MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

When the Bakersfield Museum of Art closed its doors last spring to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, we wondered when we could return to normal operations. Moreover, how could we keep our staff employed and continue our mission – bringing diverse visual arts experiences to our community? A combination of private sector grants and state and federal funding helped us manage our operating expenses. But what about our programming? In April 2020, we launched the #bmoachalkyourwalk campaign on Instagram, encouraging artists of all ages to draw chalk images on their sidewalks and driveways. Our goal was to help encourage each other and provide a sense of community through the healing power of art. Dozens of submissions through our social media accounts told us we had struck a nerve: BMoA was closed to the public, but the public still needed BMoA. To meet that need, we created our Museum at Home initiative: A series of online essays, downloadable art projects for artists of all ages, interviews and podcast episodes, all designed to share objects from our permanent collection with our community. Our 2020 spring fundraiser, ARTMIX, a curated cocktail party, became an online art exhibition with grab-and-go food and drink specials from local restaurants like Nuestro Mexico, Locale Farm to Table, The Kitchen and more. We launched our first ever virtual exhibition featuring our Artworks Class of 2020. The 16 gifted high school art students who participated in this program had their work featured online, allowing them to share their work with friends and family from outside the region. We even brought our winter 2021 exhibitions, which opened in February 2021 online and in 3D. We partnered with the Kern County Department of Public Health and Donahue Schriber to produce a scaled-down version of our annual Via Arté Italian Street Painting Exhibition at The Marketplace in October 2020, complete with masks, attendance limits and social distancing. As we welcome visitors back, they will notice a few changes, like social distancing, mask-wearing, reduced capacity and enhanced cleaning of high-touch areas. One thing that has not changed is our commitment to bringing diverse, fine art experiences to our community. If you would like to join our efforts, visit us at bmoa.org/donate today!

– Amy D. Smith, Executive Director Bakersfield Museum of Art

Location: 1930 R St.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday Closed Sunday & Monday Admission Cost: $10 Nonmembers: $5 Children & Seniors Free for Members Website: www.bmoa.org