FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 27, 2008

Danforth Museum of Art and TCAN announce Arts Partnership

In a landmark announcement today, the Danforth Museum of Art in Framingham (DMA) and The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN) unveiled a Strategic Partnership that will enhance program offerings and increased membership benefits for patrons and bring together two of the leading cultural institutions in MetroWest.

Effective September 1, contributing members of the Danforth Museum of Art and TCAN will receive new benefits from the partnering organization, including free admission to the Museum, discounts on concert and theatre tickets at TCAN, admission to special events and preview receptions, and other special offers. Together, the two organizations attract over 63,000 visitors to concerts, theatre productions, art exhibitions and classes each year, with the support of more than 2,600 contributing members.

The Danforth Museum of Art and TCAN will also collaborate on the creation of programs to provide richer arts experiences for patrons of both organizations. This may include enhanced visual arts exhibition of at TCAN and the presentation of selected musical performances at the Museum. Each organization may provide technical consulting, participate in strategic planning initiatives, and collaborate on specific arts programs and campaigns.

Danforth Museum of Art Director Katherine French views the partnership as “an ideal way for both organizations to build the creative economy through collaborative effort”, a perspective shared by TCAN Director David Lavalley. “TCAN and the Danforth Museum know that arts and culture are community assets that can exceed individual missions”, he states. “This new partnership holds the promise of delivering exciting new arts programs that will benefit everyone—children, families, businesses and schools.”

This kind of arts partnership has implications for the ways other groups might choose to work together throughout Massachusetts and New England. “The alliance of the Danforth Museum of Art and The Center for Arts in Natick is the vanguard of a new trend of collaboration between cultural organizations,” said Dan Hunter, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities. “Both organizations will find new strength in pursuing their missions. More importantly, the true beneficiaries will be the people of Framingham and Metrowest who will see the region emerge as a cultural destination.”

About the Danforth Museum of Art

The Danforth Museum of Art is dedicated to the celebration and creation of art. Established in 1975, the Museum is a non-profit, privately supported, public art museum whose primary purpose is to provide education in the visual arts for MetroWest through its collection of American art, exhibitions, Museum School and outreach programs in the community. As a long time partners with Framingham State College and the Framingham Public Schools, the Museum has received wide spread acclaim for educational programming and was recently named as “Outstanding Cultural Organization for 2008” by the Massachusetts Art Education Association. In 2006 the exhibition Joan Snyder: A Painting Survey, 1969-2005 received an award for curatorial excellence from the New England chapter of the International Association of Art Critics. The Danforth Museum of Art is located at 123 Union Avenue, in downtown Framingham. For more information call the Museum at 508.620.0050, or visit www.danforthmuseum.org.

About The Center for Arts in Natick

The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN) is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to bringing people together through the arts. Launched as a small coffeehouse venue in 1997, TCAN now presents over 120 concert and theatre events annually, and hosts children’s theatre and dance classes throughout the year. Artists performing at TCAN have included Judy Collins, George Winston, John Sebastian and Paula Poundstone. TCAN’s renovation of Natick’s historic 1875 Central Firehouse was recognized with a 2004 Adaptive Reuse award by the Massachusetts Historical Commission. TCAN is located at 14 Summer Street in downtown Natick. For more information contact TCAN at 508-647-0097, or visit www.natickarts.org.

Media Coverage - August 28, 2008
Boston Globe - "Danforth, Natick Center are testing future together"
Metrowest Daily News - "Danforth Museum teams up with Center for Arts in Natick"