Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute

MUNSON WILLIAMS PROCTOR INSTITUTE IS A REGIONAL FINE ARTS CENTER SERVING DIVERSE AUDIENCES THROUGH THREE PROGRAM DIVISIONS: MUSEUM OF ART, PERFORMING ARTS, AND SCHOOL OF ART.

MUSEUM OF ART - THE 2021-22 FISCAL YEAR WAS FULL OF EXCITING EXHIBITIONS, DYNAMIC ACQUISITIONS AND THOUSANDS OF NEW VISITORS TO OUR GALLERIES DESPITE HAVING THE DIFFICULTIES AND CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS EXPLORED VARIOUS SUBJECTS, PERIODS AND MATERIALS. EMMA AMOS: COLOR ODYSSEY (JUNE-SEPT 2021), THE MUSEUM'S FEATURED SUMMER EXHIBITION, PRESENTED POWERFUL WORKS BY THIS IMPORTANT FEMALE ACTIVIST AND ARTIST. THE EXHIBITION EXPLORED AMOS'S TECHNIQUES, ACTIVISM AND CULTURAL AWARENESS IN A LANDMARK EXHIBITION ORGANIZED BY THE GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART. THE EXHIBITION WAS FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER LARGE PRESENTATION ON THE SCULPTURAL WORK OF ISABELLE DE BORCHGRAVE (OCTOBER 2021-JANUARY 2022), WHICH WAS A RETROSPECTIVE OF HER MANY YEARS OF DESIGNING DRESSES FROM PAPER. THE SPRING SAW THE SECOND ITERATION OF A SERIES OF THREE EXHIBITIONS SPONSORED BY THE ARTBRIDGES FOUNDATION TO PROMOTE COLLABORATION BETWEEN MUNSON-WILLIAMS AND OTHER MUSEUMS. IN THIS SECOND INSTALLMENT, THE WORK OF ALAN ROHAN CRITE, AN AFRICAN AMERICAN PAINTER FROM BOSTON, WAS FEATURED (FEBRUARY-MAY 2022), MAINLY DRAWN FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON, AS WELL AS OTHER PRIVATEAND INSTITUTIONAL LENDERS.ADDITIONAL EXHIBITIONS OF CONTEMPORARY ART WERE FEATURED IN THE PRATTMWP GALLERY WITHIN THE MUSEUM, INLUDING A 20TH ANNIVERSARY RETROSPECTIVE CALLED 20: CELEBRATING TWENTY YEARS OF PRATTMWP AND INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITIONS OF THE WORK OF ARTISTS MELANIE CREE AND SHAUN LEONDARDO. THE MUSEUM ALSO BEGAN A COMPLETE REINSTALLATION OF ITS PERMANENT COLLECTION WITH A GALLERY DEVOTED TO THE LANDMARK QUARTET OF PAINTINGS BY THOMAS COLE, ENTITLED THE VOYAGE OF LIFE. OTHER 19TH CENTURY MASTERWORKS WERE PUT ON VIEW IN A PENDANT GALLERY TO AWAIT THEIR FINAL PLACEMENT IN THE COMING YEAR. ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE MUSEUM, THE MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY COLLECTIONS WERE ALSO REINSTALLED DURING THE SPRING. THE FINAL PHASE, THE REINSTALLATION OF THE 19TH CENTURY GALLERY WILL LIKELY TAKE PLACE IN THE SPRING OF 2023. THE RICH ARRAY OF PROGRAMS OFFERED BY THE MUSEUM EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REACHED THOUSANDS AND DEEPENED OUR AUDIENCE'S UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION FOR ARTWORK. THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAS FOUR FULL-TIME PROFESSIONAL STAFF AND 30 VOLUNTEER DOCENTS. THERE IS A PRATTMWP DOCENT CORPS, AS WELL, CALLED THE MUSEUM RENEGADES. THE DEPARTMENT PRODUCED AN ARRAY OF PROGRAMS THAT ENHANCED VISITORS' UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF EXHIBITIONS AND THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION. THE VARIED EVENTS INCLUDED ART AND YOGA, ART ALIVE FAMILY DAYS, ART STORY (A READING AND LOOKING STORYTIME FOR PRESCHOOLERS)LECTURES, WORKSHOPS, ARTIST DEMONSTRATIONS, FILMS, AND MEET ME AT MWP, A PROGRAM THAT SERVICES INDIVUALS WITH MEMORY LOSS.NUMEROUS GIFTS AND SEVERAL PURCHASES WERE ADDED TO THE MUSEUM OF ART'S PERMANENT COLLECTION, INCLUDING AN IMPORTANT CACHE OF PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST PHOTOGRAPHER AARON SISKIND; ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER WORKS IN MODERN AND CONTEMPORATY ART. THE MUSEUM ALSO PURCHASED A GROUP OF IMPORTANT 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN SILVER OBJECTS. A NEW ACQUISITION FUND, CALLED "THE HELEN MUNSON WILLIAMS FUND" WAS ESTABLISHED WITH THE PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF A MAJOR WORK OF CHINESE IMPERIAL PORCELAIN. THE WORK DID NOT FIT THE COLLECTING PROFILE OF THE MUSEUM AND HAD BEEN DESIGNATED FOR DEACCESSION FOR MANY YEARS. THE ARTS HAVE HELPED TO SUSTAIN US THROUGH THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND DEMONSTRATED THE POWER OF VISUAL CULTURE TO EXPRESS EMOTION, CALL TO ACTION, AND EXPLORE OUR COMMON GROUND AND HUMANITY.

SCHOOL OF ART - THE NASAD ACCREDITED SCHOOL OF ART IS COMPRISED OF THREE MAIN PROGRAMS: THE PRATTMWP COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN PROGRAM, THE COMMUNITY ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAM AND THE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM. THE PRATTMWP PROGRAM FUNCTIONS AS AN EXTENSION CENTER OF PRATT INSTITUTE IN BROOKLYN, NY IN WHICH STUDENTS PURSUING A BACHELORS OF FINE ARTS, COMMUNICATION DESIGN, PHOTOGRAPHY OR ART EDUCATION DEGREE CAN ELECT TO SPEND THEIR FRESHMAN AND SOPHOMORE YEARS AT OUR UTICA CAMPUS, AND COMPLETE THEIR DEGREE BY DOING THEIR JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEARS AT THE PRATT CAMPUS IN BROOKLYN. THE AFFILIATION IS IN ITS THIRTEENTH YEAR.IN THE 2021-22 ACADEMIC YEAR, PRATTMWP'S ENROLLMENT CONSISTED OF 147 FRESHMAN AND 89 SOPHOMORE FULL TIME STUDENTS. OF THE 236 STUDENTS, 224 STUDENTS WERE LIVING IN THE RESIDENTIAL HALLS. DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC A COMBINATION IN-PERSON OR LEARNING WAS OFFERED. A TOTAL OF 8% OF CLASSES WERE OFFERED REMOTELY. OUR FRESHMAN CLASS HAS 35 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS REPRESENTING 13 COUNTRIES AND DOMESTIC STUDENTS REPRESENTING 26 STATES. THERE ARE AN ADDITIONAL 21 INTERNATIONAL SOPHOMORE STUDENTS REPRESENTING 6 COUNTRIES. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS NUMBER 56.

PERFORMING ARTS - DURING THE 2021-2022 SEASON, THE PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMMING MADE A GRADUAL RETURN TO BUSINESS AS USUAL FOLLOWING THE LIFTING OF MANY PANDEMIC-RELATED RESTRICTIONS ENFORCED BY THE NYS DEPT OF HEALTH. LIVE PROGRAMS AND CONCERTS WITH IN-PERSON PARTICIPANTS WERE ABLE TO RESUME, SOME WITH MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES. THE FILM SERIES WAS ABLE TO RESUME FULL CAPACITY SCREENINGS TWICE A WEEK. A SLIGHTLY ABBREVIATED SCHEDULE OF EVENTS INCLUDED CONCERTS BY PIANIST BARRON RYAN, A CAPELLA GROUP SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK AND THE RETURN OF THE ALWAYS-POPULAR KEYBOARD CONVERSATIONS SERIES AND THE MET LIVE IN HD. FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT WAS PROVIDED BY STORYTELLER CHARLOTTE BLAKE-ALLSTON AND THE INDIE-POP FAMILY BAND TIM KUBART AND THE SPACE CADETS.

IN ADDITION, THE INSTITUTE OPERATES AN ART & DESIGN RESEARCH LIBRARY WHICH IS OPEN YEAR-ROUND AND SERVES THE INSTITUTE'S STAFF, STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND MEMBERS; THE GENERAL PUBLIC; AND OUTSIDE SCHOLARS. IN 2022, THE LIBRARY SERVED 6,812 PATRONS, AND CIRCULATED 2,754 ITEMS. THE LIBRARY PROVIDES REFERENCE, RESEARCH, AND CIRCULATION SERVICES, CLASS AND INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION, COMPUTER AND DATABASE ACCESS AND TRAINING, INTERLIBRARY LOANS, SPECIAL EVENTS, TOURS, AND EXTENDED HOURS. ITS COLLECTIONS INCLUDE 30,472 BOOKS, 20 PERIODICAL SUBSCRIPTIONS, 3,351 MUSIC COMPACT DISCS, 2,661 FILMS ON DVD AND VHS, AND 2,987 ARTISTS FILES. THE CATALOG OF COLLECTION HOLDINGS IS SEARCHABLE ON-SITE AND THROUGH THE INSTITUTE'S WEB PAGE. THROUGH ITS AFFILIATION WITH THE PRATT INSTITUTE LIBRARIES, PATRONS HAVE ACCESS TO 182 ONLINE ARTICLE, EBOOK, IMAGE, AND STREAMING VIDEO DATABASES. SERVICES ARE OFFERED IN PERSON AND BY EMAIL. CONTACTLESS CURBSIDE PICKUP AND RETURN SERVICES OFFERED YEAR ROUND. AN OUTDOOR RETURN BOX IS AVAILABLE AT THE ACADEMIC CENTER ENTRANCE.