June 7: Schneider: over the wall, and waiting

Letters from all those pesky non-profits were piling up on my desk at home last month, and among them was one from the Schneider Museum of Art at Southern Oregon University. Turns out the museum is in the midst of a membership drive, hoping to involve more community members in supporting exhibitions and programs.

The museum hosted numerous fundraising events for the recently completed Center of the Visual Arts (CVA), and endured the trials of construction of the new buildings for more than a year. So now it's clearly time to think about its own future.

That future, according to the letter, means expanding its role as the premier art museum in Southern Oregon by continuing to present the work of artists of national and international merit, as well as regional artists. The museum also hopes to create educational programming for families and children and to present exhibitions and programs that will appeal to more people than ever before.

Engaging the public is top priority right now for the Board of Directors at the museum, but the membership drive isn't going well.

At present the premier art museum in Southern Oregon has 250 members. The Rogue Gallery in Medford has 800 members. The difference is programming, exhibits and community involvement.

So show me those new exhibits by regional artists and that new programming and maybe I'll become a member.

I'd love to see an exhibit of Judy Howard's work or William Phillips' aviation pieces (he's even an SOU alumnus). What a great way to draw in more people. And as Jack Hardesty, the president of the Schneider Museum Board of Directors, notes, if you get people through the door once, maybe they'll be more inclined to return.

Programs for families and children are another great idea, but this requires money and staff and volunteers to develop programming and a marketing plan. But is this type of programming what the University wants for the museum?

It's never been clear to me whether the museum is an academic space or if it is for the public. Does the university want to engage with the public?

The new by-laws suggest that it does, stating that the museum exists to enrich the cultural life of the region through visual arts education and appreciation, to serve as a resource for visual arts, to maintain a permanent collection, and to present exhibits and programs for education and culture for both the general public and academic audiences.

That seems like recognition that the museum is a public institution.

But we'll see what happens.

I would love to see the Schneider Museum become a vibrant center for the visual arts for the community. Curiously, we now have the Center for the Visual Arts, but I don't think it exists. I see two academic buildings and the Schneider Museum. There is no director of the CVA and no programming.

If the Marion Ady and Art buildings are to be academic, then the Schneider is the key player in making the new space a true center for the arts for the community.

Getting to the space can be problematic, what with the parking situation and that darn wall, but I've discovered that if I meander up the walkway behind the wall to the courtyard, I enter a wonderfully inviting area.

So I'm saving my invitation to membership. I've conquered the wall, and "The Scenic Design of OSF's Principal Scenic and Theatre Designer, Richard L. Hay" will open on June 14th. How much more regional can an exhibit get? You can bet I'll be there.

Amy Richard has lived in Ashland since 1990, was Revels editor at The Tidings for three years, and since June of 1998 has been media relations director for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.