I hope that you and yours had a lovely holiday season and start to the new year! I hope that in the rush of those final weeks of December and the beginning of January that you were able to have some time for yourself and
to be able to connect with all of the moments that bring you joy.

 

During this time of year, we think about ways that we can make this new year better than the last. So in this message, I wanted to share some of the ways in which we are working toward an amazing 2025!

 

New Year, New Exhibits

 

The Learning & Programming team at Mia has been hard at work getting ready for Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, which will open to the public on March 8. In February, we will have a meeting for all guides and Learning volunteers to provide an overview of the exhibit, our community outreach, and programming for the run of the exhibition. For those of you who might be out of town in February, we will make sure to record this meeting so that you can be in the know. Please make sure to check updates from Kara and Debbi for this meeting. 

 

However, Giants isn’t the only exhibit opening early this year. The True America: Photographs by Ernest Cole just opened February 1. This exhibit highlights the South African photographer’s trip to the United States in the 1960s and ’70s to document the lives of Black Americans. This exhibit is a wonderful way to incorporate some of the themes found within Giants and through Mia’s permanent collection. 

 

February also brings a new exhibit that will get us ready for spring and Art in Bloom. Hokusai/Monet opened February 9, bringing Monet’s Chrysanthemums and floral prints created by Hokusai into dialogue. During the19th century, Impressionists were inspired by Japanese printmaking and incorporated themes, elements, and processes of print-making into their works. 

 

Transcendent Clay: The Kondō Family’s Path of Porcelain Innovations, opening on March 1, will look at three generations of the Kondō family’s impact on ceramics.
This exhibit will highlight each family member and their contributions to this artform. Among the 50 ceramic works
of art on view will be Mia’s Reduction I by Kondō Takahiro. This work will be featured in this exhibition in conversation with another piece from the Reduction series.  

 

Finally, I am excited to share that Mary Sully: Native Modern will open on March 15. This exhibit will be featured in Gallery 276. This exhibition will feature 18 drawings by Sully from the 1920s through the 1940s. The works within the exhibition combine motifs of her indigenous ancestry, her experiences in New York, as well as pulp culture references from the era. Of the 18 works, 12 of the works are abstract personality portraits representing celebrities of the time, such as Fred Astaire and Shirley Temple. This exhibit will also feature objects from Mia’s Native American collection to be in dialogue with Sully’s works within the exhibition. 

 

New Year, New Goals

 

The guides have been an incredible asset to Mia over the years, providing access to the museum’s collection to guests of all ages. In order to try to make this year a little easier for you to provide meaningful experiences for our guests, I and the rest of the team are working on a process to get the latest updates and changes to the galleries to you so that you can best plan your tours. In the meantime, please check the Monday CE message from Mia Educators to get the latest on objects coming on or off view. All past gallery updates are available in this document. Art Adventure object locations
are updated as they change and are available on the guide website. For research questions, reach out to:
Kara (kzumbahlen@artsmia.org) or
Debbi (dhegstrom@artsmia.org) for assistance.

 

Another goal that the Learning & Programming team has for this year is to increase the attendance of school groups to Mia. We have been in great conversations with our internal teams, as well as with schools to see how we can accomplish this goal for the year. One of the obstacles for school visiting Mia is the need for busing. The bus fund from the Friends was tapped by late October this year. Mia was able to find additional bus funds for the spring, and we are thankful to the Friends for helping us to start distributing these funds to schools for field trips to view the museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions.

 

New Year, New Staff

 

The Learning & Programming team will be expanding by adding two new staff members this spring. The first will be a Learning Programs Coordinator that will report to Sheila McGuire, Senior Manager of Learning. This position will be assisting with school program prep, updating databases and communications with teachers and administrators, as well as providing back-up support for Marina Maou, Tours and Volunteers Coordinator.

 

The second position that we will be hiring is the Senior Manager of Guides and Volunteers. This position will manage our two Mia Educators, as well as the overall guide program, and will report directly to me. This position will work closely with me, and with the DEI team, to build relationships with community partners with the purpose of diversifying and expanding our guide program. 

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We are currently in the initial stages of the hiring process for both of these positions and are in the process of reviewing applications. Once we’ve completed our review, we will be reaching out to selected candidates to schedule initial interviews. Our goal is to have both positions filled by March, ensuring that we have the right talent in place to support the museum’s strategic objectives moving forward. We are excited to move ahead with this process and look forward to bringing on new team members who will contribute to the continued success and growth of the museum.

 

New Year, Renewed Appreciation

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With all of this new news, I want to take a moment to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for everything you contribute to Mia. The time, talent, and dedication you bring not only to the museum but also to our guests is truly invaluable. Over the past six months, I have been incredibly grateful for the warm welcome and support you have shown me. As we move into this new year, I look forward to getting to know each of you more and continuing to work together to make Mia an even more remarkable place for our visitors and community. Thank you again for everything you do!

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Abbie Edens
Head of Learning and Programming