♪ >> The South Bend Museum of Art has galleries full of stunning local and regional artistic creations.

>> So the collection is focused on contemporary art, our community and our region.

Professors from Notre Dame, IU South Bend, local artists in and of themselves that have made a name for themselves, both nationally and, of course, locally.

>> But this isn't quite your typical art museum.

It's also a creative hub, a place where people of all ages are invited to learn, grow, and even play.

>> So the mission of the South Bend Museum of Art is to really support our local community, the artists in our local community, and raising up those artists that have been part of our community all these years.

From almost cradle to grave, there's many stories that I can tell about people who started here through Scholastics Art Program, through some of our youth programs for drawing and ceramics, who now are active board members, as well as have pieces in our permanent collection.

♪ >> The museum was founded as the South Bend Art Center in 1947.

According to the museum, kindergarten teacher Carlotta Banta left her life's saving to the city to establish a place where, quote... >> Exposing kids to art is still a driving force for the museum.

Today, South Bend fifth graders are taking part in a mask-making workshop, inspired by the children's classic, "Where the Wild Things Are."

>> We really pushed the idea of learning some of the elements of art, such as form, shape, line and color.

Those are the ones that really come into play here, because they have the ability to choose if they want to just take the template and just paint on it, or if they want to build it out and do a more 3D-like designs.

So it really kinda pushes their artistic, creative side, while also implementing some small lessons that they're going to be able to use as they make all sorts of art.

>> We all recognize that many of the school programs around the country, not just here in South Bend or locally, have lost some funding around the arts.

So to have exposure to the visual arts definitely is important for children as they develop, not only to recognize what talents they might have and what joy and passions they might have, but also it might be a filter to better understanding the world around them.

>> The South Bend Museum of Art also offers an opportunity for kids to have their work put on display through the Scholastic Art Awards.

>> Scholastic Art Awards are a national program.

It's over 100 years old.

It's definitely a cornerstone of our mission and what we do here at the South Bend Museum of Art because it encompasses art education and the promise and the passion of young people.

This year, we had over 3,900 entries from 2,600 students across 19 counties.

We jury that down to about 1100 pieces, and we hang about 550 pieces in the gallery.

So the Scholastic Arts is -- like, lights a passion for many, many of those youth involved and helps them find a path, maybe a lifelong path, to the arts.

And sometimes the South Bend Museum of Art is part of that path.

>> But it's not just kids who get to have all the fun.

The South Bend Museum of Art also offers a range of programs for adults.

>> So here at the museum, we have a lot of classes we offer from -- for adults from ceramics to drawing and painting, printmaking.

We have a whole weaving studio upstairs as well.

So we have a breadth of different material that people can be involved in.

A lot of the students, they can discover their art in a lot of different entry points.

And I think for some people who aren't confident about their art, they can start by learning something in a basic class, like an intro class, or they can refine their skills in an advanced class.

So we have a -- kind of range of all different kind of areas, and we try to encourage that.

>> With all the different ways the public can interact with the South Bend Museum of Art, it's not hard to see why the staff think of it as more than just a museum.

>> It's a responsibility for those of us who work here because it's a cherished piece that memorializes many artists in our community over 75 years.

It supports young people trying to find their place, or even older folks that find community here.

It's a sacred place in that regard, and it's important for communities to have those places.