Philanthropy Today
Philanthropy Today
MoA+L on the GMCF Community Hour Show Episode - 281
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We welcome Museum of Art and Light executive director Erin Dragado for a conversation about building a 21st century museum in Manhattan, Kansas and why audiences are responding. From Dean Mitchell’s moving showcase to a U.S.-exclusive Picasso immersive, we explore art, tech, and community impact.
• Origin story of the Museum of Art and Light
• Erin’s museum path from California and Chicago back to Kansas
• Blending fine art, immersive storytelling and digital works
• Why Web3 and generative art belong in museums
• Dean Mitchell’s career, themes and audience response
• Creating an immersive narrative from 400 high‑res images
• Exhibit timelines for Dean Mitchell and Picasso
• Vsitor data, regional draw and economic impact
• Partnerships with schools and arts education goals
• Upcoming digital show Emulation with Art Blocks 500
Opening And Guest Introduction
SPEAKER_00Philanthropy Today is brought to you by the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. In this episode, we feature a recently broadcast segment of the GMCF Community Hour, as heard on News Radio KMAN. Back with the GMCF Community Hour here on News Radio KMAN. And I got my kid gloves on. It's the first time in the studio here for this program. Erin Dragado is her name. Good morning, Erin.
SPEAKER_01Good morning. How are you this morning?
SPEAKER_00I am great and getting better. I mean, I got a great gig here. Yeah. Except for that Vern intermission. You know, that's kind of uh one of those things. But uh we get each other just an awful lot, but you most people don't realize how earnest we are in making that. You are the director, the executive director of the Museum of Art and Light, which is oh my gosh, I love that place. Thanks. I've only been there twice.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00But each time I'm just like it's just blown away. Brought to uh let's see, during Christmas.
SPEAKER_01Oh, wonderful.
SPEAKER_00My wife and I brought our daughter and her fiance, and uh they'd never seen anything like this, just totally blown away.
SPEAKER_01That's great. Thank you for that. Um so you must have seen Erosion of Time, which is our new immersive right now, and then Dean Mitchell.
SPEAKER_00I saw the Dean Mitchell.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
First Impressions Of The Museum
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that that I I I knew nothing about Dean Mitchell, but my goodness, really it was a uh introduced me to something just totally different than what I would typically have seen. But oh I was blown away. I loved it, loved it, loved it.
SPEAKER_01Thanks. Well he has a he has a long history here in Manhattan. That's what it sounds like. Uh-huh. Which is one of the reasons why we brought him back, so to speak. But 40-year-plus career in the in that world of art. But actually, Julie Strucker, we need to give her a lot of kudos because she's the one who plucked him out of obscurity and isn't she like the art queen of Kansas? Yeah, in many ways.
SPEAKER_00In many ways, or at least the Flint Hills.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Yes, she's wonderful. Wonderful. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Well well, give us a little bit of background on you. Introduce me to Erin Dragado.
Erin’s Path Into Museums
SPEAKER_01Well, uh grew up in Manhattan, Kansas, born and raised, um, moved here uh because my father was stationed at Fort Riley, um, and then just stayed and graduated from M MHS, but uh was always anxious to get out and see the world. So I went to college on the West Coast, uh, California, and um stayed out in California for a while in the Los Angeles area and then San Francisco, and really determined that museums were my calling, um, being around a lot of arts and culture uh there, and decided to get a secondary degree, a museum education degree from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. So moved to Illinois and finished a master's there, and that's when this whole world really cracked open for me. Um but I worked in many different types of museums and nonprofits, so science, art, um, aquarium, historical, and then um was recruited, spent a bit a good bit of time in Chicago, married, child, that sort of thing, but the big city was getting to be a little too much and wanted a hometown feel, and was recruited to a smaller museum in Dubuque, Iowa. And we moved and spent a great bit of time there, and then while there, um started this whole endeavor with the De Bryans and the Bowen family.
SPEAKER_00And what a tremendous treasure we have here in Manhattan, Kansas to have the Museum of Art and Light. And we just you just opened a little, what, a little over a year ago?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, not even two. So November of 24.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
Founding Vision And Immersive Tech
SPEAKER_01Mm-hmm. Yeah. So it's been fast and the furiest since ever since, even before. So the inception though, we've been, we had been talking about this for many years prior, and really started with a fine art collection. Um, but as museum experts like myself got into the conversation, it really was well, well, how are we interpreting that? And what does our 21st century audience look like, and what are their needs and wants and and what they're experiencing in a in a in the world of of arts and culture and entertainment. And that's when we started to really dive into immersive technology. So we found the right tech, we found the right guy to run it, and now we have our own um team that builds those immersive shows that you're seeing. Um and then while we had open walls and we had advisors um from the digital art community really interested to see what we're doing because they there's this growing um community of digital artists, specifically Web3. Because dip digital art's been around since the 60s, but this this particular genre of digital art really got got its um foothold around 2018.
SPEAKER_00And they said, you know, museums aren't really quite paying attention to these uh it's one of the things that really surprised me when we were there back in December, that it just like I hadn't seen I mean you s you see some images like this, but but there's so much more depth to them than what you probably take for granted, you know, by by seeing something on a computer screen.
SPEAKER_01Aaron Ross Powell Yes. And so um we said d well, these advisors said, look, you know, you will be on the cutting edge if you open yourself up to this world. And so we did. We we built the infrastructure to be able to hang their work uh or showcase their work as as beautifully as you would see it in a fine art museum. And that community started to flock towards us. So then we became the first museum from inception to have fine art immersive and digital under one roof. And now we're in that b that put us in the conversation with the LA County Museum. That put us in the conversation with the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and we were all of a sudden in Forbes magazine and all the other places, and so yeah, we've really um built something special here.
Embracing Digital And Web3 Art
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no kidding. It's uh it is a a great uh great thing to have this in the community, obviously. So and we are back here at the GMCF Community Hour on News Radio KMAN. Erin Dragado is our guest here in this segment. She's the executive director of the Museum of Art and Light. And uh resuming our conversation, Aaron, we talked uh about how here in Manhattan, Kansas, we have this wonderful asset that is becoming, you know, well known throughout the arts community nationally and maybe internationally. I don't know. We haven't gotten to that far yet. But but um what and and I think this is one of the things that, you know, with with Bob and Tracy DeBrien and and um the Bowen?
SPEAKER_01Bow Bowman family. And Zukowski, yeah.
SPEAKER_00And and what the their and what they envisioned and how they were able to ma manage to get that here is is a tremendous story and and great testament to your folks too.
National Recognition And Partnerships
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it was there was a lot of other folks involved, you know, and we should give kudos to the city of Manhattan and um the state of Kansas um and the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. But we we we were working very quickly. Um, you know, those uh sales, tax and revenue bonds were um, you know, came to us in really fast form. And we therefore, when you get those that tranche of funds, you have to shovel and ground ASAP, you know, and to because they want you to open as quickly as possible to then see the the tax benefit on the other side. So we did. And um now I believe, you know, once we've opened and opened ourselves up to the community with partnerships and we're in the USD 383 school system, and we're really fully entrenching ourselves into the community now, is when we're embracing each other together. And I think that wasn't able to happen because of the fast pace we were working at. But um that's the fun part.
SPEAKER_00You got almost a year and a half worth of experience now in this new setting and uh this new offering we have here. I bet you have some stories from guests and uh of all ages and maybe even from all regions of their experiences.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, actually, the one comment we get a lot is I can't believe this is in Manhattan, Kansas. This should be in Manhattan, New York.
SPEAKER_00Um it's funny, the other two gals here in the studio are just nodding their heads in agreement.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Uh and thank you. That we um we get that a lot. We also get thank you a lot. Thank you for bringing this to us, and it's just so special. Um, I did get so Dean Mitchell was here this past weekend, and he gave a really uh empowering talk. And I there I just got an email this morning, if you don't mind me reading as well. Um Dean's talk Friday night may have been one of the best, if not the best talk I've ever heard from an artist. It was passionate, personal, and so meaningful to today's world. I can't thank you and the Museum of Art and Light family for bringing such a jewel of an artist and person to share with our community. I I think that kind of sums it up.
SPEAKER_00His resume surprised me. You know, here you got a you know a a a small town kid who finds his talent and works for Hallmark for a number of years and then ventures out on his own and and he is a Kansas City, he's a national treasure.
Funding, Speed To Launch, Community Ties
SPEAKER_01Mm-hmm. He really is. I mean, he was actually fired from Hallmark, um, and if you can believe that. And um that's when he started, and even before that time, was promoting his own self, putting his work into competitions, but a classically trained artist. Um, and that's around that time Julie Strucker saw his work, and the rest is sort of history, but he had a 40-year career up until now, uh, and he's still working. He's probably working on 40 paintings at once. I mean, he he he's pretty remote.
SPEAKER_0040 paintings at once. Is that is that what I understand you to say?
SPEAKER_01Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_00He's how does one do that?
SPEAKER_01He's worked so fast. It's funny. He worked in every medium oil, acrylic, watercolor, he sketches. He's just, you know, it's he's unbelievable. He doesn't have an assistant. I don't know what it's crazy.
SPEAKER_00Let's talk about that. So so here, he's uh based in Kansas City.
SPEAKER_01No, he's based well now he's in Tampa, Florida.
SPEAKER_00Right, where was and but he built his reputation in Kansas City, correct? Tell us how an artist like that brings attention to art fans to bring them to Manhattan.
Audience Reactions And Dean Mitchell
SPEAKER_01Uh well, I mean, I think it's important to understand what happened when he was in Manhattan and what what the the partnership of jewelry was doing in the nineties. When the beach opened, um, they collected they still have one of his works in their collection. But he was really popular. I mean, uh there are many families and homes in Manhattan of a certain age who own Dean Mitchell's that are hanging on their walls in this town. They loved him. They loved him then, they loved him now. But but when he got he got very popular, but also he wanted to move back to his own, you know, community, which was Florida, um, he started to really dig into what the black experience was. You know, early on it was barns and sailboats, and then he migrated into rural community and really wanted to uh uh encapsulate the black experience and how and tell his narrative, his story. And coming back to that now, I mean, he was in the studio museum in Harlem on the cover of the New York Times. I mean, this is a man, he was a uh runner-up to the Obama portraits. Um, you know, I mean, he's had a long career in uh in this very hard to penetrate artistic world, you know. Um and it felt right to bring him back now. Um but it was also just a conversation with him. We you know, we said, Hey, how do you feel about coming back? He's and it was it was a symbiotic time and relationship that we've fostered over 15 months um and working with him in this new way. So it wasn't just showcasing his work on the third floor, which is also very important, it was also taking over 400 high-res images of his work and putting it in this narrative, this storyline in an immersive technology that blew even him away.
SPEAKER_00I mean I think one of the things that sticks with me is the the guy just walking around the perimeter of the room. Yeah. And just like, wow. That's cool. I mean, it's just like someone here is playing Voyeur and and capturing all this these uh images himself.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. He he drew that image of himself within like two hours and and sent it to us.
SPEAKER_00How much fun? Let's talk a bit about shift from the the well, let me ask you this. How much longer is the dean's exhibit up?
SPEAKER_01So they're split. So the end of March is the physical work on the third floor. Um, and then mid-April is when the immersive will start to shift so we can um prepare for Picasso.
SPEAKER_00Okay. All right. Do you have a start time on Picasso yet?
SPEAKER_01Yes. Um May 2nd is our gala, and then May 3rd is open to the public. So tickets will go on sale in mid-March.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_00All right. And that's on the website for the museum. That is on the website.
SPEAKER_01Well, it will be very soon. We've done some some slow marketing. We're working with a digital company to do the ticketing, but yeah, that we will definitely be making big announcements.
Dean’s Career And Artistic Focus
SPEAKER_00I bet a lot of people are excited about the Picasso exhibit to see what those images could be and and an illuminated light. That that I I just think that's gonna be fascinating.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and it's and it's special in another way, too. It's it's only going to be at our location during the time it's here. So it's not like Van Gogh, it's not copy-cut paste all over America. This is only in Manhattan, Kansas from May 2nd to November.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. You're here for one night. That's right. Yeah. And and how long would that exhibit be here?
SPEAKER_01Well, uh through November 2nd, and um we're hoping on an extension through the holidays, and so there might be more, but um for now it's our blockbuster summer, summer exhibition. Um yeah, and so that's the time to come see it. And it was blessed by the Picasso administration to be here.
SPEAKER_00Have they had uh an immersive experience with Picasso before?
SPEAKER_01So it's been in Paris only, but this is its first U.S. debut.
SPEAKER_00Oh boy. That's gotta give you a little chill, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_01It does. It does, definitely.
SPEAKER_00Let's talk a little bit about kind of shift away from the art itself, but let's talk about the economic impact because I'm I'm sure that that's sizable because you know when you drive by, you know, you see cars. I haven't checked license plates, I don't go around do that. Yeah. But I know you're bringing people from all over the nation.
Building The Immersive Dean Experience
SPEAKER_01We've had all 50 states within the first six months of opening. Um they're self-selecting, by the way. We catch and capture all the all the zip codes. Um eighty percent come from Kansas, um, and that number is starting to shift. We're seeing a larger radius uh come from outside 150 miles. Um we've seen in our first year just under 33,000 visitors. Um and, you know, when I look at statistics on, you know, what museums can do for local economy, things that stick in my head are, you know, one dollar coming into the museum means two dollars and twenty cents outside into the local economy. But what else does it do? You know, we bring businesses into Manhattan, we meaning the chamber or business leaders, and um what keeps those jobs here? Well, it's the arts and culture. It's what are my kids gonna do after school? It's um what is my work-life balance going to look like um in addition to sports, right? Uh so I think what we're bringing is um uh uh and I can't this, you said it before, national treasure. Dean actually said it over the weekend. This is an actual national treasure, and it and more people will know about it, and more people will want to come. Um, and we're in conversation with um Art Bridges, we're in conversation with Nelson Atkins, we're in conversation with major metropolitan uh or major statured museums who are very well established. So what will that bring? Just more development um and um goodwill into the community. I I that's that's our mantra, that's my personal uh agenda.
SPEAKER_00Well, you got I mean, you've had a what I would think to be a a tremendously successful start, and you're opening up a lot of eyes, which I think that that's probably one of the main goals of your of your parents and and those are.
Exhibit Timelines And Picasso Preview
SPEAKER_01Yes. Yes. I you know, the the their baseline is to provide arts education to everyone. And that can sound large and maybe even a little Pollyanna, but it's true. That is, you know, they are they developed a over 50-year company to do to um for professional development for educators. They've been art collectors for many years. Bringing those two things together um is extremely important to them, especially when when arts is being taken away from our public school kids. So, you know, um however we can provide access uh is what we are going to be working on.
SPEAKER_00Erin Dragado is her name. She's the executive director of the Museum of Art and Light, and if you have not yet been there, please do do so because it's uh it is um it's something that when you walk in and when you once you've walked out, you'll think, why did I wait so long? Thank you. You'll also wonder how did this end up in Manhattan, Kansas? But we're thankful that it did. Anything else, real quickly here?
SPEAKER_01Um just that a new show will be coming on March 4th. We're transitioning the digital art gallery right now. Um it's called Emulation, and it's ArtBlocks 500, which is a uh partner of ours, NFT platform partner, which will represent 10 artists over 150 works.
SPEAKER_00Okay, looking forward to it. Thanks. Museum of Art and Light with Erin Dragado, the executive director. Up next, Sheila Ellis Glasper is back. She was recognized last year at the CFA's, and when we talk to her, you'll find out why. It's the GMCF Community Hour here on News Radio K M A N.