Art Bridges Foundation

Introducing… our new Learning & Engagement Idea Center! The searchable repository consolidates transformative projects developed and presented by our museum partners. With Learning & Engagement support, these events and programs reached new and diverse audiences, connected with repeat visitors in innovative ways, and integrated multiple disciplines, such as the performing arts, science, and technology. This new resource offers plenty for you to explore—a community quilting circle at the Columbia Museum of Art, a jingle dress performance at the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center, a mindful experience at the High Museum of Art, a pop-up exhibition at the Binghamton University Art Museum, an intergenerational storytelling series at the Hunter Museum of American Art, and more. The best part is that we are consistently adding to the Idea Center, so stay tuned! We hope these projects will inspire you, as they have inspired us, to consider new and innovative ways to increase accessibility to art and expand your impact within your community. Access the Idea Center and explore these projects using the link below! https://brnw.ch/artbridges

We’d like to congratulate our colleagues at Alice L. Walton School of Medicine for reaching this historic milestone. We’re excited to collaborate with AWSOM as they enhance traditional medical education with the arts, humanities, and whole health principles!

We're excited to celebrate a special milestone in our partnership with the Peoria Riverfront Museum—five incredible years of art sharing and community engagement!     Since our inaugural 2019 collaboration, “Vantage Points: Contemporary Photography from the Whitney Museum of American Art,” we’ve watched the Peoria Riverfront Museum flourish into a cultural hub where creativity and connection intersect.       Our journey together has been full of meaningful moments—most recently, the September opening of “Glenn Ligon: I Am Somebody.” At the heart of this contemporary art exhibition is “Untitled (I Am Somebody),” which is on loan from our very own collection and is part of the artist’s renowned Door Paintings series. The work references a poem that was written by civil rights activist Rev. William Holmes Borders in the 1950s and later popularized by Rev. Jesse Jackson.      On November 1, the Peoria Riverfront Museum will present a grouping of artworks from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art through our Partner Loan Network in "Solitude: The Necessity of Art,” marking the eighth exhibition and 15th project in our five-year partnership.    We are deeply grateful for the Peoria Riverfront Museum’s unwavering commitment to fostering community engagement and presenting world-class American art. We look forward to many more years of collaboration! Photo caption: Chief Curator Bill Conger and assistant curator Everley Davis discuss the artwork and exhibition title "I Am Somebody," by artist Glenn Ligon, on loan from Art Bridges Foundation. 

We are excited to celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of two artists in our collection, Mark Bradford and Alex Katz, who are both 2023 National Medal of Arts recipients!   This award represents the highest honor bestowed upon artists and arts patrons by the U.S. federal government. President Biden presented medals to the 2022 and 2023 recipients in a private ceremony at the White House earlier this week, recognizing 20 individuals or groups for their contributions to the “excellence, growth, support, and availability of the arts” in our country.    Among the recipients are other visual artists, photographers, filmmakers, singers, musicians, actresses, producers, and arts leaders—including Carrie Mae Weems, Steven Spielberg, Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah, Idina Menzel, and Randy Batista—as well as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.    The 2022 and 2023 National Humanities Medals were presented at the same ceremony, honoring individuals like social justice philanthropist and Art Bridges board member Darren Walker and the late chef and author Anthony Bourdain, as well as organizations like the Mellon Foundation.    Our heartfelt congratulations to all the honorees! https://lnkd.in/g7bKjbZe

Sometimes museums go where their existing donors lead, and sometimes museums can chart a new direction and gain donor support for it. With inspiration from Art Bridges Foundation and others, the Whitney Museum of American Art is showing that donors (including one very generous artist, Julie Mehretu) are willing to support not just new buildings and collections but increased public access. Whitney Director Scott Rothkopf said it just right when he told reporter @Kelly Crow: “In any museum, you’re choosing what to spend money on—be it storage or loans or whatever—but getting more young people in here is the most meaningful thing I can think of to subsidize.”

We are proud to announce two significant appointments at CMA: Rae Root joins us as our third Roy Lichtenstein Curatorial Fellow and Grace Tran joins us as our inaugural Art Bridges Fellow. Rae Root, currently a PhD candidate at the University of Oregon, brings a wealth of experience in North American art and has held curatorial roles at the Wexner Center for the Arts and the Taft Museum of Art. Funded by a generous grant from the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, Root’s appointment as the third Roy Lichtenstein Fellow reflects CMA’s commitment to nurture emerging curatorial talent and underscores Roy Lichtenstein's legacy, whose connection to Columbus remains a cornerstone of this fellowship. Grace Tran, a recent graduate of Pennsylvania State University, joins CMA as the museum’s first Art Bridges Foundation Fellow. This national program is dedicated to increasing access to American art and fostering leadership opportunities for underrepresented communities. Tran will collaborate across departments and with partnering institutions to implement new programming, enhance collection-sharing projects, and contribute to exhibitions. Please join us in welcoming Rae and Grace to the CMA community as they embark on these impactful fellowships! Left: Rae Root | Right: Grace Tran https://lnkd.in/gqcqVHXb

🌞 Opening this November: "American Sunrise: Indigenous Art at Crystal Bridges," a new exhibition that will explore Crystal Bridges' extensive collection of Indigenous art, including new acquisitions of works by Native artists. Guided by three themes, Indigenous Futurism, Place, and Kinship, "American Sunrise" celebrates the historical and ongoing relationships Indigenous peoples carry between the land; intergenerational artistic expressions; and the resilience of affinity between artists and place. Opening on November 9, the show will feature a range of innovative and technically mastered mediums including basketry, beadwork, paintings, photography, and pottery showcasing the achievements of more than 30 prominent artists from what is now known as the United States and Canada, spanning 150 years of creativity. The exhibition is co-curated by Jordan Poorman Cocker, curator of Indigenous art and NAGPRA officer at Crystal Bridges, and Ashley Holland, curator and director of curatorial affairs at Art Bridges Foundation. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3NDlJMx 🎨 Martine Gutierrez, "Queer Rage, Imagine Life-Size, and I'm Tyra, p66-67", 2018, printed 2020, chromogenix color print mounted onSintra, 43 1/8 x 64 1/4 x 1 3/4 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 2020.76.

SAVE THE DATE! CMA Community Days: Día de los Muertos November 3, from 10:00 AM–5:00 PM. Join us for a FREE day of celebration as we honor the rich traditions of Día de los Muertos with engaging activities and special performances. Registration is encouraged, and everyone is welcome. https://ow.ly/QZav50TQlQT Event highlights: • Engage with the community ofrenda • Play Lotería • Enjoy sweet treats from Vainilla & Chocolate plus savory bites from Karmelitas • Join bilingual story time with Ellie Yorba • Shop from El Mercadito and Gente Indígena Collective • Experience performances by Taco Reparations Brigade, drag queen Hiliana Perez, Ballet folclórico Xochihua, and Bee Humana • And more! Día de los Muertos programming is sponsored by PNC Arts Alive. CMA Community Days are sponsored by Art Bridges Foundation. Photos by Joshua Turcios. ¡RESERVA LA FECHA! Los Días Comunitarios del CMA: ¡Día de los Muertos se celebrarán el 3 de noviembre, de 10:00 AM a 5:00 PM! Únete a nosotros para un día de celebración GRATIS mientras honramos las ricas tradiciones del Día de los Muertos con actividades y presentaciones especiales. Se recomienda registrarse, y todos son bienvenidos. https://ow.ly/QZav50TQlQT Lo que habrá: • Participa en la ofrenda comunitaria • Juega Lotería • Disfruta de dulces de Vainilla & Chocolate, además de bocados salados de Casa Karmelitas • Únete a la hora del cuento bilingüe con Ellie Yorba • Compra en El Mercadito y Gente Indígena Collective • Disfruta presentaciones de Taco Reparations Brigade, la drag queen Hiliana Pérez, el Ballet Folclórico Xochihua, y Bee Humana • ¡Y más! La programación del Día de los Muertos está patrocinada por PNC Arts Alive. Los Días Comunitarios del CMA son patrocinados por Art Bridges. Fotos por Joshua Turcios. #DiaDeLosMuertos

Thrilled to share that Petah Coyne’s Untitled #1383 (Sisters – Two Trees) is currently on view at Grounds For Sculpture in its Museum Building through March 2, 2025! Created using unconventional materials such as apple trees and taxidermized peacocks, Untitled #1383 (Sisters – Two Trees) compares and contrasts elegantly with the gardens of GFS. The large-scale #sculpture is on loan from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, which is sharing this work from its permanent collection through Art Bridges Foundation Partner Loan Network. Petah Coyne, Untitled #1383 (Sisters – Two Trees), 2013-2023, apple trees, taxidermied Silver Pied peacocks, taxidermied white peacocks, aniline dye, specially-formulated wax, pigment, silk flowers, pearl-headed hat pins, silk/rayon velvet, felt, thread, plastic, wood, steel, concrete, chicken wire, wire, screws, bolts, washers, steel pipes, picture hangers, paper, glue, epoxy, shellac, paint, 168 x 245 5/8 x 278 7/8 inches.

We were honored to attend Greater Hudson Heritage Network (GHHN) ‘Embracing Innovation’ conference this week to accept our 2024 Award for Excellence for our Free First Friday initiative! Representing the Museum was Samantha Hoover, Deputy Director, Engagement and Operations, and Saralinda Lichtblau, Assistant Director, Education. The awards were given to projects that “exemplify creativity and professional vision resulting in a contribution to the preservation and interpretation of the historic scene, material culture, and diversity of the region.” After the awards were presented, the winners also participated in a poster session to share information all about the winning projects. Thank you to the Greater Hudson Heritage Network hosting a thought-provoking conference and for recognizing the HRM for this prestigious award. And, special thanks to the Art Bridges Foundation Access for All program for making our Free First Fridays possible! Read more about the award at https://lnkd.in/e4BcMnEh #HudsonRiverMuseum #GreaterHudsonHeritageNetwork #GHHN #ArtBridgesFoundation #HRMFirstFridays #FreeFirstFridays #AccessForAll