History of the Modesto Art Museum

History and Accomplishments of the Modesto Art Museum

The museum was founded on April 18, 2005. Since then the museum has hosted or sponsored a multitude of events and activities. Among them:

2005

First mail art presentation to Stanislaus County school teachers, 22 September 2005
Stanislaus County Digital Photography Exhibition, July to November 2005
Benjamin Franklin 300^th Anniversary Mail Art Event, August 2005- January 2006, 315 pieces of mail art from 21 states and 13 countries were on display in the Anderson Gallery, January 9-28, 2006. The exhibit included a rare performance on Franklin's glass armonica. The event was part of the official national celebration of Franklin’s birth.

2006

Deco Modesto, 17 September 2006, Anderson Gallery, a with the Modesto Film Society
Talk to Stanislaus County art teachers, 28 September 2006, Modesto Art Museum Events and Collaboration for Your Classroom.
The Great American Shoe In, 2-31 October 2006, in four downtown Modesto galleries, 41 artists participated from several western states
The museum hosted a breakout session for the California Association of Art Teachers Conference, Fresno, 27 October 2006

2007

Future Vision Mail Art Event, February 5 to March 3, 2007, 371 artists, 400 pieces of art, from 15 states and 20 countries. This was the first art dialogue event. Visitors to the exhibit could make a piece of mail art in response to a piece they saw on the wall and send it to the artist. There were also two workshops for people to learn how to make mail art. The event was supported by a grant from the Modesto Culture Commission for $1,000.
Modesto Wine and Food Film Festival, 17 August, 2007, co hosted with Modesto Film Society and State Theatre. More than 225 people attended the one evening event, the screening of food related films, a tasting reception, and a talk by a Los Angeles film maker.
Together with the McHenry Museum, we hosted The Making of Hetch Hetchy: The Art of Industrial Photography, an exhibit of 32 vintage photographs of the building of the Hetch Hetchy dam and aqueduct. The exhibit was August 23, 2007 to September 30, 2007.

2008

Inside and Out: Architecture and Interior Design mail art event: More than 240 artists from 25 countries participated, including more than 100 local Modesto students. The exhibit was on display March 17, 2008 to April 11, 2008 and several hundred people attended. The event was by a grant from the Modesto Culture Commission for $1,000.
With the American Institute of Architects, the Modesto Film Society, and the State Theatre, we hosted the American Institute of Architects Film Festival, the only architecture film festival in North America. The first of four nights was March 13, the second night was June 12, then September 11, and November 13, 2008.
The museum researched and produced Modernism in Modesto 1937-1972, a guide to a walking tour of downtown Modesto buildings. Supported by a grant from the Modesto Culture Commission.
The museum hosts the online Modesto Architecture Photo Exhibit on Flickr. This is an on-going project.
In spring 2008, we provided curatorial advice to the Stanislaus Pride Center for their exhibition Fellow Travelers, June 1-28 at Deva Café.
We conducted two tours of downtown Modesto architecture during the summer of 2008.
In August and September we hosted Hollywood Memories: The Art of the Movie Poster, a collection of 44 vintage movie posters. The exhibit was at the McHenry Museum and was part of the International Surrealism Festival and supported by a grant from Bank of the West.
In September 2008, we co-hosted the second annual Modesto Reel Food Film Festival.

2009

February 12, 2009 began the second season of the Modesto Architecture Film Festival. The event is co-hosted with the American Institute of Architects, the State Theatre, and the Modesto Film Society. Three evenings of movies over the course of the year.
March and April 2009, the International Surrealism Festival continued at the Mistlin Gallery with Surrealism: the Cutting Edge of Art, the museum's annual mail art event, and Semantic Massage, a multi-media installation by Jessica Gomula.
March 19, 2009, we hosted a reading of Surrealist poetry at the Mistlin Gallery.
May 16, 2009, the museum hosted a walking tour of downtown Modesto architecture.
August - September 2009, Art and Design at the World's Fair, an exhibit of artifacts celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate International Exposition.
September 27, 2009, the third annual Modesto Reel Food Film Festival, co-hosted with the State Theatre and the Modesto Film Society.

2010

February 2010, Pony Express 150, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Pony Express. More than 300 artists from 35 countries participated in the mail art event.
July 2010, thanks to a $3,000 grant from the Teichert Foundation, the museum begins Building a Better Modesto, the museum's response to Modesto's rank as the least livable city in the country. Building a Better Modesto, explores the place of the visual arts in creating a more livable Modesto. In particular we will explore architecture, landscape, and urban design through exhibits, talks, tours, online resources, and movies.
August 2010, the museum received a $2,000 grant from Target for Airmail 100 together with our partner Eustach Middle School.
October 2010, the museum co-hosted the 4th annual Modesto Reel Food Film Festival at the historic State Theatre.
October 2010, together with our partners the American Institute of Architects, the State Theatre, and the Modesto Film Society we co-hosted the Modesto International Architecture Festival, three days of movies, exhibits, talks, tours, and special events.
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