Cincinnati Art Museum
Curiosity Inspires This Art Museum Exec
“So many people inspire me every day. I get inspired by the smallest thing. I am a really curious person so anyone who is embracing who they are and following where their curiosity leads them inspires me.” ~Emily Holtrop
How cool is that, to be inspired by curiosity every day!
It is no wonder Emily, who is director of learning an interpretation at the Cincinnati Art Museum, loves her career so much – and does such an amazing job that she was just presented the 2018 National Museum Education Art Educator Award.
Emily works with a team to create public programs and experiences that bring to life the Art Museum’s collection and special exhibitions, and also works closely with curators to craft stories and messaging for visitors. Part of that includes writing the content for most of the gallery and family guides in a special exhibition and overseeing the creation of all hands-on interactives. In many ways she sees herself as the voice for the visitors, seeking their input for why something is or isn’t interesting, or is important to add.
I asked Emily some questions to get to know her better. Please continue reading.
Lisa: With such a passion for creative expression, was art a part of your childhood?
Emily: My grandparents owned a music store and my mom was an art and home economics teacher so I grew up in creative house. We were always encouraged to play an instrument, draw, sew, just create. I still create today, I am an avid knitter and know my way around sewing machine.
Lisa: They say that if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?
Emily: Well, I love being in the galleries talking about works of art with our visitors. I don’t get to do that very often but when I do, I feel energized. I also really love creating interpretive materials and interactive for people to use to enhance their visit. The recent launch of MyCAM at the museum was a huge project for me of which I am very proud.
Lisa: In your opinion, how important is art education for young children?
Emily: This is so huge. Getting kids involved in the arts at a young age is so important. Art can teach them creative thinking, empathy, persistence, patience, critical thinking, independence, you name it. I see kids every day at the Museum who are making that connection with art – putting the dots together.
CINspirational People: Jill Dunne
CINspirational People is a new feature of Good Things Going Around profiling diverse people of Greater Cincinnati, what inspires them, and what is inspiring about them. Know someone for us to consider? Please submit your idea.
GTGA: What is an accomplishment you achieved that you are proud of?
Jill: Professionally, I am proud to have represented some of Cincinnati’s best organizations. Having a career that I love is something I will never take for granted. Plus, I can’t help but tell people that I was on the Today Show and Good Morning America.
GTGA: Tell us about someone who has been a positive influence in your life.
Jill: It’s a cliché to say my mom – but it’s absolutely true. I’ve never met someone more patient, kind and loving. She has been an inspiration to me, my four sisters and so many others.
GTGA: What is a motto you live by and why or how has it impact you?
Jill: I remember watching David Letterman on the Late Show when I was a teenager and hearing him say: “If you think life is boring, you are doing something wrong.” Through the years, I think of that quote when I feel overwhelmed and I remind myself I must be doing things right. I am NEVER bored.
GTGA: What is your biggest motivator?
My family is my motivation. My parents, sisters, husband and my daughter give me my drive. They are so awesome – I want to make them proud.
GTGA: Tell us about what you do and what are some of the reasons why you enjoy it.
Jill: I love my job as the marketing and communications director for the Cincinnati Art Museum because I get to tell the stories of 65,000 works of art spanning 6,000 years. Although I’ve been in this role for just seven months, I am passionate about bringing art into the lives of the people of Cincinnati. My husband and I got married at the Cincinnati Art Museum well before I started working here, so that’s proof that I genuinely love this place.
Happen, Inc. Art Flash Mobs At Cincinnati Pools This Summer
Children at area Cincinnati Recreation Centers will get an added level of fun this summer, when Happen Inc’s Community Canvases pop at area pools. The canvases will have an image from Cincinnati Art Museum’s Eternal Summer: Edward Henry Potthast exhibition, and children will be asked to join in on some ART FLASH MOB fun and help assemble the canvas right there on the spot on the fence at the pool. Parents you can join in too. Ten canvases will go up during the ten weeks that the Cincinnati Art Museum celebrates the Tenth Anniversary of the Cincinnati Wing . Those ten weeks are called Cincinnati Summer. Ten Cincinnati Recreation Centers are participating.
The first five are:
Millvale: Tuesday June 18th 11 am-1pm. 3303 Beekman Street
Pleasant Ridge: Saturday June 22nd 1pm-3pm. 5915 Ridge.
Winton Hills: Tuesday June 25tth 11am-1pm. 5170 Winneste Ave.
Hanna: Saturday June 29th 1pm- 3pm 226 Stark Street.
Bush: Tuesday July 2nd 11am- 1pm. 2460 Kemper Lane.
Community Canvas is a free Happen, Inc. program that turns an average chain-link fence into a famous work of art, literally bringing art into the community. The canvas begins as a collection of long paper strips, each displaying one section of a famous work of art. Community Canvas is a great way for a school, museum, library, community center, or other organization to bring art into the community. At the opening event, participating children and adults take turns weaving the strips into an empty chain-link fence. When the canvas its up it remains on display for 30 days.
Founded in 1999 Happen, Inc., a nonprofit organization, create a positive environment for parents and children through art-related activities and experiences designed to strengthen both the family structure and the community as a whole. An estimated 7,000 children in Greater Cincinnati each year experience the arts through Happen programs. Happen, Inc recently won the prestigious Cincinnati Post-Corbett Award for Arts Education and Outreach.
