SURGE: Opening the Art World to Teens

Posted on November 5, 2014 by admin

SURGE Columbus is a collaboration between Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Wexner Center for the Arts, WOSU Public Media, and COSI to connect teens with tools and resources to explore technology, media, art and more.

Recently the CMA Drop-In mentors had a chance to take the SURGE teens to the opening of In ___ We Trust: Art and Money, and it was an incredible experience for the teens. None of them had been to an art opening before, and some had never even seen an art exhibition! As we began to walk through the galleries, the teens were excited to explore the works on display, and even more so, engage with the hands-on features, like turning the handle to make a pressed penny, or perusing the time bank files. It stimulated conversations about art process, personal preferences and favorite artists, and the ideas, motivations, and materials behind the pieces in the show.

To attend the opening of In ___ We Trust was a huge opportunity for the teens. It was a chance to see art in action, something that many of them had never seen before. It was inspiring to many; one teen even came back to Drop-In with an idea to create some art that would include a lot of shiny quarters. It was also a learning experience—many teens got a lesson on the culture of art exhibitions and how to respectfully walk through and appreciate a show like In ___ We Trust. As a mentor, I was elated for the teens to have this invaluable opportunity!

– Mackenzie Musgrave, CMA Drop-In Studio Mentor for SURGE Columbus

October Construction Update

Posted on October 31, 2014 by admin

Construction of the Columbus Museum of Art’s new wing and the renovation of the Ross Wing, an addition the Museum built in 1974 that housed the Museum’s lobby and temporary exhibition space are moving along and we’re excited to share our progress.

Over the coming months, we will be posting brief monthly updates outlining our progress and letting you know what to look for in the near future.

October, 2014 Construction Update

In just a few days, we’ll hit a major construction milestone as the entire building will be enclosed, blocking out the elements before winter weather hits Columbus. We’re also now just a year out from the public opening of the new space. In the coming months we’ll share more information about the opening events.

Overlooking the new garden space

Building the garden wall

This wouldn’t typically be the time of year that brings to mind lush green spaces and serene garden spaces, but, constructing the infrastructure that will blossom into CMA’s new North Garden is the focus of much of the work happening right now. The walls that will enclose the garden are quickly sprouting up in what used to be part of the Museum’s visitor parking lot. Eventually those cinder blocks will be clad in granite and limestone, creating an inviting and serene space for Museum visitors. The garden will also be accessible via a staircase from the Museum’s second-floor terrace, located just off the new special events space. It will be wired to accommodate a sound system so that events can flow from the inside spaces seamlessly to the outdoors.

If you peek at the construction as you walk from the parking lot to the current Museum entrance, you’ll also be able to see that the steel structures that will support the covered walkway into the new Museum lobby and the covered walkway between the staff offices in Beaton Hall and the Museum. Cold, wet days are much less unpleasant if you can dodge the raindrops as you enter the building.

An Insider’s View with CMA’s Sessions Society

Posted on October 29, 2014 by admin

Are you genuinely interested in art in Central Ohio? If so, the Sessions Society of the Columbus Museum of Art is a great group to join. Sessions Society provides members with the opportunity to see a variety of art forms, from glass to textiles to paintings, from a variety of movements and eras, whether it be contemporary, folk art, early Renaissance, to Impressionism. These opportunities are provided through regular gatherings at art galleries and private homes in Central Ohio.

On a recent Friday evening about 30 Sessions members had the opportunity to visit longtime arts supporter Loann Crane in her home at Miranova. Loann’s eclectic art collection includes everything from ancient wood carved doors, pieces by Aminah Robinson and Denny Griffith, folk art, glass, and more. The evening began with Sessions members enjoying some wine and appetizers as they explored Loann’s home. After a welcome by Sessions President Lyn Savidge, Loann Crane provided us with an overview of some of her favorite pieces as well as her collection philosophy. It was inspiring to hear her speak about how she collects pieces that catch her eye and she likes, as opposed to having a deliberate or curated plan for her collection. Several of us noted that hearing her speak gave us the courage to be more playful when it comes to buying art of interest, especially since Loann made it seem so easy to have a piece from hundreds of years ago and halfway around the world installed beside a painting by a contemporary folk artist from right here in Columbus.

With one-of-a-kind opportunities to see collections you might not otherwise have access to see and to learn in detail about artists, the art community, and collectors from throughout Central Ohio, it is understandable to see why Sessions is so much fun for so many of us. Becoming a Sessions member is easy——you can find out more information by visiting the CMA volunteer page. I hope you will join now, as these next few months have great Sessions gatherings coming up!

-Subha Lembach, CMA Museum Volunteer

Gallery of Echoes at Shadowbox Returns in November

Posted on October 21, 2014 by admin

Back by popular demand! In May 2014, Shadowbox Live and CMA joined forces — the result was twenty-one original songs, inspired by works from CMA’s collection, paired with vocals, dance, spoken word, and video. This innovative, multimedia performance provides “a whole new perspective to the artist’s vision.”

November 5-16, 2014. Tickets range from $25 to $40. CMA members receive a $5 discount, use code CMA5, for all shows, except opening night. To make your reservation, contact the box office at 614.416.7625 or shadowboxlive.org.

Connector Series and Creative Community at Columbus Museum of Art

Posted on October 16, 2014 by admin

If you happen to wander into CMA on the second Saturday of any month, you will be greeted with a surprising and participatory experience called the Connector Series. What is this “Connector Series,” you ask?

Here’s the short answer: Connector Series is a visiting artist program which takes place the second Saturday of every month from 1:00 – 4:00pm. However, that really does very little to describe what this program is all about.

Connector Series is participatory, so visitors get to join in on the fun and creativity.
Each Connector Series event looks really different from the last because each artist is so different.
The artists don’t even have to be artists.

What’s that you say? A visiting artist program with artists who aren’t artists? Have you lost your minds!? No. Well, maybe but that is beside the point. Now, don’t get me wrong, all of our Connector Series artists are doing some really cool, creative work. We just have an incredibly broad definition of the word “artist.”

Take Mark Gunderson, also known as DJ TradeMark G, who invents musical instruments using new technology like the Nintendo Wii or Xbox Kinect. Visitors loved trying out his Wii Pillowfight creation and Kinect turntable. Or Zach Baird, a local comedian who uses the label of comedian about as loosely as we use the label of artist. Zach spent a day playing old fashioned parlor games in the galleries with visitors. I don’t know what was going on in parlors in the early 1900s, but it was weird. CMA visitors had a blast.

With such a broad definition, how do we decide who makes the cut? Well, we have a pretty different set of criteria than you might expect.

Are you a creative thinker and doer?
Are you willing to collaborate?
Are you excited to try something new, outside of your comfort zone?
Are you curious, always exploring new ideas?
Are you comfortable with other human beings in a participatory environment?

If you fit all of these criteria, chances are that you would make an excellent Connector Series artist. You don’t necessarily have to make participatory artwork, or even be an artist. In fact, I’m very excited for our January Connector Series, featuring Dungeon Master Rob Kepner, who will share his passion for Dungeons & Dragons (a popular role-playing game) by working with CMA visitors to create their own stories. Rob would never call himself an artist, in fact he’s an engineer, but in many ways he is the perfect candidate. He’s creative, excited to try something new, and willing to share what he loves to do creatively with others.

Do you know someone who might fit the bill? Tell us! Email Jeff Sims (jeff.sims@cmaohio.org) or Susie Underwood (susie.underwood@cmaohio.org) with details.

And if you still don’t know what I’m talking about, why don’t you just stop by next month, November 8, to see Kat Marie Moya, local tattoo artist, and so much more.

Check the calendar for upcoming artists.

What Creativity Can Look and Sound Like

Posted on October 6, 2014 by admin

The bird nest making area in the Wonder Room is one of my favorite places to interact and observe visitors. They create, tell stories, and laugh with each other. What does this creative process look and sound like?

For Gail, Neil, their daughter Jill, and granddaughter Anya, the process was playful and experimental. They approached the table with enthusiasm.

“Let’s play with some other stuff” Neil suggested, as he searched through the materials.

Neil started out playing with the reeds, bending them in different ways. He discovered the twist ties worked well to hold the reeds together. Then he wove the twist ties around the reeds, going over and under repeatedly. Some of the reeds broke, but Neil realized the process was “fun no matter what.” He laughed as he showed his nest to Gail. “There’s no aesthetic goodness to it, but it works!”

Granddaughter Anya then joined in and picked up some materials.

“How do I do this?” she asked Jill.

“I don’t know what comes next; you’ve got to figure it out.”

For Jennifer and Lily, the process was collaborative.

Jennifer told me about their nest, laughing “The more I kept adding to it, the worse it became… Lily added the top part.”

She remembered making a nest with different materials earlier in the summer. She found the new materials to be tricky, but provided more structure.

Jennifer and Lily happily show me the bird nest they created together.

For Helen and Donna, the process was imaginative.

“I’m pretending an actual bird can move in…making it round… for a chickadee or sparrow.” She explained, while working on her nest. “This takes time, like the twist ties. I’m building up patience.”

Donna was curious about the materials. “Oh, look at this, someone took string and took it apart, that’s a clever idea.”

Helen and Donna bending the reeds into circles.

These three stories illustrate creativity in three different ways: Being playful and experimenting, collaborating, and imagining. Yet creativity can look and sound different to everyone. There is no right or wrong way to be creative. Come to the Wonder Room to spark YOUR creativity. Try making a bird nest. What will your creative process look and sound like?

– Kelsey Cyr, CMA Visitor Engagement Coordinator

Author Archives: admin