Program areas at CMA
Exhibitions / collections: in 2023, cma celebrated 145 years of creative experiences, engaged learning, and connectivity for residents of and visitors to central Ohio. Cma houses more than 14,000 works of Art including an internationally recognized collection of american and european modernist works. Exhibitions included raphael the power of renaissance images: the dresden tapestries and their impact, which was on extended view through january 8, 2023; cma was also proud to premiere wild things are happening: the Art of maurice sendak, garnering significant national press and near record crowds. Cma also was proud to unveil current, a stunning, ephemeral, sky-high sculpture that is located at the corner of gay and high streets in downtown Columbus. Created by world-renowned sculptor janet echelman, current is comprised of 78 miles of twine intricately woven into over 500,000 knots, stretching an impressive 229 feet across gay street. The design and installation were funded by a local family who donated the work to cma to oversee its care and maintenance as part of the permanent collection.
Community outreach: cma has long prioritized access opportunities to eliminate barriers and reinforce the Museum as a community resource for everyone. Free sundays provides free general admission for Museum visitors each and every sunday. We continue to grow our museums for all Columbus (m4a) initiative in partnership with other central Ohio cultural institutions. Museums for all is a national program focused on removing financial barriers to visiting museums and cultural centers, particularly for citizens who regularly experience food insecurities (particularly snap benefits). To further enhance efforts to be a place of belonging for all visitors, we have invested in resources for individuals who have visual impairments, hearing impairments, and/or have autism spectrum disorder. New sensory kits are available at no cost at the welcome desk for guests with sensory needs. This complements a sensory map and social story which are available on our website and at welcome desk. We also provide resources in five languages in addition to english, including somali, nepali, spanish, arabic, and mandarin.
Programs / learning: cma continues to be an innovator in the field of museums and learning, receiving widespread recognition in both the Museum and education world. Programs and resources are always developed to support engagement for learners of all ages. In 2010, cma adopted creativity as our social mission and rally call in which to champion, engage and serve our community. We have received widespread recognition for this work including being awarded the national medal from the institute of Museum and library services, the nation's highest honor for institutions making significant contributions to their community. Cma supports the needs of educators as they relate to best practices in creativity around imagination, critical thinking, and innovation. Efforts include cultivating creative & civic capacities project, a grant-funded, multi-year research to practice collaboration with project zero at the harvard graduate school of education to build on and extend the teaching for creativity institute framework, examine the role of creativity in developing civic capacities, and to enhance and track the impact of the framework on teachers. The project includes some 40 teachers from 15 schools across 8 districts including Columbus city schools.