The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum Inc

Programs: Exhibitions: the year began with the continuation of painting in four takes, a series of four exhibitions that opened on november 15, 2015 and closed on april 3, 2016. The series included the first solo museum exhibitions of the work of hayal pozanti and julia rommel, the first retrospective of the work of steve dibenedetto, and an exhibition of the painting and works on paper of ruth root, marking the first time in over twenty years that the aldrich had dedicated all of its galleries to the medium of painting. The exhibition series site lines: four exhibitions engaging place opened on may 1 and continued through february 5, 2017. Site lines, which featured major new works commissioned by the museum, connected the institution's interior galleries with the surrounding landscape and community, including david brooks: continuous service altered daily, a major exhibition in which the artist dissembled and exhibited-both inside and outside- every part of a 1976 john deer combine harvester as a metaphor for the complexity and interrelatedness of an ecosystem; kim jones: white crow, a show that featured the sculpture, drawing, and installation of this often enigmatic and controversial artist; peter liversidge: proposals for the aldrich contemporary museum, an exhibition in which 26 of the british artist's 60 proposals for works (both physical and participatory) that linked the museum to its' community and beyond were realized; and virginia overton, an exhibition that featured the artist's use of all the wood from a dead, 100 foot tall pine tree that was cut down in the museum's sculpture garden.

museum operations: exhibition and public and school programs require a well-maintained, high-functioning facility to house the exhibitions and provide a place for programs. To accomplish this, funds are used for maintenance, security, capital projects, utilities, depreciation, and operations staffing.

public and school programs: in 2016, the museum's education staff continued its efforts to increase the number of teachers and students served through academic programs, strengthening existing and developing new relationships with specific schools and full districts. Students and teachers were engaged through programs such as artwrite, art onsite, steam tours, school in residence, common ground, and teacher professional development. Collaborating with partner educators and district leaders, the museum further positioned itself as a critical resource to schools, developing programs cooperatively in direct response to mandated curriculum standards and thus ensuring that an aldrich experience is not only relevant to student learning at all grade levels, but considered by educators and administrators as essential to the curriculum. In 2016, museum education staff presented its innovative programs at regional conferences, meetings of local community leaders and parents, and peers in the field. In 2016, the museum presented its fourth year of third saturdays: family arts experiences, monthly workshops for children and their caregivers led by teaching artists, and its second season of offering this program for free monthly. The program engages participants of all ages, offering an opportunity for intergenerational learning through art-making and gallery explorations and further establishing the museum as a draw for families in the region. The museum initiated a new series of events called community days, inter-generational, days long programs that activate the entire aldrich campus with art-making, music, performances, student-led presentations and artist-led learning opportunities. These events occur quarterly, and are also offered for free, expanding the museum's commitment to providing the broadest access to the arts to communities and audiences of all socio-economic circumstances.