Vote for Art

“Vote for Art” is a project aimed at educating the public on both the electoral process and the process of building upon a world-class art collection. The Mint has put six specially-chosen works of art on view in the museum and allow the public to cast votes on their three favorites. The museum will acquire the winner or winners and add them to its permanent collection.

Voting opens September 1-7 to coincide with the beginning of the Democratic National Convention (and with the opening of the Mint’s blockbuster new exhibition, Against the Grain: Wood in Contemporary Art, Craft, and Design). Voting opens to the general public October 1, running through November 9. Election Day, November 6, will be a free admission day from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. so any interested voters can come to the museum to vote for art after they travel to the polls to vote for their candidates (the museum is always open free from 5-9 p.m. each Tuesday). And unlike the Board of Elections, the Mint does not require voters to be 18 – children will be offered their own opportunities to cast ballots.

A committee consisting of curators and representatives of three of the museum’s affiliate groups nominated the six works of art from an original field of 12 being offered by top galleries and artists from around the world. All six works are by modern and contemporary artists from around the world, as far away as Denmark and Chile and as close as North Carolina, and three of the works represent the top current offerings from the field of craft and design, a particular focus for the Mint. Curators Carla Hanzal and Brad Thomas, who oversee the museum’s modern and contemporary collections, and Annie Carlano, the Mint’s director of craft + design, participated in the nomination process.

The Founders’ Circle, Mint Museum Auxiliary, and Young Affiliates of the Mint also participated in the selection, and are collaborating on the project’s culminating event, the Ballot Ball, on November 9. At that gala, to be held at Mint Museum Uptown, the winner will be unveiled.

During the project, voters must be inside the museum to cast a vote; no online voting will be allowed (but feel free to click the +INSPIRING button on your favorite images). Only one ballot is permitted per visit, but patrons can make multiple visits throughout the run of the project if they wish to cast multiple votes for their favorite candidates. For non-members of the museum, admission must be paid for each visit unless it is during the museum’s scheduled free hours. Click here to see the Mint’s news release announcing Vote for Art.