The Barnes Museum and Foundation Curator for Public Programs, Kathleen Greene

Kathleen Greene discussed Philadelphia’s Barnes Foundation, a private non-profit museum founded by Dr. Albert Barnes, a collector of some of the most influential and noteworthy artists of the 19 and 20th centuries, including Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, Renoir and more. She spoke about her mission, to bring people into the building to interact with the space and the art through concerts, films, dance presentations and talk. She described Barne’s own mission to introduce appreciation to everyone, and his outreach toward a more diverse audience, people of color and non-students of art. Ms Greene spoke of the neighborhood hubs that connect the museum with locals, especially children and low and no-pay ways to see the galleries. She told us about upcoming exhibits, including a presentation on fashion entrepreneur Marie Cuttoli who worked with Picasso, Braque Man Ray and others to revive the French textiles industry, and the summer show on self-taught carver Elijah Pierce, an African American barber who created pieces about the news and religious events of his time. Both, she explains, further the Barnes method of using common objects, found objects and other items juxtaposed with the hung art to demonstrate theme and line. She invited us to the upcoming Valentine’s day Artist Bash, with Chinese shadow puppets, poets and music from La Calaca Flacal leading a ‘Day of the Dead’ parade for its theme of ‘love and loss.’ For more information about the Barnes visit BARNESFOUNDATION.ORG.