Albrecht-Kemper opens Bradley-DeShon Education Center

By Kendra Simpson

The Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art unveiled the Bradley-DeShon Education Center on Thursday afternoon to welcome a new era of learning and creating art in St. Joseph.

In its opening in 1913, the founders of the museum sought to increase public awareness and understanding of the arts in our community. 100 years later, it serves as the only nationally accredited museum dedicated to arts education in the four-state region. Thursday, that dedication has expanded even further with the opening of the education center.

What used to be a carriage house will now house three floors of studio and classroom space for the museum’s growing education program.

“The Albrecht-Kemper has been hosting art classes for years, since the ‘70s and we have finally outgrown a very small one classroom in the museum,” said Dansare Lawrence, marketing and communications manager. “It’s been many years in the working and we finally have worked on our education center, expanding into the carriage house.”

With the development of the education center, the museum will now be able to provide many more courses such as print-making, ceramics and even glass-making.

“Enriching our community means providing culture,” Lawrence said. “When people move into a community, they want to see opportunity for culture and I think art is a big part of that. So, to provide classes, to provide education, to provide opportunities for people to, you know, visit the museum and learn. I think that’s a huge part of bringing enrichment to our community.”

Whether visitors are checking out the ever-growing and changing exhibits, mastering their craft or picking up a brush for the first time, the Albrecht-Kemper will continue to nurture St. Joseph’s art for hopefully another 100 years.