Mint Museum of Art

For the majority of fy23, the Mint Museum continued its core activities, including expanding its permanent collections through important acquisitions; launching new exhibitions comprising works from the permanent collections and on loan; engaging visitors of all ages and backgrounds through education and outreach initiatives; and implementing new communication strategies, technologies, and methods to reach and engage new audiences. The Museum presented an exciting roster of major Mint organized and special loan exhibitions in fy23:diedrick brackens: ark of bulrushes presented a new series of woven sculptures by los angeles-based artist diedrick brackens. His work tells timeless stories of emancipation and remediation through pattern, body, and the power of craft. The Mint's exhibition was expanded to include the following: selections of woven/quilted works from the permanent collection like historic quilts and native american basketry; an installation of north carolina weavers; a visitor engagement area with response walls; and extensive resources from the Mint's library & archives.american made: paintings and sculptures from the demell jacobsen collection included more than 100 highlights of painting and sculpture from one of the finest privately held collections of american Art in the us. This exhibition marked the first time the collection was brought together to be viewed comprehensively, and draws upon the collection's strengths to provide a survey of american Art. It covered a wide range of subjects which american artists engaged, including portraiture, still life, landscape, genre, and abstraction.in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Mint's fashion collection, fashion reimagined: themes & variations 1760-now featured 50 examples of fashionable dress drawn entirely from the Mint's permanent collection. Encompassing a wide range of attire, including men's and women's fashions from 1760 to 2022, the exhibit was organized to explore three aspects of historicism: minimalism, pattern & decoration, and the body reimagined. New scholarship provided insights about individual designers, fabric and construction details, as well as the globalization embedded in textiles and fashions of 1760 to today.finally, picasso landscapes: out of bounds organized by the american federation of arts brought together 50 paintings by picasso from public and private collections worldwide and honored the 50th anniversary of his death. The Mint was the opening venue and the only east coast location to host the exhibition; and provided a rare opportunity for visitors to come face to face with works by the artist who changed the course of art.these exhibitions served as a launching pad for thematic in-person programming, and collaborations with artists. For example, the school & gallery programs team brought in artists rosalia torres werner and simone saunders to facilitate docent training around their works of Art featured in the permanent collection. Additional artist engagement included a partnership with jazz arts charlotte on three performances exploring themes of romare bearden. Fashion designer, wale oyejide was onsite for the opening of fashion reimagined for several artists talks and docent training. Moments with artists encourage continued learning of visual Art interpretation; stimulate creativity and imagination; provide visual, tactile and sensory experiences; and are meant to be fun.the Mint continued to successfully host community engagement programs to build on the deep relationships made with both partners and participants such as Mint to move, wild wednesdays, bi-lingual stories and music, wednesday night live, and Art 101. Additionally, we continued to distribute free Art kits - fun and easy activities, complete with supplies, to create Art at home. The monthly free Art kit corresponds to an exhibition on view or a piece from the Mint's permanent collection. Typically, about 500 kits are handed out to the public each month. Finally, the last sunday of each month is party in the park at the Mint Museum's randolph road location. In fy23, over 1,700 visitors enjoyed free admission to the Museum, food trucks, and live music on the front terrace.fy23 exhibitions also allowed the Mint to recognize the following: demonstrate diversity of voices in exhibitions; engage local and regional artists as co-supporters of cultural ecosystem; increase Art education impact with youth through programs in our community; and build a stronger relationship with our donors. The Mint actively engages local communities, artists, art-educators, and organizations in its regular programming; and thoughtfully reaches diverse audiences and populations through grassroots efforts led by partnering community organizations and leaders. Notably, in fy23 over 9,200 attendees participated in our free wednesday evenings and our wednesday night live programming. Our intention is to create a new cultural layering of what is happening at the Mint, as well as expose our audiences to other groups and connect the Museum more deeply with the local and regional arts ecosystem. This number speaks to the importance and popularity of the program and critical role it plays in our community.annually, the Mint partners with many organizations within the community to offer a broad array of programming that reaches as many community members as possible. Key partners include: charlotte mecklenburg schools, the latin american women's association, latin american coalition, Art s charlotte, circle de luz, harvey b. gantt center for african-american arts + culture, dances of india rumbao latin dance company, southeastern Museum conference, pbs affiliate wtvi charlotte, bechtler Museum of modern Art, mccoll center for visual Art, blumenthal performing arts center, charlotte ballet, opera carolina, charlotte symphony, charlotte mecklenburg library, universities and colleges, and others. Mint staff members relate to their peers through various national groups, including the southeastern museums conference, the american alliance of museums, the college Art association, and the association of Art Museum curators. The Mint contributes annually to the regional economy through employment, sales, and taxes. Salaries and wages for Mint employees amounts to approximately $4.7m annually, while contract fees total approximately $2.0m. Paid taxes are approximately $830k, which include payroll, local, state, and federal taxes. The Mint's special events and shops revenue amounts to approximately $2.9m annually, and these efforts serve as important venues for local businesses (caterers, event planners, vendors) to partner and thrive. Finally, 913 annual volunteers offer a key resource, resulting in an annual cost savings of approximately $110k based upon the current hourly volunteer rate of $23.56 per hour.