CMA Announces THE ARTCHEMIST PROJECT A Community Based Art Installation Starting February 4

The Canton Museum of Art, one of Northeast Ohio's premier American art museums, will kick-off "The ArtChemist Project" on Friday, February 4th, and end the month-long project on Friday, March 4th with a virtual unveiling celebration on CMA's social media accounts. The CMA is proud to partner with Canton City School District and the Stark County District Library to engage our local community to experiment, hypothesize, and collaboratively create to build an art installation at CMA through the magic combination of chemistry and art together.

Inspired by the chemical processes used in the artwork, One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank (Spalding Dr. J Silver Series) by Jeff Koons, on loan from Art Bridges. Koons created an uncanny effect of perfect equilibrium by filling a basketball with distilled water and suspending it in a precisely combined solution of distilled water and pure salt. Throughout this project, participants will learn more about this piece and have the opportunity to see it on display in CMA's exhibit, POP! featuring Pop art pulled from CMA's collection and pieces on loan from Art Bridges and Ohio lenders.

Canton Museum of Art Executive Director & CEO Max Barton said, "We are excited to lead this community art project and inspiring education component of our POP! exhibition, which also marks the Museum's first partnership with Art Bridges, a foundation dedicated to expanding access to American art, who provided loans of artwork from the acclaimed Pop artists Jeff Koons and Richard Prince. Engagement with art, and the arts, helps students improve academic performance and sparks creativity and innovation in participants of all ages. Art strengthens economies and helps to unify communities, as well as delivers a social impact - participation in art in a community leads to higher civic engagement, more social cohesion, higher child welfare, and lower poverty rates."

"The ArtChemist Project" will consist of kits that include a variety of chemistry and art materials with a companion education packet filled with resources and step-by-step tutorials on an assortment of experiments culminating in one final piece of abstract art that will be on-view in CMA's lobby. Submissions will be accepted during normal museum hours from Friday, February 4th through Friday, March 4th (before 5:00pm). These kits are fun for any age level and will be available starting Friday, February 4th at CMA's front desk on a first come, first served basis (limited quantities available).

The Stark County District Library will also be a pick-up and drop-off location for The ArtChemist Project kits from Friday, February 4th through Thursday, March 3rd, during normal library hours. Kits will be available on a first come, first served basis (limited quantities available). The library will have space set aside for participants to complete their kits inside the library, or they can choose to take the kits home to complete.

"Stark Library is thrilled to collaborate with the Canton Museum of Art on The ArtChemist Project. The Library encourages the use of play and experimentation in STEM learning. We love the idea of the individual creations coming together to make an abstract installation." - Stephanie Cargill, Communications Director for Stark County District Library

Canton City School District will receive over 600 kits to be completed by 4th, 5th and 6th grade science students, with guidance from their science teachers, as well as special education classes. Completed projects will be returned to the CMA to be added to the art installation.

"The ArtChemist Project is an incredible opportunity for Canton City students to collaborate, think creatively and get a hands-on learning experience through the combination of science and art. Having the outcome of this experience displayed for the community to enjoy is an added bonus." - Robyn Matulich, Marketing & Community Relations for Canton City School District

A virtual "Schools Out Free Mondays" event on Presidents Day, 2/21/22 will be an interactive companion piece to anyone completing the kits as well as participants who use materials they have on-hand at home. Times to be announced on "The ArtChemist Project" website at https://www.cantonart.org/theartchemistproject

A virtual unveiling of the finished installation will be held via CMA's social media accounts on Friday, March 4th from 6:00pm-7:00pm. Viewers will learn the background of the project, how it all came together and will receive a full tour of the finished installation.

POP! A Celebration of Pop Art from the CMA Collection and Private Collections
The phenomenon that was Pop art emerged in London in the 1950s, and in the United States shortly after. Pop art challenged traditions of fine art by drawing inspiration from popular and mass culture. It developed because artists didn't think that traditional art reflected their everyday lives. Things like common household objects and consumer products not portrayed in traditional art found their way into Pop art. In POP!, the exhibition showcases artists such as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Corita Kent, and Roy Lichtenstein, among others.

"By using everyday, recognizable imagery in their work, the artists of Pop made their work relatable to everyone, says Curator of Collections & Registrar Kaleigh Pisani-Paige. "In Pop art you'll typically find this recognizable imagery, along with bright colors, humor and irony, and innovative techniques like printmaking and mixed media."

POP! not only highlights this important movement in art, but also converges pieces from the CMA Collection with those of private lenders in Ohio and from the collection of the Arkansas-based Art Bridges Foundation. POP! is on view now through April 3, 2022.

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