Fresno Art Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1948 |
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| Location | 2233 N First St, Fresno, California, United States |
| Type | Art museum |
| Accreditation | American Association of Museums |
The Fresno Art Museum is an exciting art museum located in Fresno, California. It's a place where you can see many different kinds of art. The museum has art from today (contemporary art) and art from more recent times (modern art). You can also find amazing art from Mexico and Mexican-American artists. Plus, there are ancient sculptures from before Christopher Columbus arrived (Pre-Columbian art). The museum wants to welcome everyone and help them enjoy and learn about art.
Contents
Discovering the Fresno Art Museum's History
The museum's story began in 1948 with a group of local artists. They formed the Fresno Art League. Soon after, in 1949, they officially became the Fresno Art Center.
In 1956, the group found a permanent home. With help from Fresno Mayor Gordon Dunn, a historic house was moved. This house, called the W. R. Price home, was placed in "Radio Park." The city agreed to let the museum use the land for a very low cost. They also help take care of the building and its outdoor areas.
The museum received special recognition in 1973. The American Alliance of Museums gave it an "accreditation." This means the museum meets high standards. The museum has kept this important accreditation, most recently in 2016.
The museum's name changed a few times. In 1985, it became the Fresno Arts Center and Museum. Then, in 1988, it was officially named the Fresno Art Museum.
From 1980 to 1994, Robert Barrett was the museum's director. He helped the museum grow a lot. He expanded its collections and started a fund to support it. He also helped create art classes for adults with Fresno City College.
In the year 2000, the museum started building a new outdoor sculpture gallery. This new area is about 14,000 square feet. It was built after a successful fundraising effort.
What Art Can You See?
The Fresno Art Museum has a large collection of over 3,600 artworks. The main focus is on modern and contemporary art. This includes paintings, sculptures, prints, and photographs from the 20th and 21st centuries.
You can also see ancient artifacts from Mexico and the Andes mountains. There is also modern and folk art from Mexico. The collection includes works by famous artists like Ansel Adams, Salvador Dalí, Diego Rivera, and Andy Warhol.
Famous Artists and Special Exhibitions
The Fresno Art Museum became well-known for its special art shows. One very famous exhibition was of Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party. This show helped the museum gain national attention.
Judy Chicago also brought attention to women artists in Fresno. She taught the first feminist art class in the country. This class was at California State University, Fresno.
The Council of 100 and the Distinguished Woman Artist Award
The Council of 100 is a special group at the museum. Every year, they give out the Distinguished Woman Artist Award. This award honors a woman artist who has worked for 30 years or more. It celebrates artists who have created amazing and unique art.
In 1986-1987, the Fresno Art Museum was the first museum in the United States to feature only women artists for a whole year. To pay for these special shows, they needed to raise money. Robert Barrett, the museum director, had an idea. He suggested asking 100 women from the community to each donate $250.
More than 100 women joined this group, which they called the Council of 100. Many of these women still support the program today.
Since 1988, the Council of 100 has honored many internationally recognized artists. Here are some of the artists who have received the award:
- 1988 - June Wayne
- 1989 - Helen Lundeberg
- 1990 - Ruth Weisberg
- 1991 - Viola Frey
- 1992 - Inez Johnston
- 1993 - Betye Saar
- 1994 - Rachel Rosenthal
- 1995 - Ruth Bernhard
- 1996 - Bella Feldman
- 1997 - Claire Falkenstein
- 1998 - Jo Hanson
- 1999 - Inez Storer
- 2000 - Angie Bray
- 2001 - Ruth Asawa
- 2002 - Ruth Rippon
- 2003 - Nancy Genn
- 2004 - Olga Seem
- 2005 - Junko Chodos
- 2006 - 20th Anniversary: 18 Profiles
- 2007 - Gwynn Murill
- 2008 - June Schwarcz
- 2009 - Joan Tanner
- 2010 - Kathryn Jacobi
- 2011 - Amalia Mesa-Bains
- 2012 - Arline Fisch
- 2013 - Ann Page
- 2014 - Mildred Howard
- 2015 - Margaret Lazzari
- 2016 - Hung Liu
- 2017 - Joan Schulze
- 2018 - Kay Sekimachi
- 2019 - Heather Wilcoxon
- 2020 - Cancelled due to COVID-19
- 2021 - Cancelled due to COVID-19
- 2022 - Kim Abeles
- 2023 - Martha Casanave
These honored artists have made the award very important. They have also brought the Fresno Art Museum national recognition. Many organizations, like the National Women's Museum in Washington, D.C., have noticed their work.
Art for Every Child: The Any Given Child Program
In September 2012, the Fresno Unified School District joined a special program. It was called the Any Given Child initiative. This program was created by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Its goal is to provide high-quality arts education for students from kindergarten to 12th grade.
The Fresno Art Museum works with the Visual and Performing Arts department. Together, they offer a direct visual arts experience to every third-grade student in Fresno Unified. The program started in spring 2013. That year, 1,348 third graders visited the museum. They also took part in special art lessons.
In the 2014-2015 school year, even more students visited. A total of 6,099 third-grade students came to the museum. This was all part of the Any Given Child Program.
As part of this program, one art exhibition runs for the entire school year. This exhibition is chosen specifically for the Any Given Child curriculum. The museum tours include a classroom activity. Each child creates an art project based on the exhibition's theme. Near the end of the school year, there is a reception at the museum. Students and their families can come to see the chosen artworks.
