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The McNay Art Museum has received a $500,000 grant from the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation to support accessibility across the institution’s 25-acre campus and to expand access to its digital and programmatic offerings.
Matthew McLendon, director and CEO of the McNay Art Museum, said museum leadership thinks accessibility begins before visitors even step inside.
“So, we view our digital platforms as a gateway to the museum, a really crucial space for engaging diverse groups,” said McLendon. “So, we're thinking about our website, our online collection, how our ticketing systems work. So, I think many times when we say ‘accessibility,’ people think first about physical accessibility, and that is absolutely part of it. But we are really looking at the holistic experience of coming to the McNay.”
McLendon stressed accessibility is a nonnegotiable once guests arrive.
“How do you access the McNay grounds? Is it clear where accessible parking is? Is it clear where accessible pathways are? Is the signage clear? And then when you get into the museum, what are barriers to accessibility or a fuller experience for all people once they are in our lobby or in our galleries?”
McLendon said the McNay is excited to continue adding accessible features like its recent Bloomberg Connects app in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies. Bloomberg Connects is the museum’s digital guide that incorporates aspects of its permanent collection and temporary exhibitions.
“And that allows all manner of different interactions with the museum, including translation abilities through the app, certainly increased audio interpretation through the app,” said McLendon. “It also allows people to have an in-gallery experience (and) revisit perhaps their in-gallery experience once they're back at home. So, I think that's been something that recently, in the last couple of years, as we've brought that online, has helped us widen accessibility in various ways.”
The Kronkosky Charitable Foundation grant
McLendon said the McNay is currently in its first phase, which involves researching accessible consultants locally with groups such as Morgan’s and disABILITYsa. The search for accessibility consultants will also be conducted nationwide.
“We wrote the grant in a phased approach. One phase being discovery, and the second phase being targeted, prioritized implementation. The grant period is a two-year period, but we're very mindful that this work will never end,” said McLendon.
“We assure great transformations to the visitor experience through this process, but we know that it will only raise more things that we want to do. So, we very much see this as a beginning that will continue as we really work to be San Antonio's place of belonging.”
