Tell us about your organization:
• Mission: Crystal Bridges welcomes all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature.
NEW 365
Who: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
What: New Year’s Eve celebration, live music, dancing, art, performances, cash bar, food, drinks
When: 9 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Dec. 31
Where: The museum in Bentonville
Tickets: $75 or $60 for members
Attire: Party
Information: (479) 657-2335 or crystalbridges.org
• Services provided: My department, Public Programs, provides year-round programs for guests of all ages. Our classes range from CB Babies on Saturday mornings for adults with infants ages 3 to 24 months, to summer art camps, nature workshops, figure drawing and social "Art by the Glass" artmaking for adults.
• Service area: We have welcomed more than 4 million visitors since opening seven years ago -- from all 50 states and six out of the seven continents.
• Average number of people served annually: Crystal Bridges attendance for 2017 was 633,000.
How is your organization's mission unique? Access is the key to our mission and, thankfully, we have generous sponsors who make it possible for visitors to see our permanent collection and thousands of school children to come here for programs and tours, completely free of charge.
Why do you work or volunteer for a nonprofit organization? Do you have a personal connection to the mission? If so, what is it? I have always been drawn to the arts; my undergraduate degree is in painting and drawing. I still occasionally draw or paint -- usually if I'm taking one of our adult studio classes -- but now I exercise my creativity through metalsmithing and creating jewelry in sterling and brass. I was fortunate many years ago to discover museum education, obtain a graduate degree and work in this field. My colleagues and I use our passion for art and learning to develop and facilitate experiences that bring people together to engage with Crystal Bridges and all it offers. There are so many ways to engage with art, architecture and nature; this work has unending opportunities for creative satisfaction.
What part of your job fills the most of your time? Great programs form through collaboration; I spend a lot of time with my 10-person public programs team working on our current offerings and long-term planning, as well as with colleagues inside and outside the museum.
What have you learned on the job that you didn't expect? I have been very happy to learn that we have an enthusiastic and growing audience for multigenerational programs, and these are developing into some of our largest signature events , including Garden Party, Light Night, Art Night Out and our Forest Concert Series. I love to see adults and children in our community come together to experience and enjoy the arts and nature, and know my work helps make that happen!
What challenges face your organization? To achieve our mission of "welcoming all" and offering expansive programs that are widely inclusive, we are not only focused on visitors but also on learning about people in our region who are not visiting Crystal Bridges. We are exploring barriers to their participation, and working to reach out and develop new relationships and collaborations. Over the last few years, we have initiated community advisory groups and internal committees who build awareness and explore diversity barriers for visitors, volunteers, or employees -- this includes Hispanic/Latino, LGBTQ, and veterans groups, among others.
Are there volunteer opportunities in your organization? What are they? Definitely! There are opportunities for volunteers throughout the museum, both working with our guests and more behind the scenes. In the education department in particular, we are always seeking volunteers to help with our public programs and serving hundreds of school lunches daily!
What upcoming fundraisers and/or other events does your organization have planned? NEW365 is a fantastic New Year's Eve party taking place across the museum, with live music, dance, art and performances -- crystalbridges.org for all the details. Also, while students are out on winter break, we have lots of fun drop-in activities for families here every day -- from artmaking to movies and music, including our super-popular Noon Year's Eve celebration.
NAN Profiles on 12/09/2018