WHAT MAKES A MUSEUM MOVE FORWARD?
Dr. Kate Beane
Executive Director
Here at the M, it’s the community’s excitement that keeps us in motion, and because of that support over the last several years, the M’s prospects for the future have solidified. Construction on the expanded museum began in March 2023, and this physical growth is symbolic of the M’s aspirations for continued co-curation and leadership in the museum world as well asking tough questions, such as, what is considered American art? And how do we bravely support a united vision of diverse perspectives in a way that honors difference, helps us relate to one another, while inspiring us to heal and to thrive as makers in our communities?
Every time people gather at the M, the museum gets a boost. Potential builds when people come together to support the mission of exploring and honoring American identities through art and creativity, and this year, opportunities to gather rebounded. Supporters gathered for Collectors’ Circle events, students came together to learn from teaching artists, and in November 2022, curious thinkers showed up for Elevating Native American and Indigenous Voices In Arts Institutions: A Fireside Chat. In May, MOMENTUM brought a huge crowd of friends, new and old, into the museum for an evening of celebration and support. With another year of creative programming and window exhibitions, each gathering helped write this new chapter of the M’s history.
This was a momentous year in many ways, and in June, a group of Native artists were invited to participate in a Native Arts Convening, the first step in the process of acknowledging how the M can best support and represent the Native artists in its collection, programs, and exhibitions. An exciting new permanent collection artwork from Maggie Thompson is an example of how acquisitions help elevate this important priority for the museum.
A fresh energy punctuates this moment of physical and ideological expansion at the M. As we build, we are aware that each voice adds to the M’s story, a narrative that has been unfolding in St. Paul for more than a century. Celebrating big wins, like securing state bonding money, fuels the motivation to continue knocking down walls, preserving important history—and asking new questions—at the Pioneer Endicott building downtown St. Paul.
We are a community museum, and it’s because of you that the M can do what it does. Thank you.
Pidamayaye,
Dr. Kate Beane
(Flandreau Santee Sioux Dakota and Muscogee Creek)
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