Pensacola Museum of Art
Opening artistic doors to all
By Alice Crann Good / Photos by Kate Treick Photography
It’s a standard week for hundreds of excited children to scurry through the Pensacola Museum of Art’s front doors and be greeted by Caitlin Rhea for a tour.
“Yes, it’s pretty typical for me to see 100 kids before lunchtime,” said Rhea, curator of education and public programs. “As soon as one school leaves, another school comes in, but I am very happy to give tours and love what I do.”
Rhea meets all of these potential art enthusiasts via PMA’s partnership with 43 K-12 schools within the Escambia County School District.
And with more than 700 pieces of art upstairs and a variety of exhibits/shows, a PMA tour is memorable.
In artful fashion, the youth tours are a valuable lesson during which Rhea and docents share museum rules and etiquette before a tour starts, present an introduction to the museum and its history, introduce each space of the museum and what galleries feature, offer a behind-the-scenes perspective to learn how a show/gallery is set up and bring the children together at the tour’s end to talk and ask questions.
A certainty: Rhea’s tour time is never boring.
“Kids are often fascinated by the history of the building and that it used to be a jail and ask questions:
‘If this building used to be a jail, are there ghosts that live here now?’
‘Is this museum haunted?’
‘Where are all the jail cells?’”
There is one question Rhea said she receives often from adults during group tours which is in regard to a rumor about a system of tunnels under the museum that connects various buildings.
“As far as we know, there are no such tunnels,” she said.
And, no, the museum is not haunted, Rhea stated with a dose of laughter.
It’s clear within a few moments that Rhea is at the heart of the museum’s activities in her role of designing, developing and implementing educational and public programs.
And when you look at the PMA’s mission, it makes sense. A part of the University of West Florida Historic Trust since 2016, the PMA promotes itself as a museum that’s more than a museum, serving “as an inclusive space for discovery and dialogue rooted in art, ideas and culture” for children and adults.
It lives up to its mission by offering a vast artistic menu of opportunities, everything from tours, classes, teen/adult workshops, public programs, special events/receptions, permanent and rotating art exhibits, local/regional/national shows and more — such as the free Art Academy for Autism designed for children and young adults.
“We want everyone who walks in to have a creative experience,” Rhea said. “We want to help people slow down and contemplate what they are getting. We encourage children to look closely at art; we promote creativity and critical thinking.
“I am all about activating the exhibits, bringing the community in. I also design most of our workshops for teenagers and adults, about six per year. A lot of our core programs are for kids, but I want to make sure that we are reaching every demographic.”
Community is key, across the board, Rhea stressed.
Two annual “staple” shows the community strongly supports, said Rhea, are the Youth Art Focus Show (ended in February) and the juried exhibition Members Show (running through June 1).
Overall, PMA strives diligently to be far-reaching, with the curatorial team planning two to three years in advance, Rhea said.
Although she wears many hats, Rhea works alongside a team, including Nicholas Croghan, director; Jaime Diffee, preparator and curatorial coordinator; Richard Rodriguez, exhibition designer; Amy Eve, business manager; Robin Zimmern, development director; art teachers, chaperones, docents, interns and the PMA Board of Directors and Guild.
An accomplished artist herself, Rhea has been surrounding herself with art and artists for years. Prior to her three years with the PMA, she was an adjunct instructor at Pensacola State College/Visual Arts, and the executive director of First City Art. She is an adjunct professor at the University of West Florida and teaches art appreciation online. And she is married to artist Jimmy Rhea, assistant professor of art/sculpture/3D design at Pensacola State College.
And Rhea’s mission hasn’t changed along the way.
“I am motivated to create engaging programs that activate hands-on, visual-arts learning, stimulating imaginative thinking for all ages,” Rhea said. “I am passionate about community outreach that effectively advocates for all ages and abilities, promoting accessible creative spaces.”
PMA EDUCATIONAL CHOICES
The Pensacola Museum of Art offers many learning opportunities for youth, some free, some with a fee. It also offers workshops for teens and adults. Here’s a sampling of ongoing classes for kids.
Free
• Preschool Art & Story Time (Age 2-5)
• Art Academy for Autism (Age 5-16+)
For a fee
• Mini Makers (Age 4-6)
• Afterschool Art (Age 2-6, scholarships available)
• Next Generation Homeschool (Age 7-10)
For more information and details about classes for children and upcoming teen/adult workshops, visit pensacolamuseum.org. The website is chockfull of info.
