Mission
Plains Art Museum brings people and art together for learning and inspiration. As a public institution we celebrate the finest of human achievement and inspire and engage diverse audiences in the creation, exhibition, collection and preservation of art.
Background
Plains Art Museum serves the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area's population of 210,000 and while the Museum building is a beacon, it's what happens in and from this facility that touches the lives of nearly 60,000 people each year, mostly from North Dakota and northern Minnesota.
For nearly 50 years, the people of the Fargo-Moorhead region have found a place of inspiration in their regional art museum. For some, the inspiration leads to a life-long career in the arts; for others the creative muse is applied to technology, agriculture, or one of the other fields that fuel our region's economic prosperity.
The Museum's role is to create a stimulating cultural and artistic environment in which artists can thrive, to make available quality art experiences for the community, and to provide a resource for the collection, exhibition, preservation, and enjoyment of art. In addition to a variety of art exhibitions, the Museum offers both in-house and outreach programs that enrich art education and exhibition opportunities in the region.
Plains Art Museum has brought people and art together for learning and inspiration, its mission, in the following ways:
*Mounted exhibitions which featured local and regional artists whose careers were shaped by our expansive landscape; along with artists of national and international stature through touring exhibitions from the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, Syracuse University Art Collection, Arizona State University Art Museum Collection, and the Fuller Craft Museum.
*Hosted special programs and events for children, families, and adults including Kid Quest, Noon Holiday Concerts, Rush Hour, Plains InsideOut, Spring Gala, gallery talks, lectures, exhibition opening receptions, tours, workshops, and classes, including school tours for over 5,000 children.
*Acquired over 400 new works of art through purchase or donation, ensuring that the Museum's permanent collection will continue to reflect and protect the artistic legacy of the community it serves.
*Enjoyed solid financial performance as a result of prudent fiscal management, and the generous support from members and donors.
In December 2003, the Museum was awarded accreditation by the American Association of Museums, a status earned by fewer than eight percent of museums nationwide. Achievement of accreditation fulfills an organizational goal set more than a decade ago and provides the Museum with a seal of approval that acknowledges the institution's high professional and artistic standards.
