The purpose and objectives for the organization’s core programs and services are to provide the public with educational programming that make art and the creative process accessible to all ages of the public. Programs such as: K-12 Museum Field Trips for Students and Community Engagement provide unique opportunities to learn about art and culture. For example, FMCAs collaboration to serve local K-12 schools have been successful in serving underrepresented students. This program is facilitated and guided by our staff and volunteer docents. The students are given a half day guided tour of the museum’s exhibits, a theme based artistic learning experience, and educational materials for the instructors aligned with the California Arts Standards for Public Schools, pre-kindergarten through grade twelve. The standards reflect the following perspective regarding the value and importance of the visual arts, “In the visual arts, developing literacy occurs as a result of engaging in an authentic creative process through the use of traditional and nontraditional materials and applying the formal elements of art and principles of design; knowing an arts language to describe art; and discovering the expressive qualities of art to be able to reflect, critique, and connect personal experience to art.” These creative experiences provide insightful observations, which support other modalities of learning.
The Community Engagement program, Artist-in-Focus: In Conversation with, the audience is exposed and inspired by “the expressive qualities of art” as a way to relate to the human experience. Part of the program, invited speakers share their work. This occurs quarterly with every new exhibit. These valuable conversations with individuals from various disciplines in the arts and humanities are invited to spend time discussing their work that’s been showcased. They address specific themes evident in their writing, works of art, music or performances with an emphasis on sharing personal insights.