Albrecht-Kemper improvements bring in new visitors

Hosting its annual Sugarplum Festival in November, the museum saw traffic that it hadn’t seen in years.

“Our numbers were higher than previous years, because of COVID. Having the driveway improvements opened up our parking lot and made it easier for people to come to Sugarplum and other museum events,” said Kaitlyn Doolan, marketing and communications manager.

Because of the museum’s new driveway route, which got rid of a previous one that was unable to handle vehicles like buses, it was able to welcome group tours. Its increased visibility also saw a slew of outside guests.

“We have already seen a few bus tours come from out of state, and bringing groups into the museum,” Doolan said. “When they come, they get a tour of the museum, an art project and lunch. So it’s expanding our viewers of the museum to other areas that wouldn’t be here normally.”

In 2022, the museum continued successful outreach events, like the monthly “After Hours” mixers and classes for all levels of artists. In addition, it hosted its first all-day Arts Fair in June, which showcased a mixture of art, music, food and gardening.

Planning for 2023, Doolan said the museum will continue trying to reach both those who have never stepped foot in a museum and faithful patrons of the Albrecht-Kemper through classes like creating jewelry and painting.

“We’re planning on having more of a variety of different classes,” she said. “It’s more than just the museum. We’re going to have more workshops available for all ages.”

It will kick off the year on Jan. 13 with its 49th Annual Membership Exhibition, a yearly showcase of the work being created by some of the museum’s more than 400 members.

“Our members all have a variety of different artwork that they do, whether it’s photography, drawing, painting, and that is a great way for them to display their artwork here to the community,” Doolan said.

At the event, patrons will have the chance to purchase pieces showcased at the event and, in turn, support local artists.

“You’ll see just a little bit of everything. There’ll be pottery, photography, some different types of painting, all different types of stuff,” Doolan said.

With all the success the museum had in 2022, it wants to continue building on that momentum and proving that art is for everyone.

“We had people from over 30 different states come in 2022 and four different countries. I’m excited to see where else we’ll reach,” Doolan said.

The Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art is located at 2818 Frederick Ave. For more information on its current exhibitions, call 816-233-7003.