The Danforth Museum is an incredible resource for both those who wish to study art as well as observe it. Young and old can enjoy the vast course offerings the Art School have to offer, and Katherine French has put the museum on the New England art map with a number of innovative and intriguing exhibits. Events such as the upcoming "Matter of Taste" Wine Tasting on November 6th, draw people from a 30+ mile radius to the museum to partake of the fine wine, the great food, the inspiring art and the wonderful interaction between all in attendance. The museum is definitely a happening place on the metro-west social scene and should not be missed.
The Danforth Museum and Framingham State University have developed a close collaboration that benefits both organizations and the community. It is a gem.
The Danforth Museum of Art is an incredibly dynamic and growing organization. Serving both children and adults through its Art Museum and School, this treasure offers fun, creative, and educational experiences in a community environment. Learning opportunities abound for anyone interested. The staff is exceptionally customer service focused with every attention to detail and making sure you get the most out of your visit. The store is also fabulous with its different products from emerging and regional artists.
I have seen the renaissance of the Danforth Museum of Art under the 5-year tenure of Katherine French, who has taken on a vital role in the local community of providing art education, programs and outreach to the school children(there is also an excellent gallery devoted to artists creating books and art for children) and adults of Framingham. In addition, she has energized and offered exhibition opportunities to Boston-area artists through the New England Currents' exhibitions, annual juried(Off the Wall exhibition) and artist member exhibitions. There are excellent solo New England artist retrospectives as well as those of international artists, such as Joan Synder, John Walker and Ana Pacheko. Katherine French has also added to the legacy of Boston art by highlighting the work of the historical Boston expressionists and their 2nd and 3rd generation representatives, a field not covered in other Boston museums.Up at this moment is a large exhibition featuring some of their work. In addition, I have seen the museum flourish from 2 points of view, as an artist and an overseer.
In the years that Katherine French became director, her unceasing dedication and vision has turned this museum into a dynamic and vital site for New England artists and the public. Through artist talks, museum events, and education by dedicated museum docents, volunteers, and educators, contemporary art and issues have been brought to the table for exciting discussions. I am an artist who had the honor of exhibiting at the Danforth Museum in their New England Currents exhibitions. And during that time, I was privy to the running of this museum. The extremely dedicated staff and volunteers are what makes this museum top rate. This museum runs on a shoestring budget. In order for it to continue growing and providing the kind of exhibitions the museum has been giving, the Danforth needs funding to maintain and upgrade its facilities. There is no funding to get any audio visual equipment (important in an age of installation and technical related art), upgrading the lighting in the gallery walls, and an almost non-existent budget for transportation of art and publications. The Danforth museum is a valuable resource for the artists, appreciators, and the public. It has the vision and dedication to achieve as one of New England's best art museums.
I am currently on Overseer at the Museum and a craft artist with work in the Museum Shop. Over the past several years, I have volunteered my time and marketing expertise to support various fund-raising events. The people associated with the Danforth Museum are down-to-earth, dedicated lovers of art whose primary mission is education. Under the leadership of Katherine French the Museum has become more vital and even more accessible to both the local art community and the public.
I am a new member of the Board of Overseers and I'm excited about what the museum has done since Katherine French became the director, and I am even more excited about where the museum is going in the future. I have attended numerous exhibits, events and lectures - all wonderful, and I think the museum's focus on expressionism in its many forms offers a unique focus for growth.
I have been involved with the Danforth Museum of Art for over 35 years. It started out as a local, grass roots museum and has grown into an outstanding, well-known art museum throughout MA, New England, and USA. The museum Art School has also grown, now serving thousands of adults and children with art classes taught by well-respected, professional, art educators in a multiple mediums.
As a docent at the Danforth Museum of Art for about 5 years, I attended weekly docent meetings, and did at least fifty tours. It was exciting because the exhibitions rotated fairly often after Katherine French became the new director. As a practicing artist myself, with some background in art history and with many different media in the fine arts, fascilitating discussion with guests to the Museum fed into my own personal creative sensibility. Our tours varied according to our guests. Our largest and most regular group of guests were the 3rd graders in the Framingham public school system. We had a Native American Tour designed to enhance their classroom studies. We would also do tours for art students at Framingham State College each year, which I almost always signed up for. With about 25 to 30 docents each year, I enjoyed a lively educational experience with them as well. We would often take on a subject, such as Boston Expressionism, and develop a comprehensive talk for fellow docents. I felt myself growing and expanding my skills. Besides the docent-related activities, I also attended many gala openings and receptions. My favorite one was for a major exhibition of sculptures by Ana Maria Pacheco. This exhibition addressed deep emotional issues in Brazilian history, psychology, culture. It was riveting. I'm recountung all this in the past, as I moved to Rhode Island in May of 2009. I'm not that far away, though. I still keep an eye on upcoming events and openings; and I drop in to see all the exhibitions, say "hi" to everyone, and check out the store. I'm still a member, and plan on continuing to enter my watercolors into the Annual Members' Show. Who knows, maybe someday, I'll be so lucky as to get into the juried part of the show! I keep tryin'!
The Danforth Museum of Art, under the leadership of Katherine French, has become a dynamic institution She has created new programming as well as givng direction through a commitment to the Boston Expressionists. The shows she has mounted have a coordinated theme which she carries out by prgramming related lectures. The new teen docent program is innovative and the students are enthusiastic about the learning experience. As a founder, former Board president, and current Overseer, I am excited about the energy that I feel at the Danforth Museum.
Danforth Museum of Art is an extraordinary resource for Framingham, where it is located, and all suburban Boston communities. Since its founding 35 years ago, the Museum and its school have provided art exhibitions, art-making classes and a tremendous variety of cultural and art education experiences for a wide-ranging audience of adults and children. It is especially important to the artist community in that it provides an outstanding vehicle for exhibiting the best in contemporary work.
We have used the Danforth as our regional museum for a number of years, but it is only in the past 4-5 years that we have become very connected. Our current director, Katherine French, has done a variety of things to enhance the museum. They have included mounting 3 different shows each year with themes connecting the artists shown, and talks centered around the art, sometimes by the artists themselves. The museum has become a regional center through outreach to both Boston and outlying areas. The focus has been on Boston Expressionism, a very much under surveyed topic in the art world. This is a museum growing and breaking new ground.