ATTLEBORO, MA – January 30th, 2021 When the Attleboro Arts Museum opened its doors in 1923 several area residents supported the organization by gifting fine art, memorabilia, and items of aesthetic and historical interest.
These donations came to form most of the museum’s permanent collection. Today, the museum presents an annual winter exhibition featuring Select Attleboro Arts Museum holdings will be on view for one week in the museum’s gallery and remain visible in the form of banners hanging from downtown Attleboro’s light poles after the exhibition concludes. Inside and Out Feb 13th-20th Funding has been provided by the Commonwealth Places Program created by collection highlights.
These yearly shows allow the organization to share segments of its holdings and honor exceptional works donated by early and contemporary patrons. The museum’s 2021edition of the permanent collection exhibition, Inside and Out, will serve as the launch point fora Commonwealth Places COVID-19 Response Round: Resurgent Places grant award from MassDevelopment.
The museum’s award funded the creation of light pole banners depicting art from its collection. The actual art on the banners will be on view inside the Museum from February 13th – 20th during the Inside and Out exhibition. The pieces will then head outside in the form of visual banners that anchor to light poles.
Outdoor gallery-goers can access docent information within a self-guided tour that interprets each of the twenty-two art banners on their smartphone. The funding will also cover signage for the museum’s windows featuring additional collection artwork and information on safety requirements for indoor access during the pandemic.
Several banners on the tour are located near downtown restaurants and the tour will include promotion of the closest dining establishment. The MassDevelopment grant was made available specifically to assist local economic recovery efforts as community partners prepare public spaces and commercial districts to serve residents and visitors. “MassDevelopment is excited to help people enjoy the Inside and Out exhibition at the Attleboro Arts Museum in a safe way while getting people back downtown to shops and restaurants,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera.
“We were pleased to support this initiative with a $9,700 grant from our Commonwealth Places placemaking program.” Twenty-two pieces from the Attleboro Arts Museum’s collection will be on view in its Ottmar Gallery during Inside and Out. “The actual works of art in the exhibition will be returned to our vault when the show concludes but replicas will take to the streets for the launch of the MassDevelopment program,” states Mim Brooks Fawcett, the museum’s Executive Director and Chief Curator. Fawcett continues, “The outdoor gallery serves as an alternative for those that would like to experience the art but are reluctant to visit an indoor space during the pandemic. It will also function as a point of interest within the heart of Attleboro’s downtown.”
In-gallery “Inside & Out” Exhibition: February 13th – 20th, 2021. Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm. – Health and safety protocols for masked visitors can be found at www.attleboroartsmuseum.org
Launch of Downtown Attleboro Replica Banners & Self-guided Tour: February 20th, 2021 – Tour can be found at
www.attleboroartsmuseum.org
beginning February 20th, 2021 Admission to the Attleboro Arts Museum is free; donations are always appreciated.
Mandated capacity limits are in place.
The Attleboro Arts Museum involves audiences of all ages and backgrounds in the visual arts through diverse educational programs and engaging arts experiences. We work to support the creative and artistic development of both promising and professional artists. The Museum is a privately supported, non-profit arts institution whose core commitment to Arts for Everyone guides the Museum’s programs and operations. www.attleboroartsmuseum.org
MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth. Created in 2016, Commonwealth Places aims to engage and mobilize community members to make individual contributions for placemaking projects, with the incentive of a funding match from MassDevelopment if the crowdfunding goal is reached. In June 2020, MassDevelopment announced the availability of $225,000 in funding for the Commonwealth Places COVID-19 Response Round: Resurgent Places.