Munson projects seek to welcome community to the arts complex

UTICA — With an estimated economic impact north of $20 million, Munson is more than just a museum or an arts school. It’s an important part of the city of Utica’s economy and helps serve as a welcome to visitors from outside the area. “We do over 600 events a year,” President/CEO Anna D’Ambrosio says in an interview. Those events range from art classes, to concerts, exhibitions, and more. And the events are just as much for out-of-town visitors as they are for area residents. In fact, an average of 50 percent to 55 percent of attendees for a major summer exhibition at Munson will come from outside of Oneida County, D’Ambrosio says. For some exhibition events, attendees came from 47 states and several countries. It’s rare for a community the size of Utica to have a facility like Munson, she notes. “There are very few organizations that compare.” Many people recognize Munson for its Museum of Art, but there are two other divisions. Pratt Munson is its school of art, in partnership with the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Munson also operates a performing-arts program. Through all three divisions, Munson offers opportunities to experience and learn a variety of art forms. However, Munson has also recognized that in the past, it was perceived as a little distant from the community, D’Ambrosio says. Its new strategic plan tackles that issue head on with multiple prongs of community interaction to remind Utica and beyond that Munson is for everyone to experience and enjoy. Now, Munson is hard at work sprucing up its “welcome mat” with a project that is transforming its “front yard” along Genesee Street into a 49,000-square-foot park and community space. Armed with $800,000 in Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding, Munson hired Sue Steel Landscape Architecture, LLC of Rochester to design the project with the goal of creating a neighborhood feel along Genesee Street. “We want that space to be an active community space,” D’Ambrosio says. The project will restore the museum building to its original intended look as designed by architect Philip Johnson by removing the visual barrier created by a chain-link fence and hedge and replacing it with a clear railing that provides security while also offering views of the building. The front steps are being redone, and landscaping work will include adding benches along with plants and trees. “We’re using native species,” D’Ambrosio says and that includes Oneida County’s newly named official tree — the red maple. Restoration work is also underway at Munson’s Fountain Elms building, which was once home to Munson’s founding family. Munson was originally known as Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, named for three generations of one Utica family. Today, Fountain Elms is home to a collection that includes objects collected by the Williams’ and Proctors. The work looks like one big project, but really encompasses three separate projects. The third project involves the installation of an accessible entrance to the museum from Genesee Street.

“We have been busy and enjoying every minute of it,” D’Ambrosio says of the bustling projects. She expects work will wrap up in November. Munson will remain busy with several other projects, ranging from community outreach — Munson has nearly 50 community partnerships — to events including First Fridays, Munson After Dark, and its annual sidewalk art show. “We’re also renovating a building,” D’Ambrosio says. Located at 500 Henry St., the structure is one of the 26 buildings Munson owns in the surrounding neighborhood. Munson is still working to raise the funding but would like to renovate the vacant building into a live-work space for its artist-in-residence program along with a community gallery. This summer, Munson is replacing the building’s foundation. “We’re working on some plans for some potential renovations in the Museum of Art,” D’Ambrosio adds. “It’s an exciting time.” Founded in 1919, Munson employs about 170 full-time and part-time employees and has an annual budget of $15 million.