Here is your last color-themed Photo Hunt assignment:

• Capture something that reflects  “Neon”
• Tag your work on Instagram with #CMAPhotoHunt and #Neon
• For this Color assignment you have until Tuesday May 28, 2013.
• Please note: images must be your own.

Once again our Photography Curator Catherine Evans will select her favorites (based on the most creative entries, and ones that best represent the color theme), and your creation could grace the walls at Columbus Museum of Art.

This series of CMA Photo Hunts are all about color.  Since our Photo Hunts began we have received nearly 3,000 submissions from hundreds of photographers from Seattle to Ohio to Paris. With our first exhibition last fall, we were first museum in the world to present a curated, crowdsourced installation based on the popular photo sharing app Instagram. The second CMA Photo Hunt exhibition is on display now through June in our Community Gallery, and features work selected by our William and Sarah Ross Soter Curator of Photography Catherine Evans.

This next round of assignments is inspired by color as the theme. Our new color-themed exhibition in our Big Idea Gallery this Spring features artists such as Frank Stella, Ed Ruscha, Edward Monet, Childe Hassam and more.  Watch for additional biweekly Photo Hunt assignments here on our blog, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with for this next Photo Hunt assignment. Happy shooting!

(Photo: Schokko with a Red Hat by Alexej Jawlensky, CMA’s Sirak Collection).

Columbus Museum of Art to Receive 2013 National Medal for Museum and Library Service

The Institute of Museum and Library Services today announced the Columbus Museum of Art of Columbus, Ohio is one of 10 recipients of this year’s National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The nation’s highest honor conferred on museums and libraries for service to the community, the National Medal celebrates institutions that make a difference for individuals, families, and communities. The National Medal will be presented at a celebration in Washington, D.C. on May 8.

Columbus Museum of Art strives to redefine the art museum for the 21st century. It has earned a reputation as a model for innovative visitor engagement as well as being Central Ohio’s hub for social, creative, and dynamic experiences. Every exhibit includes connectors, unique participatory elements, which invite visitors to engage with art and with each other. More than 18,000 square feet of space is dedicated to imaginative experiences for visitors of all ages, and the museum has built strong program partnerships with 30 Ohio counties as well as Columbus City Schools. Columbus Museum of Art also proudly participates in the Let’s Move! Museums and Gardens Initiative.

“Museums and libraries serve as centers for lifelong learning and as cornerstones for our communities. Columbus Museum of Art is paving the way, linking art to education in meaningful ways, and we are proud to name Columbus Museum of Art one of this year’s National Medal for Museum and Library Service winners,” said Susan Hildreth, director, Institute of Museum and Library Services. “This year’s National Medal recipients demonstrate the many ways museums and libraries alike build strong communities. These institutions are educating, inspiring, and leading lifelong learning while serving as community anchors.”

“Columbus Museum of Art is honored to be awarded the National Medal for Museum and Library Service,” said Executive Director Nannette V. Maciejunes. “We are committed to providing opportunities for people to cultivate and to discover the value of creativity in their own lives. Embracing this idea has enabled to grow as an institution and to better serve our community.”

Nineteen-year-old Jeffrey Tucker, who discovered video production through the Columbus Art Museum’s ArtLab program and now dreams of winning an Oscar, will travel to Washington and share the impact the museum has had on his life during the May 8 celebration.

“A great city deserves a great art museum,” said Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “I am proud that the City of Columbus now has both a National Medal winning library and museum.”

“The Columbus Museum of Art has always been one of Central Ohio’s jewels,” said Congresswoman Joyce Beatty. “By being awarded the Institute for Museum and Library Service National Medal it enhances its reputation throughout the national arts community and continues to showcases Columbus’ success.”

“The National Medal for Museum and Library Service is the United States’ highest honor for institutions that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities,” said Ohio Senator Rob Portman. “I am proud that the Buckeye State can count the Columbus Museum of Art among the handful of art museums to ever have been awarded this honor.”

“I congratulate the Columbus Museum of Art on receiving the National Medal for Museum and Library Service,” said Ohio Representative Steve Stivers. “The extraordinary programs and collections at the museum are accessible to all members of the community and Columbus is incredibly lucky to have an outstanding institution like this in our area.”

“The Columbus Museum of Art is one of the many reasons why Columbus is a special place to live and visit,” said Columbus City Council President Andrew J. Ginther.    “The Museum serves as a constant source of pride for our community, helping to celebrate our past and inspiring us to a more culturally diverse future.”

This year’s honorees exemplify the nation’s great diversity of libraries and museums and include a science center, children’s museum, music museum, art museum, and public libraries and library systems, and hail from seven states.
Earlier this year, 33 institutions were announced as finalists for the National Medal, and community members were encouraged to share their stories about their experiences on the IMLS Facebook page.

Medal winners were selected from nationwide nominations of institutions that demonstrate innovative approaches to public service, exceeding the expected levels of community outreach. After the ceremony, StoryCorps – a national nonprofit dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of Americans – will visit Columbus Museum of Art to document stories from the community.

For a complete list of 2013 recipients and to learn more about the National Medal winners, please visit www.imls.gov/medals.

Here is your fifth color-themed Photo Hunt assignment:

• Capture something that reflects  “Blue”
• Tag your work on Instagram with #CMAPhotoHunt and #Blue
• For this Color assignment you have until Friday May 3, 2013.
• Please note: images must be your own.

Once again our Photography Curator Catherine Evans will select her favorites (based on the most creative entries, and ones that best represent the theme), and your creation could grace the walls at Columbus Museum of Art.

This series of CMA Photo Hunts are all about color.  Since our Photo Hunts began we have received nearly 3,000 submissions from hundreds of photographers from Seattle to Ohio to Paris. With our first exhibition last fall, we were first museum in the world to present a curated, crowdsourced installation based on the popular photo sharing app Instagram. The second CMA Photo Hunt exhibition is on display now in our Community Gallery, and features work selected by our William and Sarah Ross Soter Curator of Photography Catherine Evans.

This next round of assignments is inspired by color as the theme. Our new color-themed exhibition in our Big Idea Gallery this Spring features artists such as Frank Stella, Ed Ruscha, Edward Monet, Childe Hassam and more.  Watch for additional biweekly Photo Hunt assignments here on our blog, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with for this next Photo Hunt assignment. Happy shooting!

(Photo: Blues by Robert Cottingham, Gift of the American Institute of Arts and Letters)

CMA continues to support the growing mobile photography community with our second CMA Photo Hunt exhibition. Last fall, CMA was the first museum in the world to present an exhibition of curated, crowdsourced photos shared using the popular photo app Instagram. Our Radical Camera exhibition served as inspiration.This time around CMA gave photographers assignments based on our Making Faces exhibition, which explores portraiture from our permanent collection. Our William and Sarah Ross Soter Curator of Photography Catherine Evans selected her favorite images and her top picks are now on view in the Community Gallery at CMA’s Center for Creativity.

Work from more than 30 mobile photographers is represented including everyone from an Instagrammer from Seattle, a former CMA Art Lab teen,  a father and daughter duo from Columbus, a math and science teacher from Toledo, an art student from Paris, a Columbus cop, commercial photographers, designers, artists, and more. The second CMA Photo Hunt exhibition will remain on view through the summer.

Read more about the inception of the Photo Hunt project in stories in The Columbus Dispatch, Art Daily, and Clic France, and Columbus Alive, and view the NBC4 story. To see a collection of all the more than 3,000 images that have been submitted since the inception of our Photo Hunts, view the CMA Photo Hunt Online Gallery.

Check the CMA blog and follow us on Instagram (columbusmuseum) for more information about new CMA Photo Hunts, and your opportunity to be selected for our next CMA Photo Hunt installation.

Questions on participating in the CMA Photo Hunts? Contact CMA Digital Communications Manager Jennifer Poleon.

Treat your mom to a relaxing and inspiring day of art, food, and memories at one of the most lovely spots in Columbus during our Mother’s Day Brunch on May 12, 2013. See our Rothko exhibition (before it closes May 26, 2013) and our Czech Puppets exhibition, and dine on stuffed French toast, smoked salmon, quiche, pork loin and more from Barcelona’s Sidecar Catering. Adults: $30 members, $35 nonmembers; Kids 12 and under, $12 members, $15 nonmembers. Reservations for Mother’s Day Brunch available from 11 AM – 2:00 PM. Reserve your time now by calling 614-629-0359.

Mother’s Day Menu:
Crepe Station, Stuffed Brioche French Toast — with maple syrup, whipped cream, blueberries, and powdered sugar, Assorted Muffins, Danish, and mini Bagels with cream cheese, whipped butter, and jelly, Fresh Fruit and Cheese Display, Smoked Salmon Display, Mini Quiche — Western, Broccoli and Cheddar, and Cheese Bacon, Mixed Greens Salad, Orzo Pasta Salad, Stella Pasta (vegetarian), Roasted Herb Chicken, Tilapia, Sidecar Pork Loin with cream Savoy cabbage, Prime Rib Carving Station with Horseradish Cream, Herbed Mayonnaise, and Silver Dollar Buns, Roasted Red Skin Potatoes, Spring Vegetable Medley, O’Brian Potatoes. Specially for Kids: Mac & Cheese, and Chicken Fingers.

(Photo by Phil Chester).

PLEASE NOTE: Our Mother’s Day Brunch is now SOLD OUT.

Thanks to everyone for participating in Art Madness, our version of March Madness for art lovers. American artists dominated the 2013 Art Madness. The Final Four matches saw Portrait of a Young Woman by Mary Cassatt vs. Sunflowers in the Windstorm by Emile Nolde, and Morning Sun by Edward Hopper vs Aucassin and Nicolette by Charles Demuth. Ultimately Hopper and Nolde prevailed to face off in the Art Madness Championship.

And the 2013 Art Madness Champion is Edward Hopper’s Morning Sun. Unlike the closely fought Louisville – Michigan NCAA match, Hopper led all the way in the Art Madness championship game. We’re glad the Hooper is back home in Columbus, and clearly so are you. Find the Hopper in our newly reinstalled American Experience Gallery.

Here is your fourth color-themed Photo Hunt assignment:

• Capture something that reflects “Pastel”
• Tag your work on Instagram with #CMAPhotoHunt and #Pastel
• For this fourth Color assignment you have until Friday April 19, 2013.
• Please note: images must be your own.

Once again our Photography Curator Catherine Evans will select her favorites (based on the most creative entries, and ones that best represent the theme), and your creation could grace the walls at Columbus Museum of Art.

This series of CMA Photo Hunts are all about color.  Since our Photo Hunts began we have received more than 2,500 submissions from hundreds of photographers from Seattle to Ohio to Paris. With our first exhibition last fall, we were first museum in the world to present a curated, crowdsourced installation based on the popular photo sharing app Instagram. The second CMA Photo Hunt exhibition is on display now in our Community Gallery, and features work selected by our William and Sarah Ross Soter Curator of Photography Catherine Evans.

This next round of assignments is inspired by color as the theme. Look for a new color-themed exhibition in our Big Idea Gallery this Spring featuring artists such as Frank Stella, Ed Ruscha, Edward Monet, Childe Hassam and more.  Watch for additional biweekly Photo Hunt assignments here on our blog, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with for this next Photo Hunt assignment. Happy shooting!

(Photo: Portrait of a Young Woman by Mary Cassatt from our Sirak Collection)

We’re down to the Final Four of Art Madness, our version of March Madness for Art Lovers. It’s been a strong run for the Americans in Art Madness 2013. Three of the Final Four teams are works by American artists, including Edward Hopper’s Morning Sun, which in the first round took out The Breakfast by Edgar Degas, last year’s Art Madness champion; American Impressionist Mary Cassatt’s Portrait of a Young Woman, which won handily over work by fellow Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir and then art giant Peter Paul Rubens; and Charles Demuth’s Aucassin and Nicolette, which first beat work by German Expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, then work by Dutch Still Life artist Carstian Luyckx. German Expressionist Emile Nolde’s Sunflowers in Windstorm is the sole nonAmerican in the Final Four.

Who will be crowned the Art Madness Champion? It’s all up to you! Vote on our Facebook page by liking your favorite from the Art Madness Match of the Day, or in person in our lobby (in person votes are worth double!). The artwork with the most votes/likes by the next day will advance to the Championship Match, which will take place starting Saturday April 6, 2013 -Monday April 9, 2013. We’ll announce the winner on Tuesday April 10, 2013.

Art Madness Final Schedule
April 4, 2013
Final Four Match 1: Portrait of a Young Woman by Mary Cassatt vs. Sunflowers in the Windstorm by Emile Nolde.

April 5, 2013
Final Four Match 2: Morning Sun by Edward Hopper vs Aucassin and Nicolette by Charles Demuth

April 6, 2013-April 9, 2013
Art Madness Championship Match: tbd

Here is your third color-themed Photo Hunt assignment:

• Capture something that reflects “Green”
• Tag your work on Instagram with #CMAPhotoHunt and #Green
• For this first Color assignment you have until Friday April 5, 2013.
• Please note: images must be your own.

Once again our Photography Curator Catherine Evans will select her favorites (based on the most creative entries, and ones that best represent the theme), and your creation could grace the walls at Columbus Museum of Art.

This series of CMA Photo Hunts are all about color.  Since our Photo Hunts began we have received more than 2,000 submissions from hundreds of photographers from Seattle to Ohio to Paris. With our first exhibition last fall, we were first museum in the world to present a curated, crowdsourced installation based on the popular photo sharing app Instagram. The second CMA Photo Hunt exhibition is on display now in our Community Gallery, and features work selected by our William and Sarah Ross Soter Curator of Photography Catherine Evans.

This next round of assignments is inspired by color as the theme. Look for a new color-themed exhibition in our Big Idea Gallery this Spring featuring artists such as Frank Stella, Ed Ruscha, Edward Monet, Childe Hassam and more.  Watch for additional biweekly Photo Hunt assignments here on our blog, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with for this next Photo Hunt assignment. Happy shooting!

(Photo: Air by Ed Ruscha, 1971, Columbus Museum of Art, Gift of American Electric Power)

Art Madness is back. For the second year we’re pleased to present Art Madness, our version of March Madness for Art Lovers.

To put together our bracket, we selected some of the most beloved works of art from our collection, as well as a few lesser known gems.

It’s Old Masters versus Contemporary; Europeans versus Americans. Who will be a bracket buster? Who will come from behind and be the Cinderella of Art Madness? Who will be crowned the Art Madness Champion? It’s all up to you!

Here’s how to play along. During the run of Art Madness, we will post a new Match of the Day on our Facebook page. Vote on Facebook by liking your favorite from the Art Madness Match of the Day, or in person in our lobby (in person votes are worth double!). The artwork with the most votes/likes by the next day will advance on to the next round.

Want to predict the winners and keep track of the matches? Download the Art Madness Bracket.

SCOUTING REPORT ON THE 2013 ART MADNESS TEAMS

Morning Sun by Edward Hopper This standout from our American collection is back from the Grand Palais in Paris and the blockbuster Edward Hopper retrospective, which beat even Picasso in attendance figures. Our highly requested Hopper is back home in our newly reinstalled American galleries, and is considered the number one seed in this year’s competition.	The Breakfast by Edgar Degas This work by master draftsman and Impressionist Degas was the 2012 Art Madness Champion. Here Degas explores with intensity and pleasure the potential of pastel for spontaneous, sensuous expression. Will this Degas masterpiece from our renowned Sirak Collection take home the championship again?
Christian Bruce, Countess of Devon by Anthony van Dyck This work by premier British painter Anthony van Dyck remains true to the roots of portrait painting during the time of Charles I of England. Will van Dyck’s aristocratic painting rise above the competition?	Ancestral by Theodoros Stamos Stamos was part of the Abstact Expressionist group known as the Irascibles, which included such heavy hitters as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, and other hard-driving artists who really made their mark on the art world. This mutable piece by Stamos is included in our big Mark Rothko exhibition, now on view.
Aucassin and Nicolette by Charles Demuth This modernized idea of love by Demuth is based on a French love story and fable.  Here Demuth uses the clean lines of the smokestacks in his anthropomorphic telling of the tale. Will Demuth’s clever, modern take on love prevail?	Landscape at Fehmarn with Nudes by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner In this sensuous painting by German Expressionist Kirchner, you get the sense that the people and nature are one. Kirchner’s work at first may seem primitive and loose, but there is a definite game plan going on here.
Still Life with Lobster by Carstian Luyckx Dutch still life painter Luyckx depicts a neverending feast for the eyes here. Just like a clever team that can adjust its game, every time you look at this still life, you seem something you didn’t see before.	Woman at Window by William Baziotes Baziotes was also part of the Abstract Expressionist group known as the Irascibles, and this piece from our permanent collection is included in the coda to our currently on view Mark Rothko exhibition. Will Baziotes’ power riff on Picasso rule the day?
Portrait of a Young Woman by Mary Cassatt American Impressionist Cassatt was the only American ever invited to participate in the groundbreaking French Impressionist exhibitions in Paris. She represented her conference well with pieces such as this striking pastel, a nod to the techniques of her mentor Degas.	Christine Lerolle Embroidering by Pierre-Auguste Renoir Impressionist giant Renoir fuses Impressionist techniques with that of the Old Masters in this work from our renowned Sirak collection. Analysis: knows how to mix-it up in the paint.
Christ Triumphant Over Sin and Death by Peter Paul Rubens and Studio Rubens is one of the most important painters of all-time and with this powerful, positive painting of a heroic Christ figure he proves why he’s one of the top seeds.	Adam and Eve by Edgar Tolson. Modern-day folk artist Tolson remains true to the craft with this depiction of Adam and Eve in his “Fall of Man” series.  The Appalachian folk artist gained much acclaim for his work, including a “tournament invite” to the Whitney Biennial.
Sylvan Lake, SD3 from the series Lakes and Reservoirs * by Matthew Brandt Los Angeles-based photographer Brandt (whose work will be part of a solo exhibition at CMA later this year) is known for experimenting with unusual materials such as Cheez Whiz and Kool-Aid. In this new CMA acquisition, Brandt uses lake water to soak the Chromogenic print.	Venus Wounded by Diomedes, is Saved by Iris by Joseph-Marie Vien French painter Vien coined the French neoclassical style. This dramatic work by Vien is likely to deliver in the clutch. Will this piece by Vien be the Cinderella story of Art Madness?
Cornfield and Harvest by George Bellows Columbus’ Bellows, an OSU athlete and one of the preeminent artists of the Ashcan School, was known for depicting action scenes, but here he shows his softer side and Midwest roots. Like his Ohio State alma mater he’s likely to go far in the tournament. Homecourt advantage: Bellows.	Sunflowers in Windstorm by Emile Nolde One of the most recognizable and loved pieces from our Sirak Collection holds one of the top seeds. Something about Nazi oppression brought out the best in Nolde. His passion and tenacity, as symbolized here, make his work hard to beat.

(*Matthew Brandt image from the series Lakes and Reservoirs Sylvan Lake, SD 3, 2012, Chromogenic print soaked in Sylvan Lake water, Unique. © Matthew Brandt, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York)

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