Norton Museum of Art

Bernard and Chris Marden Community Gallery

The Norton Museum of Art’s mission includes  “…strengthening awareness of the arts in its region through encouraging participation, (and)  reaching out to improve the quality of life in all communities through appreciation of the visual arts…” One of the many ways it accomplishes this is through its Bernard and Chris Marden Community Gallery.

Managed by the Museum’s Education Department, the Marden Community Gallery mounts six student exhibitions annually.  Students from Norton School Partnership schools (Conniston Community Middle School and West Gate Elementary School) have their work exhibited each season.  Two other exhibitions offer students in schools throughout the county an opportunity to create works inspired by special exhibitions, and works in the Museum Collection. One Marden exhibition is reserved for children in the museum’s PACE Program (Progressive Afterschool Arts Community Education), and another is organized by the Museum’s summer interns. On average, these exhibitions include work by two dozen students. The result: Each year, more than 140 students have the exciting, self-esteem-and-confidence boosting experience of having their work shown in a major American museum in a very professional way—framed and accompanied by the students’ own informational labels.