What does the word access mean to you?
At the Chazen Museum of Art, access means thinking broadly about ways to attract people who aren’t the usual museum crowd—including students—and helping them feel welcome and see themselves here.
In some ways, expanding access and welcome is nothing new at the Chazen. Since the arrival of Director Amy Gilman in 2017, the museum revamped its sparsely furnished lobby, which felt imposing to some visitors, and added seating and tables to attract passersby. It added the Chazen Café, with food, drink, and a retail section. And instead of uniformed security officers, visitor service assistants (VSAs), who are students and community members in plain clothes, now staff the front desk and are available to assist visitors in the galleries.
These efforts are getting a boost. For the next three years, expanding access at the Chazen will be supported by a generous grant from the Art Bridges Foundation and its Access for All program. The foundation is providing $40 million to 64 museums nationwide to cover the costs of admission, programming, marketing, outreach, and additional efforts that reduce barriers to access.
Fun, less formal events
“It’s always about thinking outside the box of traditional museum programming.” Said Kristine Klasen, the Chazen’s chief operating officer. The Access for All grant came with very few strings attached to encourage museums to think creatively about expanding access. The Chazen is using its funds to pilot informal, student-friendly events in the Chazen Café and hire staff to support it.
The café programming pilot was launched in late 2023 and led by Tony Sansalone, a graduate student from the Bolz Center for Arts Administration. Sansalone conducted focus groups with current students, created events based on their input, and adjusted programming through the year based on post-event feedback from those students.
Klasen said that although the focus group wasn’t large, “It gave great food for thought. I found the focus group really valuable.”
One thing the Chazen learned: its regular artist lectures were possibly misbranded. “We found out students don’t like the word ‘lecture,’ ” she said. “It feels too much like class.” Another thing: students love paint-and-sip events. “We thought that was a big thing maybe ten years ago, but we’ve scheduled two of them and they filled up almost instantly.”
Over the past school year and summer, the Chazen Café hosted more informal, student-friendly events, including a book club, several trivia events, and Art and Music Bingo, which had 50 signups. Since April, they’ve been supported by events assistant Haylie Hart, who was hired with grant funds.
The events, usually on Friday nights, drew increasing attendance through the year. Klasen said they also helped increase café revenue during a typically slow time, which helps assure it’s cost-effective for the café to remain open during those later hours.
Hiring supports access
Hiring more students and recent graduates is an important facet of the Chazen’s access strategy. This semester, Chazen Visitor Services Manager Casey Coolidge hired 11 students as VSAs. They also used grant funds to hire Grace Pietruszka, a former Chazen student employee and recent art history graduate.
Coolidge said Pietruszka, like the Chazen’s other VSAs, excels at making visitors feel welcome, while also balancing her duty to protect the collection. “Grace’s strengths lie with connecting with students, and newly graduated students. When they come in the door, they’re going to see themselves.”
Klasen said Pietruszka’s hiring helps make it easier to staff evening hours, which expands access for community members who might be visiting the Chazen in the evening.
Whether it’s providing more gathering spaces, programming more events, or hiring the right people for the right roles, it all adds up to more visitors feeling welcome at the Chazen. “I believe that welcome is a really fundamental part of access,” Coolidge said. “From the moment a visitor sets foot in our museum, the atmosphere we provide, the way that we welcome, the way we put the tools in their hands that are right for them for that day, are all part of access.”