2024 has been another amazing year at the CAC!
A new three-year strategic plan was adopted by the Board in January, setting new and measurable goals for efforts in the areas of Engagement, Collaboration, and Stewardship. We have accomplished so much in our first thirteen years, and this plan is aimed at carrying our success forward with renewed energy and ambition. This is just the start of the good news we want to share!
With accessibility and outreach on our minds, we started the year by launching a new website design which is more engaging and easier to navigate. We also joined a nationwide program called Museums for All and are now offering free admission to anyone holding a SNAP EBT card. And we participated for the first time in the American Alliance for Museums’ annual survey of museum-goers; answers to the survey will give us helpful insight into our audience and to visitor trends over the next few years.
Turlock Melon Carnival, September 2024
Efforts to be out in the community have led us to participate at school festivals, the Turlock Farmer’s Market, the Turlock Melon Carnival, and other community events. With fun and creative activities to draw new people in, our staff and volunteers can share information about all the CAC has to offer with everyone who passes by.
Also linked to outreach is the renewal of a grant from the Boyett Make Dreams Real Fund, which is aimed at increasing field trip participation from low-income and rural schools. By reducing or eliminating costs for art supplies and transportation, we hope to expand our reach to more of the region’s underserved schools and students. In 2024 almost 2,000 students visited the CAC to view and make art on a field trip!
Kef Time Legacy Band, February 2024
In February, the first in a series of international music concerts funded by the Ralph Shabazian Trust brought Armenian music performed by the Kef Time Legacy Band to the McVey Loft. This endowed fund will help us broaden our audience and create more opportunities for our community to enjoy and learn from diverse cultures.
Valley Focus mural and reception, January-February 2024
The Heartland Creative Corps grant, carried over from 2023, funded the creation of a mural in our Ferrari Gallery as part of the spring’s Valley Focus retrospective exhibition of the works of painter Richard Gomez. Working in collaboration with students at Roselawn High School, Richard and his artist assistants (Perla Cerna and Daniel “Thore” Munoz) designed and painted a brilliantly colored, 50-foot mural across the gallery’s back wall; the mural paid homage to Turlock’s West Side and the neighborhood’s Mexican American heritage. The reception celebrating the opening of the exhibition included a lively performance by the Pitman High School mariachi band. While only temporary, this unique experience will live on in memory for years to come.
The summer brought us the annual Ready, Set, Show! Youth Art Exhibition which included more than 170 designs created for our fourth annual Downtown Banner contest as well as submissions from regional students in grades K-12. And the Carnegie Art Showcase was a major highlight, with 88 works by 50 artists representing 21 different regional communities. As always, the talents of our area artists made the gallery shine!
“Reclaimed: The Art of Recology” field trips, October 2024.
In September we opened an amazing exhibition, Reclaimed: The Art of Recology. Currently on a national tour (organized by the Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA), the CAC was fortunate for the opportunity to highlight works created by artists in Recology’s Artist-in-Residence program. Made from all reclaimed/recycled materials collected at San Francisco’s waste management facility, the works on view showed us creative inspiration and, unique uses of found materials, while questioning our consumerist culture. The artists also provided thoughtful reflections on history, ownership, and the fate of our planet. These lessons were brought from the gallery into the art studio for field trip students and through family programs.
Four exhibitions graced our Lobby Gallery this year, giving us the opportunity to feature even more of our regional talent in shows that included: Light Motifs, Farms & Fields, Yosemite Renaissance 39, and Return of the Lake: Photographs by Steve Dzerigian.
Block Party, June 2024
Special events in 2024 included our third annual Block Party (June), a re-imagined fundraiser, The Garden Party (October), and our popular Artisan Market (November). All these events were well attended and brought new audiences and participants to learn about the CAC.
This fall we opened two new grant-funded programs that will serve diverse audiences. The Wellness Art Club, funded by a grant from the Omega Nu Phi Gamma Chapter, provides activities that use artmaking and lifestyle lessons to support positive mental health. The CAC also introduced an animated film series, sponsored by the City of Turlock Events and Activities Fund. Showing five different animated films from September to May, we’ll close with a screening of works submitted by regional animators in our first film festival competition.
Our youth and adult classes saw another big jump in enrollment – up almost 50% over last year! Monthly programs like Family Friday, Saturday Studio, Wellness Art Club, and Art Chat offer many opportunities for all ages to experience art making, music, dance, poetry, and more.
Our community gives so much to us through their support and participation, and we want to thank everyone for sharing all the fun and discovery that the arts can bring!
We look forward to seeing you all at the CAC in 2025!
Lisa McDermott, Executive Director
TOTAL 2024 Attendance: 18,000+
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