Ontario Museum of History & Art, Museum Asociates Welcome

Carlson Educational Studio is now open

The Carlson Educational Studio, a multi-purpose facility at the Ontario Museum of History & Art, is now in full operation through funding provided by the volunteer Museum Associates.

Money raised by a successful Associates fundraiser three years ago honoring local builder and philanthropist Randall Lewis was directed to significantly upgrade the room that has been limited in its uses in the past.

The new room has a video screen, new tables and chairs, improved acoustics and a kitchen to support a variety of activities. Students and adults on the many tours to the Museum now have a comfortable place to do artwork there as well as hear presentations and learn about the facility’s many historic and artistic elements. It will also be open during special events at the Museum.

“This is a real upgrade for our Museum, an institution whose mission focuses on education,” explained Marissa Kucheck, director of the Museum. “It gives us our own space for lectures and talks as well as places for visitors to do artwork and other activities.”

“It is what has been needed for some time,” explained Associates President Cherry Dobbs. “A nice room, light and airy with good acoustics where we can celebrate so many activities and exhibits we have for visitors at the Museum.”

Dobbs is the presiding officer of the Associates board, the group

of community volunteers who support the activities of the Museum, especially for its educational activities.

The room has been known as

the Carlson Gallery since 1981

when it was planned to be a

learning center dedicated to

the late Elinore Carlson, an

Ontario Realtor and original

founding trustee of the Museum

of History and Art, Ontario.

Much of the funding for that

room when it opened was

provided by Carlson’s family

following her death.

Interestly, the Carlson family

also provided the financial

support for the nearby exhibit

in the median of Euclid

Avenue that recalls the city’s

mule-powered trolley. It was

Volunteers are needed
to help guide visitors,
conduct museum tours

Did you know that more than 900 students and adults came to the Museum as part of 24 tours conducted during this fall?

The Museum welcomes local students and teachers for school tours to engage with our gallery exhibits and collections. All museum tours are led by museum educators who connect our collections and exhibits to classroom curriculums.

Emphasized are close-looking, visual thinking strategies, and inquiry; free-choice learning by exploring and choosing what to learn; the information given affirms and expands on the choices made; making connections to ideas, other art forms, other school subjects, and to one’s experience; and cultural relevance by connecting art and local history to diverse communities, cultural traditions, and lived experiences.

Museum tours are based on the California Common Core State Standards in a range of subjects including English language arts, history/social science, science, and visual arts.

Museum tours are offered on Tuesdays through Fridays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tour experiences can be scheduled in a variety of tour options from 45 to 90 minutes.

The Museum is in need of volunteers to become docents to conduct these tours to help tell the story of Ontario and the region.

Additionally, we're looking for volunteers to serve on committees or who could work a few hours a week at the Museum store.

Interested? Contact the office at (909) 395-3510.