Inside the South Bend Museum of Art: A Creative Hub for All Ages
“The collection is focused on contemporary art, our community and our region. Professors from Notre Dame, IU South Bend, and local artists in and of themselves have made a name for themselves, both nationally and, of course, locally,” says Lisa Shaffer, Executive Director at the South Bend Museum of Art.
But this isn't quite your typical art museum. It's also a creative hub, a place where people of all ages are invited to learn, grow, and even play.
“The mission of the South Bend Museum of Art is to really support our local community, the artists in our local community, and raise up those artists that have been part of our community all these years,” explains Shaffer. “From almost cradle to grave, there are many stories that I can tell about people who started here through the Scholastic Art program, through some of our youth programs for drawing and ceramics, who now are active board members as well as have pieces in our permanent collection.”
The museum was founded as the South Bend Art Center in 1947. According to the museum, kindergarten teacher Carlotta Banta left her life savings to the city to establish a place where ‘beautiful pictures would hang and where little children would come to look and to adorn the galleries with their own precious living images.’
Exposing kids to art is still a driving force for the museum. Today, South Bend fifth graders are taking part in a mask making workshop inspired by the children's classic Where the Wild Things Are.
“We really push the idea of learning some of the elements of art, such as form, shape, line and color. Those are the ones that really come into play here because they have the ability to choose if they want to take the template and just paint on it, or if they want to build it out and do more 3D-like designs. It really pushes their artistic, creative side to also implement some small lessons that they're going to be able to use as they make all sorts of art,” Kolton Sizer, Curator of Education and Public Programming at the South Bend Museum of Art, says.
Why the South Bend Museum of Art Matters to the Community
Shaffer states, “We all recognize that many of the school programs around the country, not just here in South Bend, have lost some funding around the arts. To have exposure to the visual arts definitely is important for children and has been developed not only to recognize what talents they might have and what joy and passions they might have, but also it might be a filter to better understand the world around them.”
The South Bend Museum of Art also offers an opportunity for kids to have their work put on display through the Scholastic Art Awards.
“Scholastic Art Awards are a national program that's over a hundred years old. It's definitely a cornerstone of our mission and what we do here at the South Bend Museum of Art, because it encompasses art education and the promise and the passion of young people,” explains Shaffer. “This year, we had over 3,900 entries from 2,600 students across 19 counties. We juried that down to about 1,100 pieces, and we had about 550 pieces in the gallery. The Scholastic Arts lights a passion for many, many of those youth involved and helps them find a path to the arts, and sometimes the South Bend Museum of Art is part of that path.”
But it's not just kids who get to have all the fun. The South Bend Museum of Art also offers a range of programs for adults.
Katie Neece, Curator of Education and Studio Programming at the South Bend Museum of Art, says, “Here at the museum, we have a lot of classes we offer for adults, from ceramics to drawing and painting, printmaking. We have a whole weaving studio upstairs as well. We have a breadth of different material that people can be involved in. A lot of the students can discover their art in a lot of different entry points. I think for some people who aren't confident about their art, they can start by learning something in a basic class, like an intro class, or they can refine their skills in an advanced class. We have a range of all different kinds of areas, and we try to encourage that.”
With all the different ways the public can interact with the South Bend Museum of Art, it's not hard to see why the staff think of it as more than just a museum.
“It's a responsibility for those of us who work here, because it's a cherished piece that memorializes many artists in our community over 75 years. It supports young people trying to find their place, or even older folks that find the community here. It's a sacred place in that regard, and it's important for communities to have those places,” Shaffer concludes.
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The above video is a clip from Journey Indiana from WTIU. You can watch more segments and full episodes at pbs.org/show/journey-indiana/
