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 a cool place to explore art in Fresno, California. It's a museum filled with amazing artworks! You can see all sorts of art here, like modern art, art from Mexico, and ancient sculptures from before Columbus arrived.
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What the Museum is All About
The Fresno Art Museum wants everyone to enjoy art. It's a place that welcomes people of all ages. The museum hopes to inspire you with its cool art shows. They also have fun programs and chances to meet artists.
The Story of the Fresno Art Museum
The museum started way back in 1948. A group of local artists formed the Fresno Art League. They wanted a place to show art. In 1949, they officially became the Fresno Art Center.
In 1956, they found a permanent home. With help from Fresno Mayor Gordon Dunn, an old house was moved. This house, called the W. R. Price home, became the museum. The city agreed to let them use the land for just $1 a year!
The museum has been officially recognized by the American Association of Museums since 1973. This means it meets high standards for museums. They were last re-approved in 2016.
The museum's name changed a few times. In 1985, it became the Fresno Arts Center and Museum. Then, in 1988, it got its current name: the Fresno Art Museum.
A director named Robert Barrett helped the museum grow a lot from 1980 to 1994. He helped them get more art and start new programs. He even tried to boost tourism with an idea called "Arts to Zoo."
In 2000, the museum raised $2 million to build a huge outdoor sculpture garden. It's about 14,000 square feet!
What Art is in the Museum?
The Fresno Art Museum has over 3,600 pieces of art! Most of the art is modern and contemporary. This means it's from the 20th and 21st centuries. You can see paintings, sculptures, photos, and more.
They also have ancient artifacts from Mexico and the Andes mountains. Plus, there's modern and folk art from Mexico.
Some famous artists whose work is in the museum include:
Special Artists and Shows
The Fresno Art Museum became well-known for its shows featuring Feminist Art. This type of art focuses on women's experiences. The museum gained national attention with an exhibit by the artist Judy Chicago. She even taught the first feminist art class in the country 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 an award to a woman artist. This artist must have been creating art for 30 years or more. She also needs to have a unique and important collection of work.
The Fresno Art Museum was the first museum in the U.S. to have a whole year of shows just for women artists. This was in 1986-1987.
To pay for these shows, they needed to raise money. The museum director suggested asking 100 women from the community to each donate $250. This group became the Council of 100. Many of these women still support the program today!
Since 1988, the Council of 100 has honored many famous artists. Here are some of them:
- 1988 - June Wayne
- 1989 - Helen Lundeberg
- 1990 - Ruth Weisberg
- 1991 - Viola Frey
- 1993 - Betye Saar
- 1994 - Rachel Rosenthal
- 1995 - Ruth Bernhard
- 1997 - Claire Falkenstein
- 2001 - Ruth Asawa
- 2003 - Nancy Genn
- 2005 - Junko Chodos
- 2008 - June Schwarcz
- 2011 - Amalia Mesa-Bains
- 2012 - Arline Fisch
- 2014 - Mildred Howard
- 2016 - Hung Liu
- 2017 - Joan Schulze
- 2018 - Kay Sekimachi
- 2022 - Kim Abeles
- 2023 - Martha Casanave
This award has made the Fresno Art Museum famous across the country. Even the National Women's Museum in Washington, D.C., has recognized it.
Any Given Child Program
In 2012, the Fresno Unified School District joined a special program called "Any Given Child." This program helps schools give high-quality art education to students from kindergarten to 12th grade. It's supported by the John F. Kennedy Center.
The Fresno Art Museum works with this program. They give every third-grade student in Fresno Unified a chance to visit the museum. The program started in 2013. That year, 1,348 third graders visited! By 2014-2015, over 6,000 third graders came to the museum.
As part of this program, there's a special art show that lasts all school year. It's chosen to fit the "Any Given Child" lessons. During their visit, kids also get to create their own art project. Near the end of the school year, there's a party at the museum to show off the students' artwork.
