Marketing & Outreach
Supplies
Other
Richard M. Ross Art Museum (Ohio Wesleyan University)
Delaware, OH
The Richard M. Ross Art Museum created a series of activity nights aimed at engaging historically underserved student groups and clubs at Ohio Wesleyan University, such as the House of Black Culture, Indigenous Peoples Movement, Interfaith House, Prism, and VIVA. These events were designed to build meaningful partnerships between the museum and such student organizations. Based on student feedback, "Chill Nights" offered a stress-free environment with food and creative activities, such as button-making, dancing, painting, and coloring. Activities took place in the museum and were collaboratively planned by the invited groups and students. The museum enhanced its space by adding bean bag chairs and acquiring low tables to create a welcoming atmosphere. The events focused on the theme of "Hollywood Indian" and featured screenings of shows like “Reservation Dogs” and various movies.
The museum hoped to build relationships with 300 campus community members who have not historically frequented the museum.
The Richard M. Ross Art Museum collaborated with four campus clubs and organizations that had never interacted with the museum. Before this collaboration, museum attendance on Thursday nights was often zero, but interest in continuing “Chill Nights” is high. The museum welcomed 271 students throughout the run of the exhibition.
The museum successfully built momentum and gauged student interest in the “Chill Nights” initiative even before securing funding. Coordinating with student organizations still proved challenging due to scheduling conflicts. To ensure inclusivity, the museum offered open sessions and drop-in activities for all students, while empowering participating groups to lead their own events, such as DJ nights, collaborative art sessions, and cultural craft activities. This flexible, student-driven approach fostered deeper engagement and helped transform first-time attendees into regular visitors, as students recognized the creative possibilities.
The Mint Museum’s two-day “Amazing Grace” community celebration featured art, music, and dialogue inspired by Eldzier Cortor’s "Southern Souvenir No. II," using gallery tours, performances, and hands-on activities to engage the public in critical conversations about history, resilience, and healing.
Led by artist vanessa german, this hands-on workshop at the El Paso Museum of Art invited participants to create tactile assemblages and mixed-media sculptures inspired by her power figures, using found materials to explore themes of spirituality, healing, and social transformation through art.
The Mint Museum’s two-day “Amazing Grace” community celebration featured art, music, and dialogue inspired by Eldzier Cortor’s "Southern Souvenir No. II," using gallery tours, performances, and hands-on activities to engage the public in critical conversations about history, resilience, and healing.
Led by artist vanessa german, this hands-on workshop at the El Paso Museum of Art invited participants to create tactile assemblages and mixed-media sculptures inspired by her power figures, using found materials to explore themes of spirituality, healing, and social transformation through art.
