2023YearinReview
Anne Kraybill, Art Bridges Foundation CEO
From Our CEO
Art Bridges made significant strides in 2023, forging partnerships with museums and arts organizations nationwide and launching Access for All, a $40 million initiative aimed at increasing museum accessibility. We remained dedicated to showcasing outstanding works of American art and creating meaningful connections with our partners and their audiences.
As we reflect on our journey from a tiny startup with only a few employees to our current team of 40 with more than 200 partner organizations across the country, I am excited for the myriad possibilities that lie ahead. As we embrace 2024, Art Bridges is focused on growth and impact — growing our team, partner network, and programs that impact and empower museums and the communities they serve. Thank you for your continued support as we embark on this exciting journey.
2023 Highlights
We expanded our partnerships to include arts and cultural organizations throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico, reflecting a vibrant tapestry of institutions committed to art accessibility. While our core programs continued to shine, it's the collective impact that truly mattered. Continue reading to learn more.
Increasing access to museums
Launching Access for All was one of the biggest and most ambitious efforts we’ve undertaken to date. This $40 million initiative aims to increase access to museums across America and foster engagement with local communities by covering the costs of admission, programming, outreach, and additional efforts that reduce barriers to access. Over the next three years, 64 Art Bridges museum partners will experiment with innovative ways to reach new and diverse audiences, providing an opportunity for everyone to experience the transformative power of art.
Two young museum visitors play at the Springfield Museums, Springfield, Massachusetts
Supporting inclusive exhibitions
In collaboration with our partners, we facilitated new and inclusive programming across 21 Traveling Exhibitions. Notable exhibitions included “Fighters for Freedom,” an exhibition focusing on social justice and equality through the depiction of a pantheon of African American heroes, scholars, and other notable figures. The exhibition brought together 28 paintings that had not been seen together for almost seventy-five years. “There is a Woman in Every Color,” an examination of the representation of Black women through history, was another traveling exhibition highlight, filling galleries with American art and sparking meaningful conversations and connections with audiences.
American Perspectives at the Asheville Art Museum in Asheville, North Carolina
Getting art out of storage
Our commitment to getting artworks out of storage and sharing them with communities across the country was evident in our Partner Loan Network program. Over the past year, nearly 280 objects were rotated, enhancing the collections of 29 borrowing institutions. One standout example of this commitment was the Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Rochester, which borrowed seven Clementine Hunter paintings from the American Folk Art Museum. Clementine Hunter's vibrant and impactful work celebrated Black people and everyday rural Southern life, leaving a significant mark on American art. We also facilitated the borrowing of 49 artworks by women from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. These artworks, spanning from 1825 to 2023, celebrated the rich history of women artists.
Clementine Hunter (1886 or 1887 - 1988), Plantation Life, Natchitoches, Louisiana, 1980-1986, oil on canvas board, 22 1/2 x 35 1/2 in. American Folk Art Museum, New York, Gift of Joan Einbender, 2016.28.2. Copyright Cane River Art Corporation, with special thanks to Thomas Whitehead. Photo by Adam Reich.
Celebrating our partners
We remained committed to an expanded vision of American art, celebrating our partners and enriching communities through various loans from the Art Bridges Permanent Collection. We played a pivotal role in the centennial celebration of the Akron Art Museum through the exhibition, “100 Years of Change,” which featured nine works on loan from the Art Bridges Permanent Collection. The exhibition critically examined the progress of the museum since its inception, addressing thematic gaps and opportunities in their collection. Moreover, Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ "Untitled" (L.A.) was placed at nine institutions and encouraged viewers to find beauty in the everyday by engaging with the bounty of wrapped candies that transform into a dazzling arrangement of color, form, and texture.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres (1957-1996), “Untitled” (L.A.), 1991, green candies individually wrapped in cellophane, endless supply, overall dimensions vary with installation. Jointly owned by Art Bridges and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Photography by Edward C. Robison III.
Facilitating museum collaborations
Our Cohort Program expanded to include 29 partners across the country that are committed to breaking down barriers to art accessibility and fostering collaboration among museums of varying sizes and locations. Each cohort works together to develop exhibitions and address community needs throughout various regions of the country. This allowed for projects like “As They Saw It: Women Artists Then & Now,” which toured the Springfield Museums in Massachusetts. This exhibition is one in a series of American art exhibitions organized through our cohort program and a multiyear, multi-institutional partnership led by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Cohort Convening, Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas
Engaging communities
Our interdisciplinary Learning and Engagement programs continued to inspire and bring communities together to experience the power of art. Over the last year, we've seen our partner museums leverage science, athletics, performance, and the culinary arts to bring new context and opportunities for engagement to their organizations. Fashion, in particular, has been a common thread among some of our favorite multidisciplinary projects, with three partner museums launching new projects with fashion in mind.
Action Abstraction Redefined at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Fostering arts leadership
Our Internship Program also stayed busy, hosting new intern classes throughout the summer and academic year. Our summer 2023 intern class saw 10 students from across the nation immerse themselves in the mission and vision of Art Bridges during their eight-week residency in Bentonville. These interns participated in frequent cultural site visits and conversations with artists, arts organizations, museums, and other interns in the region—all while learning the importance of expanding arts access through residency activities, workshops, and trainings. Moreover, we also launched our inaugural Fellows Program Convening this past year, which brought together emerging arts professionals to explore equity, accessibility, and inclusion in museum spaces.
Art Bridges 2023 Summer Interns in Bentonville, Arkansas