• Community Building,
  • Interdisciplinary,
  • Reach,
  • Youth and Family,
  • Tours and Talks,
  • Access,
  • Breadth

A Luminous Life
Dusti Bongé and Her Contributions to Modern Art

The Columbia Museum of Art provided a guided tour, a pop-in workshop, and take-home art kits to engage diverse audiences, including adults and families, through in-depth curatorial insights and a hands-on artmaking activity inspired by artist Dusti Bongé. This programming accompanied an exhibition in the American South Consortium Spotlight series, which was created through a multiyear, multi-institutional partnership formed by the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art as part of the Art Bridges Cohort Program.
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Photo courtesy of Columbia Museum of Art.

Funding Categories

  • Honoraria

  • Travel & Lodging

  • Meals & Per Diem

  • Supplies

  • Marketing & Outreach

  • Printing

partner

  •  The Columbia Museum of Art

location

  • Columbia, SC

image

Photo courtesy of Columbia Museum of Art.

About

This layered program combined a guided tour, a pop-in workshop, and take-home art kits, offering visitors multiple ways to engage with the work of the prolific female modern artist Dusti Bongé. The tour, led by Sarah Tignor of The Johnson Collection, highlighted connections between Bongé and other Southern women artists. The hands-on workshop, led by local artist Katie Chandler, attracted families with children, who were invited to create their own abstract art inspired by Bongé, and the art kits allowed caregivers to take project materials and instructions home, making the project more accessible for those who had limited time at the museum.

Intended Outcome

With this project, the Columbia Museum of Art sought to serve more families through programming. They aimed to bring in 150 attendees for the Dusti Bongé exhibition and its related activities. 

Actual Outcome

Fifty-five percent of attendees at the Dusti Bongé activities were families—a larger percentage of which dropped in for the hands-on artmaking activities—and 65 visitors attended the free program, “A Luminous Life.”

Advice Post Project

Museums seeking to engage more families should consider offering flexible, hands-on programming that includes take-home components. Providing art kits allows visitors with young children or limited time to participate on their own schedule, increasing accessibility and broadening audience reach. This adaptable format can be an effective tool for family engagement and is worth incorporating into future programming.

image

Photo courtesy of Columbia Museum of Art.

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Photo courtesy of Columbia Museum of Art.