CLU Supports the Claremont Museum of Art’s ARTstART Program

On September 16, 2017, I had the pleasure of attending Carnivále, the 2017 Gala for the Claremont Museum of Art. The 2017 Gala was held at the Claremont Museum of Art’s new home, the Claremont Depot. On behalf of Claremont Lincoln University, we gladly attended in support of the Claremont Museum of Art, as well as the Claremont community.

During the gala, the Claremont Museum of Art reinforced its commitment to ARTstART, a project that provides art education in the Claremont schools. According to the Claremont Museum of Art, the project “features students-teaching-students about the arts and promoting understanding of Claremont’s unique arts and cultural heritage and the different ways the visual arts are expressed in the community.” College students from the Claremont Colleges mentor high school students in the area that, in turn, mentor elementary school children in the Claremont elementary schools.

CLU was proud to commit its support to the ARTstART program, because of the fit that the program serves in relation to CLU in a few ways. One way that the ARTstART program aligns itself with the mission of CLU is in the core of what the program is. At the core of the program, it is fundamentally a leadership program. The mentoring and leadership skills imbued in each generation of students will have a lasting impact in the Claremont community. At Claremont Lincoln University, we believe that engagement skills, taught and evident in the ARTstART program, are essential to the modern leadership needed to lead in all industries, from interfaith to healthcare.

Another alignment was around the subject of the program and of the Claremont Museum of Art: art itself. One of the hallmarks of Claremont Lincoln University is the value of different perspectives and believing that different perspectives enrich your thinking, your life, and your community. Art is one of those easily demonstrable expressions of those different perspectives. And with the ARTstART program, it allows students to interact with the different perspectives seen in art and to value them even if one doesn’t agree with them.

Lastly, CLU found further alignment with our university’s mission and the ARTstART program because of the connection to our university’s founders, Joan and David Lincoln. The Lincolns have been longstanding supporters of both art and education; Mrs. Lincoln was an artist and had sponsored the ceramic studio at Scripps College while Mr. Lincoln continues to further education in his continued support for Claremont Lincoln University.

We at CLU would like to congratulate the Claremont Museum of Art on a successful event and for the continued work they’re doing with the ARTstART program. Thank you!