Cuentos de Carmen: Travels of a Piper Fellow Part 2

Back in May, Cultural Coalition Executive Director Carmen Guerrero attended the American Alliance of Museum’s Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD. While there she also explored many museums and cultural centers in the area that focused on art, Indigenous culture, and community storytelling. During her updates to Cultural Coalition staff and board about this trip, there was one in particular that stood out that she was excited to share with us:

“After visiting many well funded mainstream institutions, the most exciting and promising one I visited was the most unconventional. That was the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. I learned it was the result of one woman’s 20 year dream and monumental effort to create a grassroots community oriented museum for what is also considered folk art, outsider art and works created with recycled and found objects.

One of the most interesting things about this museum was that the building is a refurbished superfund site that was once a highly toxic paint factory. The old brick building was cleaned and transformed to be a viable and safe public space. The main gallery that housed the artwork was a large open room with two stories and that space was large enough to house a large display of eclectic and exotic visionary art objects.  

The space is so large that it is also rented out for social events and that generates earned income to keep the doors open. Although the building was old, I found that the refurbishing made it very charming and welcoming. I also really enjoyed all of the art outside of the building. It was decorated with a huge mosaic mural made of recycled materials such as broken mirrors, glass, and ceramic shards. The courtyard also had a number of large kinetic sculptures also made with junkyard objects.

I found this museum to be so impressive because it seemed most in line with our philosophy to be grassroots, sustainable, and be able to generate a substantial income. I feel that this visit to the Visionary Art Museum gave hope to Cultural Coalition, that our idea is doable and clears the path to continue with hope and enthusiasm.”