MAricopa County Community College (MCCC) students with a valid student ID receive free admission to the Phoenix Art Museum thanks to a program launched by the museum and the Men's Arts Council (MAC) called MC3@PAM.
“This was MAC's way of supporting the museum and making it accessible to college students in Maricopa County. Therefore, free access to the museum allows us to take advantage of upcoming exhibitions in various areas of the arts. There are also certain events that can be viewed and accessed as well,” said Devin Sreecharana, MAC 2023-24 President. .
The program began on October 8 last year after MAC donated $1 million to the museum and will run until October 2025.
The idea for this program stemmed from the museum's commitment to attracting different demographics and exposing people to art.
Sreecharana said the museum focuses on MCCC's student population, as many of them are the first in their families to attend college. The majority of MCCC students attend school part-time and are trying to balance work and family life alongside their studies.
“So the idea was to make it accessible. …Let's give them an opportunity to de-stress and bring their families to the museum,” Sreecharana said.
He noted that over the past year, the program has been successful in attracting students and their families, and is attracting a more diverse range of museum visitors, especially younger generations.
Sreecharana emphasized that the importance of this event is to bring art to students, working students and professionals.
“It allows us to expose a lot of local, regional, national and international art that the museum has been able to successfully acquire and offer to our community to different aspects of our community,” he said. I did.
Sreecharana said the MAC is interested in extending the program beyond 2025 if possible.
There are a variety of exhibits, both current and upcoming, which Sreecharana encourages students to check out. These include the current exhibition MAC helped acquire, “William Herbert “Buck” Danton: A Mainer Goes West,” which Mr. Sreecharana describes as “one of the most important books in Western world art.” “Cool interpretation.”
In addition to MAC's 2023 donation, there will be an upcoming exhibition called “Expanding Darshan,” which is a modern interpretation of Hinduism and Hindu art. Another exhibition called “Multiple Realities'' showcases his Eastern European experimental art from the 1960s to the 1980s, which Sreecharana emphasized as unique and reflective of that era.
He also mentioned the Collection Spotlight, which brings together a specific group of Southwest-based artists and award-winning artists.
“There will also be an exhibition inspired by the hugely popular Barbie, and I'm sure it will be about costumes as well as art,” Sreecharana said.
The Men's Art Council's gift to the museum allows the museum to host a variety of exhibitions and collections, as well as engage in more community outreach.
MAC has been around since 1967, and its sole purpose, Sreecharana said, is to support the Phoenix Art Museum. This nonprofit organization only supports its exhibits, programs, and activities through its own events and fundraising.
“What we typically do is make an annual contribution to either the museum's operating budget and/or financially sponsored exhibitions and acquisitions. So this year, we actually increased last year's $1 million donation. In addition to that, we announced an additional $475,000 in donations. So our focus this year for the 475 (donations) is on exhibitions and acquisitions,” Sreecharana said.
“And the great thing about these exhibitions is that they will both take place in 2023 and 2024. So when you tie them into the MC3 program, you can not only participate because of the partnership, but also count the number of students who can participate. …and check out these truly world-famous exhibitions.”
MAC's $1 million gift went beyond the MC3 program. We also sponsor quarterly family fun days, with free admission for families. This includes weekend workshops in a family-friendly environment, guided tours, food trucks, and more.
The gift also led to the museum being awarded a position called Community Engagement Curator. Curators are responsible for finding ways to host public community events to bring people to the museum. The museum has also begun hosting film events, participated in First Fridays, and will host a music and art event called “Amplified” in January. Finally, the donation helped with major technology upgrades throughout the museum.
Sreecharana wanted to emphasize to guests that MAC has been around since the 1960s and is poised to make an even bigger impact in recent years.
“Supporting the community through the museum world is our true mission, and we have approximately 200 active members engaged in that work. They range from young professionals to retired individuals. ,” Sreecharana said.
“And we really enjoy supporting museums through unique events.”
Sreecharana encourages visitors, especially MCCC students, to take advantage of this program to explore the museum's world-renowned exhibits. He also pointed out that Phoenix is quickly becoming an arts capital not only in the Southwest but also in the nation.
“For people who are interested in art or want to see something that sparks their interest in art, this could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Sreecharana said. “So I encourage people to take advantage of that.”
