Welcome aboard!
We are glad you are here. You might have seen us driving down the interstate, or maybe on the news. We're Connecticut's nonprofit art museum bus.
For the past four years, we've been bringing art and museum-based learning experiences to children and communities who might not otherwise have access. We showcase art by diverse student-artists from across our state and champion the arts and museum experiences as critical parts of early to late education.
Our
Story
We believe all children, young people, and entire communities have a right to belong in museum spaces.
We were founded by a mother-daughter educator duo who became acutely aware of the inequities in education and arts access across our state, and sought a way to leverage the myriad benefits of museums and museum-based learning for all children, young people, and entire communities across our state.
We demonstrate that museum experiences matters.
Every year, we work with children, young people, and entire communities to develop an interactive and participatory exhibition of diverse student art inside our mobile art gallery. We partner with elementary schools, preschools, and community service providers across our state to provide year-long museum-based programming and learning experiences. We align The cARTie Curriculum with the National Core Art Standards, English Language Arts Common Core State Standards, Early Learning and Development Standards, Social Emotional Learning Standards, Social Justice Standards, and 21st Century Skills. Our programming nurtures children's critical and creative thinking, and supports their sense of belonging and community in museums.
Who
We
Are
cARTie is fortunate to be founded, directed, and governed by individuals each uniquely qualified to bring the project to fruition:
Clare Murray, Co-Founder and Executive Director; Tish Murray, Co-Founder, Board Chairperson and Educator; Holly Hawthorn, Vice Chairperson and Educator; Diane Kendall, Secretary; Lindsey Kendall, Treasurer; Brian Lamy, Communications Committee Chair; Michael Gallagher, Ph.D., Finance Committee Chair; Adrianne Carter-Brown, Board Member; Reinaldo Gonzalez, Board Member; Mary Hassett, Board Member and Educator; Pat Keane, Board Member and Educator; Alexis Vondran, Board Member; Kelly Judge Noble, Educator; Elizabeth Katz, Educator; Jeanie Loeb, Educator; Arianna Martinez, Educator; Kathy Mattern, Educator; Nicole Poppo, Educator; Gabrielle Watson, Educator; Kai Zhang, Educator.
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All bring an explicit interest in confronting inequities in quality arts education access across Connecticut and a unique perspective and set of ideas. Together, cARTie's leaders are committed to cultural equity and intentionally working to be culturally conscious, anti-racist and anti-inequity allies. As an organization, cARTie recognizes it is not an expert on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility from within leadership, but it strives for a diverse staff and Board that is reflective of Connecticut with time.
“"What [cARTie] does is really great. Linking who the high school student artists are and our students' experiences of their art is incredibly unique. Introducing our students to these high school student artists is transformative and powerful to achieving and teaching about equity."
Dr. Perrone, Principal in New Haven
Our
Mission
cARTie strives to confront inequities in education and arts access for young children, emerging student-artists, and entire communities across Connecticut through its mobile art museum bus.
One day, cARTie will ensure all 109,000+ PreK-2 students, 1,000s of emerging student-artists, and entire communities within the state will have equitable access to art museum-based learning and develop the critical and creative thinking dispositions so necessary to twenty-first century success.
Our
Values
cARTie recognizes that many existing systems of power grant privilege and access to the arts unequally. cARTie works to ensure that all children in Connecticut have equitable access to full and vibrant creative lives.
cARTie is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our community. cARTie believes every individual deserves access to high quality museum-based learning experiences and works to ensure all children and community members with disabilities have complete access to our programming and space. cARTie supports individuals with disabilities who aspire to careers in the arts, early childhood education, and nonprofits and helps them develop appropriate skills. Moreover, cARTie does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, domestic violence, or military status, in any of its activities or operations, including, but not limited to: hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services.
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FOUNDING SPONSOR
The Daniel E. Offutt III Charitable Trust
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PARTNERS
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SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Browngrotta Arts
Christie's
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
The Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation
Costco
Jerry's Artarama
Loeb Family Fund No.2 of The Pittsburgh Foundation
The National Endowment for the Arts
The Pincus Family Foundation
The Rotary Club of Mystic
Stratford Rotary Club
Wells Hollow Farm
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WITH SUPPORT FROM
The Connecticut Office of the Arts, which also receives funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency
CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts from the Connecticut State Legislature
Nick Gray, and his article How to Host a Networking Event