Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL

Web site: www.norton.org
Press Contact: Kipper Lance, lancek@norton.org, 561-832-5196 x 1137

Left to right: Mrs. Laura Bush, community member Sheree Cunningham, Director Christina Orr-Cahall, and IMLS Director Anne Radice. Click image for a larger version.

Students who participate in the Norton Museum of Art’s seven-week summer internship program love coming to work on Monday mornings. Each week offers enriching experiences designed to expose the 10 high school, college, and grad school interns to myriad museum career paths. In an average week, the interns might build a cell phone tour of an exhibit, create and distribute press kits, and take field trips to artist, collector, and conservator studios. And sometimes they come back to work in the museum. Carolyn Sickles, the museum’s Assistant Curator of Education for Family and Outreach Programs, now runs the internship program she participated in 10 years ago.

This program is just one of the Norton Museum’s many efforts to reach out to the community it serves. Another program that connects the museum to its audience is the Progressive Afterschool Art Community Education (PACE) program, which provides 750 students in underserved populations the chance to participate in free, first-rate arts education. Students enrolled in PACE are given tours of the museum and are exposed to the visual arts by experienced teachers and visiting artists. As the only free year-round afterschool arts program in Palm Beach County, PACE offers students approximately 25,000 hours of contact time with instructors annually.

With arts education for children and young adults a priority, the Norton established a partnership with the Palm Beach County School District. The partnership was forged to address the startling findings of a study by the Robert and Mary Pew Fund and Florida Atlantic University that only $1.50 is set aside for arts programs for every elementary-aged student in Palm Beach County, and no money is specifically designated for middle or high school students. Through this partnership, the museum works to fill the void in Palm Beach County’s arts programming by offering tours of the museum, hosting professional development days, running teacher orientations, and exhibiting student artwork. Programs run by the Norton are offered gratis to the school system and make up 25 percent of all arts education programming in Palm Beach County schools.

For the enjoyment and education of all museum patrons, the Norton curates and presents exhibits that highlight art from various countries and cultures. Spain in the Age of Exploration and In the Hands of African American Collectors: The Personal Treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey were two such exhibitions that facilitated greater outreach to the Hispanic and African American communities in West Palm Beach.

The Norton has also bolstered its African American art holdings, spending half of its acquisition budget over the past eight years to develop its African American collections. Recently, the museum showcased these works in an exhibit called Highlights: African American Art from the Norton Collection. In conjunction with In the Hands of African American Collectors, Highlights was promoted by two committees made up of community leaders and shared with area residents through a Community Day, cell phone tours, a Web brochure, and a 20-page Newspapers in Education supplement. Through these outreach initiatives, the museum ensured maximum community impact for this exhibition.

By playing a significant role in the art education of thousands of visitors and community members, regardless of economic status or cultural heritage, the Norton Museum of Art has proven itself to be an important contributor to the community of West Palm Beach.

“The Norton Museum of Art is an outstanding institution and contributes greatly to the quality of life in this region,” said U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL). “I congratulate and commend Director Orr-Cahall for her hard work and dedication, bringing together quality collections that inspire, educate, and enhance our community.”

“The museum’s efforts to provide art education to children and young adults is one of the reasons it’s a true asset to our state and community. The legacy of this work will live inside every child who grows up knowing the true wonder of art,” said U.S. Senator. Bill Nelson (D-FL).

“Congratulations to the Norton Museum of Art and Director Dr. Christina Orr-Cahall for this extraordinary accomplishment,” said U.S. Representative Ron Klein (D-FL-22). “The Norton exemplifies the kind of community involvement that the National Medal for Museum and Library Service was designed to recognize. Through their summer internship and after-school programs, the Norton has provided a rich arts education for thousands of young people in Palm Beach County, and few institutions could be more deserving of this prestigious honor.”

Community Member Sheree Cunningham
Museum Keeps Youth on the Right Track and Out of the Court System
Every day, County Court Judge Sheree Cunningham presides over a courtroom filled with people who have made poor choices. But she also sees those who redirect their paths toward positive outcomes with help from places like the Norton Museum of Art. She has been deeply involved in the museum’s public programs, which have helped produce happy, creative children. The programs challenge children to tap into their gifts and give them something they can be proud about. Cunningham has also been instrumental in encouraging the African American community to embrace the Norton. This meant overcoming mistrust that remained from decades of segregation during which the museum was for whites only. In 2008, for example, Cunningham headed the host committee for the Norton’s presentation of In the Hands of African American Collectors: The Personal Treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey. The African American community was galvanized in support of the museum by this exhibit depicting their ancestry. Cunningham also created an ongoing dialogue between the museum’s educators and the area’s African American Ministers’ Conference. A recent discussion centered on how the museum could help families through outreach efforts. One of the ministers remarked that for the first time he now felt completely welcome, overcoming his childhood and adult understanding that art museums were only for white people. On a personal level, Cunningham says that the arts round her out as a person. Involvement with the museum has exposed her to many people in the art world who amaze her with their wealth of information and passion for the work.