Museum fine treasure for everyone

Editorial

SUPPORTERS of the newly renamed Columbus Museum of Art and Design are pursuing a greater diversity in their audience, reaching out to people often overlooked in the quest for greater inclusion.

The facility is seeking to attract people who might never have stepped foot into a museum of art or even thought it might have something of interest for them.

Such an outreach is a matter of necessity. In a small community like Columbus, limiting audiences to people with specific interests can be a recipe for failure.

But the effort is also the right thing to do. It is important that any institution reach out to as many people as possible.

Some might argue that a more universal approach amounts to a sellout and a degradation of the quality of the products offered for consumption.

That kind of attitude is a far cry from the kind of diversity to which the museum and other community entities should aspire.

For 31 years, the Columbus branch of Indianapolis Museum of Art enjoyed a unique relationship with the renowned repository of art in Marion County.

The organization started small in the second floor of what is the Columbus Area Visitors Center and changed dramatically in 1993 when the gallery on the second level of The Commons was opened.

The museum played host to outstanding exhibits, providing residents with the experience of enjoying art treasures they would normally have had to go elsewhere to enjoy.

The partnership with the IMA was beneficial, but over the years the gallery became unfairly identified in some minds as a cultural medium that might not be of interest to many segments of the population.

The misunderstanding was a problem with which other local arts groups had to deal. One notable example was Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, which in recent years has reached out beyond the traditional audience of classical music lovers to a wider group through such events as the SALUTE concert. As a result, many residents who had not been to a concert became introduced to the orchestra.

The Museum of Art and Design has already taken steps in that direction. The recent exhibit of restored murals from the children's wings of the old Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis had an "everyman" appeal, especially since many of the works were painted by members of the early 20th-century Brown County art colony. 

Plans for exhibits , including a program about robots , echo this outreach philosophy.

New alliances will be critical to success. One important partnership would be with Columbus Area Arts Council. The museum is not a member of the council, but discussions between the two groups have taken place. Some serious procedural matters have to be worked out , such as re-evaluating the revenue distributions from the UnCommon Cause (proceeds are split 60 percent for the council and 40 percent for the museum) but a stronger partnership would benefit all parties.

In the end, the museum is a treasure that belongs to the entire community.