FROM THE EXECUTIVE
Director
An article about Columbia in Southern Living in December gave the Columbia Museum
of Art prominent mention as the cultural anchor of Main Street. The article touted the
downtown Columbia area as the next great neighborhood, highlighting the vibrant
transformations occurring here. The life being breathed into the corridor, with the CMA at
its center, is making Columbia and Richland County a more exciting place to be. We are
living up to the compliment!
This year is also one of transformation at the CMA, with provocative changes to our atrium
and lobby. A large-scale, abstract mural by New York-based artist Henry Mandell has been
commissioned to be installed in the atrium. It is generously
funded by our membership affiliate group, the Contemporaries.
The piece explores the ancient Japanese practice of melting
sacred objects down to make samurai swords, relating that
transformation by fire to Columbia’s own rebirth from ashes after
it was burned during the Civil War.
Karen Brosius
Executive Director
The Columbia Museum of Art is a charitable
nonprofit organization that enhances lifelong learning and community enrichment.
Your gift is 100% tax deductible.
New CMA Online Resource
We’re happy to announce the creation of
a new one-stop shop for everything you
need from the CMA. You can purchase and
renew memberships, buy event tickets,
RSVP for exhibition openings, and make
donations—all at columbiamuseum.org.
If you’re a member, you’ll receive a
registration email from us and you’ll need
to register to take advantage of your
discounts. If you had an account with us
before, you’ll still need to create a new one.
Make sure we have your email on file by
calling 803.799.2810. Thank you for your
continued support of the CMA!
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columbiamuseum.org
We will also begin displaying contemporary works in the atrium,
allowing us to share even more of our collection with the public.
The pieces selected—mainly glass, sculpture, and ceramics—
revamp the atrium into a more engaging space for our visitors.
This addition necessitates another exciting change—moving the
upstairs Community Gallery to the Caroline Guignard Gallery
on our main floor. The new location offers more wall space to feature innovative community
shows and interactive components. Finally, large ceramic sculptures by Virginia Scotchie will
be placed on the landing above the entrance to captivate viewers from the lobby, atrium, or
on their way into Boyd Plaza.
Opening in February, Japan and the Jazz Age is a spectacular exhibition of Japanese Art Deco
from a time marked by change and modernization. The beautiful and historically fascinating
works tell the story of how the traditional transformed into the modern. To complement
the spirit of this sleek and stylish period of revitalization and the exotic nature of this show,
we are transforming the gallery like never before. An attractive design featured on walls and
display cases inside continues with an elaborate façade spilling into the lobby, inviting guests
to explore the electricity and thrill of the era. We hope that you will come see all that is new
within the CMA in 2014 and experience the dynamic neighborhood around us. We are
exhilarated to be the cultural center of a creative and inspiring community that continues to
grow more enticing year after year.
Board Member Highlight: Allen Coles
Columbia is my adopted city. The reasons for choosing to live here are
many, but being close to quality cultural venues was a major consideration.
Discovering the Columbia Museum of Art was a pleasant surprise. It offers a
variety of quality programs throughout the year and its size and reasonable
cost of admission make it accessible to all residents. It even offers a free
admission day once a week.
As a member of the Board of Trustees, I take satisfaction in being able to contribute in a small
way to the Museum’s growth and development. Chairing the Museum’s Education Committee
has allowed me the chance to interact with dedicated staff and enthusiastic community
volunteers to offer input in programming for young people, and extending the Museum’s
reach to a more diverse population of youth.
The Columbia Museum of Art’s reputation continues to grow, not just locally and statewide,
but regionally and beyond. It is one of my favorite stops when I have out-of-town guests, and
they all leave impressed by what the Museum has to offer. It is a delight to be part of such a
quality organization.