#plastino

[epagelmatias-blog]

Plastino - Δάπεδα Παρκέτα - Νέα Ιωνία

Plastino – Δάπεδα Παρκέτα – Νέα Ιωνία

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[sleto-community-museums-blog]

Yesterday I began my research in the last state on my summer museum tour -- New York! I got to meet two of the Queens Museum’s public programming and community outreach staff members, Prerana Reddy and Jacqueline Candia. I learned all about the Queens Museum’s amazing programs, with a particular focus on those that engage the large immigrant population in Queens. Today I also got to see a Colombian Music and Dance Festival that was hosted in the park right behind the museum. Tomorrow I’ll be back to meet with the coordinators of Immigrant Movement International, another one of the museum’s community programs! 

[sleto-community-museums-blog]

The past two days in Chicago have really flown by! On Wednesday (my first full day here) I did a lot of exploring in the city; I took an architectural boat tour along the lake/riverfront and got to learn all about the history of Chicago through it’s architecture. I also walked around Millennium Park (home of the famous Bean aka the Cloud Gate) and the Lincoln Park Zoo and Conservatory, where I saw so many amazing animals and flowers. 

Yesterday I went to the DuSable Museum of African American History, my research point here in Chicago. I toured the museum and got to meet with Nevada Montgomery, the Education and Outreach Coordinator. Nevada also showed me around the mobile museum - a van with interactive and educational exhibits that brings the museum into the community. Although the mobile museum is geared toward elementary school kids it is definitely something that older kids and adults can also find fun and interesting! After my visit to the DuSable I explored the University of Chicago’s campus and went to the Art Institute of Chicago.

Today I’m going to the Chicago Cultural Center to see if I can get more information about their public art programming and to the National Museum of Mexican Art to tour and see if I can speak to education and outreach staff there as well.

[sleto-community-museums-blog]

After a relaxing week at home spent catching up with family and friends I left for Chicago this morning. I spent my first day in the Windy City exploring the business district and the riverfront. A packed schedule of sightseeing and exploring is planned for tomorrow before I start my research at the DuSable Museum on Thursday. More photos and stories to come tomorrow!

[sleto-community-museums-blog]

I’ve really enjoyed my time here in Santa Cruz! I’ve eaten a lot of great food, seen a lot of beautiful art, and met a lot of very kind people who have shared with me their opinions about art outreach in the Santa Cruz community. In the neighborhoods of Santa Cruz that I’ve visited I’ve seen so many examples of local people (some artists by trade and some artists by hobby) who have used art to make Santa Cruz more beautiful and welcoming to all. 

One of my favorite activities in Santa Cruz was the Public Art Walking Tour because I got to see a lot of cool local art and meet many interesting people along the way. As my research is also looking at underserved audiences and how to make the arts accessible to all, I was happy to see this example of arts programming that is both meaningful and free. 

A few of the local art initiatives that I hoped to visit during my time in Santa Cruz were unfortunately closed for a few days because of 4th of July but I hope to be able to continue my research via email throughout the summer. Contacts at City Arts, the Santa Cruz Art League, and the Kaiwa Art & Play Space will hopefully be able to give me a little more insight into how art is helping the Santa Cruz community grow and come together.

[sleto-community-museums-blog]

I’ve been in Santa Cruz for 3 days and it’s been nothing but amazing so far! 

I spent Thursday exploring downtown and trying to find somewhere that sold tooth brushes (the airport accidentally left my luggage back in AZ and wasn’t sure when they’d be able to get it to me... I was a little panicked since I had to be at the museum the next morning but it all worked out. Special shout out to Alfonso from the airport who rescued my luggage and got it to me at 10 pm!)

Yesterday I visited the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH). I planned my visit around their First Friday event (which, as the name implies, happens on the first Friday of every month). As part of First Friday, the MAH offers free admission to the galleries all day and a guest speaker and an art-making activity in the evening. The city of Santa Cruz also has its own arts-related programming for the first Friday of every month. The city offers a calendar of local museums, studios, galleries, etc. that offer free First Friday events in order to encourage people to check out the arts in Santa Cruz and the surrounding areas. After touring the MAH’s permanent collection and the two current exhibitions (one about Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead and another about the 3 Hawaiian princes who first brought surfing to mainland USA). After my tour I met with Stacey Garcia, the Director of Community Engagement. The MAH not only has a mission statement, but a vision and action for achieving that mission and Stacey gave me a lot of great insight into how the MAH works toward those 3 elements. We also discussed the MAH’s expansion into Abbott Square that will be coming soon and effective strategies for broadening the impact that museums can have in their communities. 

After my meeting I went on a walking tour of the public art in Santa Cruz which included over 30 murals and sculptures across the city. In the evening I went back to the MAH for the second part of the First Friday event. I learned a lot at the MAH and it was great to start building upon what I did and learned back in Tucson. Special thanks to Stacey for meeting with me and sharing her thoughts and ideas! To learn more about the MAH visit them online: http://www.santacruzmah.org/

Today I spent 4th of July at Seabright beach and am going to try to catch some fireworks later tonight. During the rest of my time in Santa Cruz I plan on exploring the numerous public art initiatives, such as City Arts and Santa Cruz Art League, to learn about what they do to support the local community.

[sleto-community-museums-blog]

Yesterday was my last day in Tucson; I started the day by visiting Ben’s Bells and ended the day with a hike through Sabino Canyon. 

Ben’s Bells is a non-profit community art project that aims to “inspire, educate, and motivate people to realize the impact of intentional kindness, and to empower individuals to act according to that awareness, thereby strengthening ourselves, our relationships, and our communities.” Ben’s Bells is extremely well known throughout Tucson and has recently expanded to Phoenix as well as to Newtown, CT. Ben’s Bells welcomes volunteers of all ages to make and paint clay beads that will become part of a bell -- bells are sold at the Ben’s Bell shop and distributed in spots around Tucson (or wherever people choose to take them) as part of the intentional acts of kindness mission. Each week, Ben’s Bells staff and volunteers will also “bell” a member of the Tucson community who has done something especially kind or impactful. When I spoke with a Ben’s Bells staff member she said “you’d think that once a week would be too much...that we’d have a hard time finding people to bell...but trust me, it’s much easier than you’d think. There are a lot of amazing people in our community.” At the original Ben’s Bells location near the University of Arizona in Tucson I was able to paint a few beads and learn more about the Ben’s Bells project. I also visited a few of the 10 Ben’s Bells murals that can be seen around Tucson. While on the mural tour I made an exciting discovery - a few of the murals were designed by Isaiah Zagar who designed the Magic Gardens in Philadelphia. To learn more about Ben’s Bells check our their website: https://bensbells.org/

Visiting Tucson was a great start to my Plastino research and gave me a lot of insight into how museums and local art initiatives can work independently, as well as together, to improve their communities. 

Today I arrived in Santa Cruz, California and tomorrow I’ll be visiting the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. 

[sleto-community-museums-blog]

The past couple of days in Tucson have been very busy... After spending Friday at TMA I decided to expand my museum studies to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The Desert Museum is a zoo and natural history museum that has built up animal exhibits around their preexisting habitats. A visit to the museum entails a walk through the desert itself, where you get to spot animals along the way. Alex Kate’s family and I went to the museum on Saturday night as part of the Desert Museum’s Cool Summer Nights program. On Saturdays from June to September the museum holds extended hours and each Cool Summer Nights Saturday also features a special educational program/theme. When we were there the theme was bats; there was an educational presentation, a research presentation by bat experts, and a bats themed craft for kids and families. It was really nice to get to visit during one of the Cool Summer Nights because it allowed me to see how the museum is working towards accessibility, which is an issue that I’m interested in studying throughout my research project. By offering new elements such as more hours (as in the case of the Desert Museum), lower admission rates, public transportation to/from the museum, etc. museums can open themselves up to a wider audience and make themselves more accessible for those audiences. 

Sunday and Monday were spent exploring more of Tucson and learning about the culture of this part of Arizona. I had my first ever Sonoran hot dog - which is a bacon wrapped hot dog covered in pinto beans, onions, and a million other things. Tucson is very close to the Mexican border and the local culture and food are largely influenced by that. The Sonoran hot dog gets its name from nearby Sonora, Mexico. 

Today I’ve been reviewing my notes and documents from TMA including the ~30 page Community Engagement Assessment that Morgan and Marianna were kind enough to share with me and planning for tomorrow, my last full day in Arizona. 

Tomorrow I’ll be heading back into downtown Tucson to visit Ben’s Bells, which is a community art initiative that aims to spread art and kindness. I’m interested in looking at how local art institutions work toward fostering a sense of community and in finding links between their objectives and approaches and those of the two museums I’ve visited.