then prepare arts appreciation units for classes. Elementary kids will get to go on field trips and learn about local exhibitions from their ARTstART Teens, who will in turn receive training and mentoring from students at the Claremont Colleges.
SLIDE #12 KIDS TEACHING KIDS - A PROVEN CONCEPT (images: Exploris workshops, Nasher Museum visit, and HRM docents) Research shows that elementary students respond well to high school students, and high school students learn best themselves when they’re teaching others. The concept of student docents serving as tour guides and gallery instructors is not new; many museums rely upon teens to make art exhibitions more relevant to younger audiences and families. Claremont already has galleries and small museums that offer some of the best art shows this side of Los Angeles –ARTstART connects the students with the shows. CMA hopes to launch ARTstART at CHS, SAHS, and Sycamore elementary, eventually reaching all primary schools in Claremont.
