2020-2021 Public Programming Underwriting Opportunities

2020—2021

public programming underwritING OPPORTUNITIES

PUBLIC PROGRAMMING UNDERWRITING OPPORTUNITIES

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who we are The first museum of its kind in Los Angeles, the Cayton Children’s Museum taps into the power of the arts and play to inspire bold and generous thinking, spark human connection and ignite social change for a kind and more equitable world.

With 21,000 square feet of open-ended play, handson exhibits, art studios, a theatre, public art gallery, multipurpose rooms, and a robust calendar of arts and cultural programming, the Cayton is a playground for visitors to put core universal values into practice so they can discover their potential, perspective and purpose.

But the Cayton is so much more than play.

We are a place of gathering; a place for cultural and interpersonal exchange. We build character, through the act of sharing, learning and challenging one another. We are a reminder to parents that there is still a big kid inside, and life lessons can always be learned. We are an institution that sparks understanding and breaks down walls to remind us of the things that make us similar, not different.

THE CAYTON IS A PLACE FOR EVERYONE.

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the power of play At the Cayton, we believe in educating through the arts and play.

The brain thrives when children are given some agency to play a role in their own learning. Clinical studies indicate that creative expression optimizes a child’s cognitive, social, emotional and physical competencies and is critical to adopting 21st century skills—such as problem solving, collaboration, and creativity— which determine adult success.

Research even shows that, apart from its social and emotional benefits, exploring through the arts leads to changes at the molecular and cellular levels that improve language and early math skills.

“

Play is the highest form of research.

- Albert Einstein

”

In this new “information” age, there is a OUR THREE-PRONGED APPROACH demand for more innovation and less imitation; TO ARTS EDUCATION: more creative and less conformity.

We know that exposing children to the arts early in childhood and through adolescence has transformational benefits, not just for the child, but for society. The more outlets we provide for children to explore, create and engage, the stronger our communities will be.

EXPLORES intersections between the arts,

creativity and other core learning areas such as math, science and reading.

CREATES unique opportunities for process-

based, open-ended experiences that show us how artists experience and interpret the world.

ENGAGES in play experiences that honor and encourage joy, wonder, curiosity, exploration and collaboration to make learning exciting.

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public arts programming At the Cayton, we look for opportunities to connect all of our visitors to cultural stories and visual expressions that encourage exploration, creativity and engagement—including those that lack access to meaningful arts education opportunities due to income, background or social status. Therefore, it is fundamental to our mission to offer programming that is widely accessible, both in the Museum and beyond its walls.

Public programming is just that: highly curated arts and cultural programming that is free with admission for all visitors. This includes those eligible for waived admission thanks to our Free Access Initiative.

Through themes of community, transformation and personal identity, public programming is designed to evoke inspiration and connection across all mediums, including theatre, visual arts, poetry, storytelling and hands-on art making. This opens up doors for more crosscultural exchange, new experience and shared understanding.

The following pages outline our plans for public programming starting in 2020.

Become an underwriter and help us ensure that we can offer diverse programming that provides families with the opportunity to grow closer to their personal and world community.

But offering this programming is a luxury only made possible by our community of donors and funders.

The price of admission covers less than onequarter of our operating costs. The rest is achieved through fundraising. Without support, this programming does not exist.

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visiting artist series PROGRAM SERIES, 6 PER/YR Coming March 2020 In Spring 2020, we will introduce our inaugural Visiting Artist Series, a month-long residency in which we invite renowned and emerging artists that have built careers in the fine art world to embark on what might be their most ingenious challenge yet: to activate a children’s museum.

Our Visiting Artist Series will give each featured artist cart blanche to inhabit the Cayton, taking over and infusing the space with their wildest imaginations and installations.

Over the course of the month, visitors will have opportunities to work directly with artists across disciplines to understand their inspiration and creative process through artist- lead workshops, curated programming and “Meet the Artist” members-only events.

Artists will also design a limited-edition poster for the Cayton gift shop to inspire creative expression beyond the doors of the Museum.

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visiting artist series The Visiting Artist Series will partner with five artists in 2020 to manifest the space, including the art studios, the Derfner Theatre, the Public Art Gallery and our Mural Walls.

Here is a snapshot of some of the artists that the Cayton will partner with in the coming year:

SNAPSHOT LIESEL PLAMBECK Liesel Plambeck is a Los Angeles based artist and print, pattern and product designer known for collaborations that include the likes of Kelly Wearstler, Paperless Post, Urban Outfitters, Rebecca Minkoff, O’Neill and more.

BIJOU KARMAN Los-Angeles based artist and illustrator, Bijou Karman finds inspiration for her stunning illustrations from fashion, vintage images, Googie architecture, the 1960’s, nostalgia, strong women, a love of print and bright colors and plants. Bijou has worked for a world-renowned clients including

Rihanna, Converse and The Los Angeles Times, as well as created the well-known movie poster for the film RBG. Bijou’s love for fashion is evident in her illustrations, and the mysterious bravado of the women depicted captures the audience.

GABRIELLA SANCHEZ Expanding the definition of a children’s museum, the Visiting Artist Series helps establish the Cayton as an anchor institution with dynamic programming that is attractive to a wide range of audiences and community members. The Series also give kids rare access to professional artists and their work.

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cayton creators PROGRAM SERIES, Weekly Coming February 2020 Cayton Creators is a series of free weekly art workshops that give children an opportunity to become more aware of the diverse and complex world around them through the lens of artists who have influenced history.

The program encourages visitors to think about what inspires creativity and how each of us might become creators in our own lives by studying a different artist each month who has used their artistic craft to combat injustice. By focusing on artists who have used their craft as catalysts for social change, Cayton Creators shows participants how our cultures, communities, environments and circumstances might shape our artistic perspective and mediums.

Cayton Creators will be offered twice a day every Thursday as a 45-minute workshop in the Cayton’s multipurpose space.

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cayton creators

SNAPSHOT

Cayton Creators will give participants an NOAH PURIFOY understanding of the deeper lessons and values found in a wide variety of art styles.

Most known for co-creating the Watts Towers Art Center, Noah was a sculptor and Here are a few of the artists the program will visual artist that used his art to interpret focus on in 2020: and create conversation around the Watts Riots. Throughout the course of his career as an artist, Noah created many assemblage sculptures in which he took what others would call garbage, and turned it into art to symbolize the beauty that could be extracted from a community that was once discarded. In the 1980s, he was responsible for bringing arts into the state prison system as a method of therapy and recovery. His sculptures are still on display in a dreamlike playground called the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum in Joshua Tree, Calif.

INVADER Honoring the power of street art as a starter for conversation and recognizing social disparity, Cayton Creators will delve deep into the work of French urban artist, Invader. Known for his ceramic tile mosaics modeled after the pixelation of video games, Invader chose the public space and streets as his canvas to make a stance that art should be accessible to everyone, not just those who have the luxury of visiting museums and galleries. Invader has been secretly placing his pop-culture-infused mosaic works all over the streets of Paris for the last 20 years. His “art invasions� can be found on the streets in over 65 cities in 33 countries.

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storytelling & visual artS lab PROGRAM SERIES, Weekly Coming Spring 2020 More than story time, the Storytelling and Visual Arts Lab is a class series of interactive storytelling workshops that engage children and their families through the written word and visual expression.

The workshops will heighten children’s love of language and literature while actively encouraging them to develop their own stories and storytelling abilities. Kids and families will listen to and read stories while creating, writing and acting out their own.

Each workshop nurtures creative thinking, cooperative learning and literacy, to engage children and students in fun-filled and imaginative learning experiences.

Apart from workshops, the Storytelling and Visual Arts Lab will come alive throughout the year with a story recording booth, story sessions with special guests, writers, graphic and comic book illustrators and designers. as well as daily story time programming in the Derfner Theatre.

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storytelling & visual artS lab Focusing on how children tap into their imagination through stories and visuals this learning series will help encourage a love of literacy, storytelling, and reading for children and share their own unique perspectives and approaches. Children will learn how to create a medium for their own stories and the power that these messages have to shape the world around them.

SNAPSHOT Performance pop-up provides a studio environment in which children can understand the inherent connections between images and stories. Visitors will participate in workshops that unpack how a story is put together and how images and symbols help to communicate a story’s message and impact.

The Storytelling and Visual Arts Lab will invite guest story tellers, writers, graphic and comic book artists, as well as designers to offer presentations, workshops and demonstrations of their work to foster a love of storytelling and reading.

Children and families of all ages. The goal of the Lab is to bridge gaps between stories of different cultures, generations and genders.

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Cayton cultural festivals PROGRAM SERIES, 6 per/yr Ongoing Program Cayton Cultural Festivals are a series of day-long festivals that honor the traditions and values of a specific culture through storytelling, performance and visual art, music and theatre, and hands-on art making. Each event is unique and highly curated, activating every space in the Museum with opportunity for experiential learning, discussion and cultural exchange to underscore our commonalities and celebrate our differences.

While each festival is standalone, the Museum will use the month preceding and following the event to immerse visitors in each culture through daily arts and cultural activities.

The Cayton Cultural Festivals series is our commitment to inclusivity, bringing people from all communities and socioeconomic backgrounds together around the discovery of a new cultural experience, creating a village for all. Events will embody the spirit of the culture while informing families about worlds different from their own.

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s SNAPSHOT Cayton Cultural Festivals are a series of day-long festivals that honor the traditions and values of a specific culture through storytelling, performance and visual art, music and theatre, and hands-on art making. Each event is unique and highly curated, activating every space in the Museum with opportunity for experiential learning, discussion and cultural exchange to underscore our commonalities and celebrate our differences.

While each festival is standalone, the Museum will use the month preceding and following the event to immerse visitors in each culture through daily arts and cultural activities.

The Cayton Cultural Festivals series is our commitment to inclusivity, bringing people from all communities and socioeconomic backgrounds together around the discovery of a new cultural experience, creating a village for all. Events will embody the spirit of the culture while informing families about worlds different from their own.

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS

PRIDE

Explore the origins, traditions and rituals of this Celebrating and honoring all we are thankful celebrated Mexican holiday through creative for, the Cayton will “build” a larger-thanexpression, visual arts and play. life Gratitude Wall colorfully made from a community of “post-it” notes that proudly HANIKKAH IN SANTA MONIKKAH display messages of gratitude, love and hope as a large mural installation that all participating Exploring the themes of Hanukkah through storytelling, performance art, music and hands- families and children will contribute to. The activation and installation will live inside the on artmaking.

Cayton all month-long.

HOLI The ancient Hindu festival now celebrated around the world—with all-day color play, Bollywood dance and music performances, storytelling sessions, hands-on workshops, and a visual display of love, joy and kindness.

The Cayton will partner with Santa Monica Place to bring the activation to Center Plaza for greater visibility during parts of the month in celebration of SaMo Pride—a month-long collaboration between Macerich, the City of Santa Monica, Downtown Santa Monica and Santa Monica Travel & Tourism.

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children’s annual film festival ANNUAL EVENT, 1 per/yr Coming Spring 2020 In an era of social media, divisive politics and increasing socioeconomic disparity, films have a way of bridging gaps to unify humanity. They can also play a powerful role in informing, educating and inspiring action at any age.

Our inaugural Children’s Film Festival will take over the Cayton for a weekend of animated, comedic, documentary and thought-provoking films curated for families by a panel of community leaders, artists and changemakers.

Featured films will explore themes woven throughout the Cayton, including social responsibility, civic engagement and overcoming adversity to enchant viewers, young and old, through a sense of discovery and play.

Films will be shown in our Derfner Theatre and multipurpose rooms with workshops and special programming led by local filmmakers, writers and storytellers in our art studios and public spaces.

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summer sound waves festival PROGRAM SERIES, 6 per/yr Coming Summer 2020 In the summer of 2020, the Museum will become the Westside’s Hollywood Bowl with a series of eclectic and original music events designed for families.

The Summer Sound Waves Series will activate the Museum and neighboring spaces with live music, performances and other creative, auditory interventions. Each event will explore a different sound to create mindful and immersive experiences that are focused on opening up our minds and sparking human connection: think drum circles, sound baths, silent discos, and yes, even a “baby rave.”

Visitors won’t be bound to just listening either.

Pop-up activations will enable our movers and shakers to make their own sound waves.

All music and themes will be curated with the support of partnering music producers, community groups and kid favorites, teaching visitors about the kinetic power of music and movement in creating community.

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s As an annual underwriter of a core public program, you make it possible for us to evolve beyond our exhibits into a cultural institution that empowers creative thinking and expression as tools for good.

As one of our program underwriters, you will receive:

• Acknowledgement on our permanent Annual Donor Wall at the Grand Exit of the Museum • Acknowledgment on permanent annual programming signage in prominent location of Museum • Underwriting acknowledgment in all press and media materials

• Recognition in all custom signage and collateral created for program/event activation, including banners, wayfinding and educational signage, fliers lobby screens and more • Acknowledgment on website and every time program is mentioned in Museum communications, promotions and marketing

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underwriting costs 2020 PROGRAMMING

2021 PROGRAMMING

VISITING ARTIST SERIES $250,000

CAYTON CULTURAL FESTIVALS $200,000

Be a part of a creative experiment where fine artists and designers repurpose their craft for children and families—turning the Cayton into their canvas for a month-long residency. Program underwriting allows us to marry traditional concepts of art with the childlike, expanding children’s imaginations.

Our Festival series supports our vision of inclusivity, creating a forum for cross-cultural exchange, understanding and acceptance. When we learn about worlds different from our own, we realize that we’re not all that different. Help us provide these meaningful opportunities for human connection.

STORYTELLING & VISUAL ARTS LAB $250,000

SUMMER SOUND WAVES SERIES $200,000

Storytelling is the oldest form of teaching. It bonded the early human communities, giving children the answers to life’s biggest questions. Stories define us, shape us, control us and make us. Support enables us to collect and share the stories of many generations for more authentic connections.

CHILDREN’S ANNUAL FILM FESTIVAL $150,000 Film has the power to move and inspire us, make us think, and challenge our perspective. With financial support, we can bring LA its first family film festival focused on inspiring future agents for change.

The Summer Sound Waves Series celebrates the place that music has in shaping our minds, values and perspectives. Underwriting support allows us to tap into the unconventional to expose children to sounds and movement that you won’t find on the Top 40. Plus, don’t you want to know what a “baby rave” is?

CAYTON CREATORS $100,000 Cayton Creators will turn hands-on art making into a mechanism for social change, honoring artists who have influenced history and exploring the lessons they teach.

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thank you Underwriting of public programming requires an annual commitment. Donors or funders are recognized in Museum signage, marketing and promotions, communications and special publications.

Annual commitments of $100,000 or more are also acknowledged on a “blade of grass” in the Generosity Garden at the Cayton Children’s Museum for the next 20 years.

For a more detailed breakdown of each program and its recognition opportunities, please contact:

Esther Netter Founder & CEO enetter@caytonmuseum.org (424) 416-8332 Carly Harrill Chief Advancement Officer charrill@caytonmuseum.org (424) 416-8327

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