Beach Museum of Art receives award funding to enhance, broaden access to the arts
Monday, Sept. 27, 2021
The Beach Museum of Art has received a Bridge Ahead award from the Art Bridges Foundation and will use the support to hire Manhattan teacher and musician Nate McClendon to assist with two photography exhibitions at the museum.
MANHATTAN — The Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art at Kansas State University has received a Bridge Ahead Initiative award from the Art Bridges Foundation to support the addition of a part-time teaching artist to assist with two new photography exhibitions at the museum.
Nate McClendon, a respected Manhattan teacher and musician, will lend his talents to the Beach Museum of Art's "Gordon Parks: Homeward to the Prairie I Come" and "Doug Barrett: Find Your Voice" exhibitions. Both exhibitions are now open to the public through May 28, 2022. Online versions will be available starting Sept. 30.
"The works by Gordon Parks and Doug Barrett demonstrate how art can engender social awareness and empathy," said Linda Duke, museum director. "As the Art Bridges teaching artist, Nate is focused on engaging audiences with the potential of these timely exhibitions to help all of us understand the challenges that face our society and conceive ways to make it more just, inclusive, and compassionate. Nate's artistry as a musician and his gifts as a teacher enable him to be an ambassador, mentor and exemplar of the ways the arts can open minds."
Earlier this year the Beach Museum of Art became a member of a consortium of around 150 museums invited by the Art Bridges Foundation, which works to increase access to American art. The Bridge Ahead Initiative was created by the foundation in response to the pandemic to support consortium museums in developing virtual engagement opportunities, as well as to provide assistance with reopening plans.
Since 2017, Art Bridges has been creating and supporting programs that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities. Working with its growing network of partner museums, which are all sizes and located across the country, Art Bridges provides financial and strategic support for exhibition development, collection loans from Art Bridges and other museums, and programs designed to educate, inspire and deepen engagement with local audiences.
Art Bridges is a perfect fit for the Beach Museum of Art and its mission to highlight the visual art of Kansas and the region, Duke said.
"The Beach Museum of Art is a welcoming place for all ages to visit, offering free exhibitions and public programs," Duke said. "The museum's focus on visual art reveals connections with science, history, new technologies and more. Its offerings aim to inspire critical thinking, open dialogue, explore diverse perspectives and celebrate creativity."
The Beach Museum of Art, 701 Beach Lane, is on the southeast corner of the K-State campus. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Free parking is available adjacent to the building. For a calendar of events or to catch a livestream program or view exhibitions online, go to beach.k-state.edu, or watch videos of the museum's special programs and events on its YouTube channel, beach.k-state.edu/videos.
