Arts at the Exploratorium

The Exploratorium is an organization infused with art in its staffing, public programs, and exhibit collection. Although the public often thinks of the Exploratorium as a science museum, art has been integral to the mission and work of the Exploratorium for over 30 years.

Performances, Workshops, Screenings, Temporary Exhibitions, and Other Art Events
Each year, the Exploratorium invites between 30 and 100 artists to present performances, conduct public workshops, screen their films, demonstrate their crafts, or lend their works. One recent program is Second Wednesdays, which presented artists in a variety of disciplines for one-night installations on the second Wednesday of each month. The program showcased artists whose common ground is an experimental approach to their work. Reconsidered Materials, a popular temporary exhibition, fused artists and recycled materials in large-scale works suspended from the rafters and on the museum floor. Another exhibition, 2nd Skin: Imaginative Design in Digital & Analog Clothing, fused art, science, technology, and fashion. The Exploratorium also serves as a venue for collaborative functions with numerous community arts organizations.

Invited Artists (Artists-in-Residence)
Since 1974, over 225 artists working in many disciplines have held residencies at the Exploratorium. Each year, the museum invites ten to twenty artists to participate in residencies ranging from two weeks to two years. Artists-in-residence work with staff and the visiting public to create original installations, exhibits, or performances; to engage in experimentation and research; and to develop new ideas and directions for their work. Artists are given a stipend, housing, travel expenses, and technical support, and they have at their disposal the Exploratorium’s full array of metal and woodworking shops and materials. The Exploratorium’s residency program is considered one of the first successful residency programs in the country and many museums have since created similar programs. Several former artists-in-residence have been awarded MacArthur Fellowship “genius” grants.

Artists on Staff
Because arts are a key part of the Exploratorium, the museum employs artists in permanent positions in all areas: exhibit development, exhibit construction and repair, graphics, media, film, photography, programs for teachers, public programs, docents, facilities management, finance, and administrative staff. More than 40 Exploratorium employees have degrees in art, many of them with MFAs, and have a broad range of background in the arts, including film, multimedia, photography, performance, visual arts, sculpture, installation, theater, and crafts.

As an example of the influence of staff artists, the Exploratorium’s popular web site has been recognized not only for its content, but also for its excellent design. The Science of Baseball — part of the ongoing Sports Science series — bested thousands of other entries to be awarded the prestigious New York Art Directors’ Club Distinctive Merit award. This site was also featured in the international interactive design annual of the graphic design magazine Graphis. Internationally recognized artists, either formerly or currently on staff, include Mildred Howard, Ned Kahn, Walter Kitundu, Peter Richards, Susan Schwartzenberg, and Stephanie Syjuco, as well as such award-winning writers as science fiction writer Pat Murphy.

Funding for the Arts
The Exploratorium receives funding from many government, corporate, and foundation funders for arts projects, including:

· The National Endowment for the Arts, including two prestigious Challenge grants

· San Francisco Grants for the Arts has awarded the Exploratorium major institutional grants every year since 1971.

· California Arts Council Organizational Support. The Exploratorium has received the highest score given to large, multi-arts organizations.

· The Exploratorium is one of the first museums to receive funding from the National Science Foundation to fund artists and is considered an exemplary institution that marries art and science.

· Challenge Grants from the California Arts Council. The Exploratorium received three prestigious Challenge Grants and received the highest ranking given to large, multi-arts organizations during its reviews.

· New Experiments in Art and Technology. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and LEF Foundation have funded exhibition projects.

Other foundations include the Nathan Cummings Foundation, Zellerbach Foundation, Fleishhacker Foundation, Marin Community Foundation, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, The Ruby Sisson Trust, the Wattis Foundation, AT&T, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

11/08