A Learning Link to the Santa Monica Museum of Art

Everyone enjoys collecting. It's fun to have more and more versions of something that you like. Collections can be small items, such as stamps, or big ones like automobiles. What you collect can tell a lot about who you are, what you like, and how well you take care of things. What do you collect? If you don't have a collection, what would you like to collect?

Art collectors are people who enjoy gathering art that is meaningful to them. Sometimes they gather enough pieces to be shown at a museum. The kind of museum they will be displayed in depends on what kind of collection they have.

The Santa Monica Museum of Art is a contemporary museum. That means it features works of art that tell something about our culture and are a part of everyday experiences. Contemporary art often showcases things that relate to your senses. Exhibits may invite you to see, hear, touch, smell and taste.

The museum is currently presenting "East of the River: Chicano Art Collectors Anonymous." It is a show about seven Los Angeles collectors of contemporary Chicano art. Over the course of 10 years, these collectors have become the proud owners of numerous artworks by well-known Americans of Mexican origin. They have collected so much art that the walls in their homes are completely covered. Selected artworks from their collections are on view at the museum through this Sunday. The museum also has ongoing education programs for children ages 4 and up. For more information, call (310) 586-6488, Ext. 14, or visithttp://www.smmoa.org.

This information was provided by the Santa Monica Museum of Art, 2525 Michigan Ave., Building G-1, Santa Monica.