What a difference a day - and an art collection worth thousands - can make.
When the Jefferson City Museum of Modern Art (JCMoMA) opened for the first time Oct. 23, the family who created it planned to open the museum for viewing its collection of Purvis Young and Thornton Dial paintings by appointment only.
After a successful grand opening last Friday, the 220 E. High St. museum's curators decided to add regular operating hours because Larry Clemons, the collection's owner who loaned JCMoMA the paintings, was so impressed with the showing that he entrusted them to sell his pieces.
JCMoMA's new operating hours will be from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Fridays and from 3-7 p.m. on Saturdays. The museum will maintain the hours previously made available for pre-arranged appointments: 9 a.m.-noon Mondays through Thursdays.
"Initially, the owner of this collection, he just let us borrow all of these amazing paintings," said Sarah Knee, who is managing the art museum with her father, Richard Howerton, who owns JCMoMA. "He'd never seen the gallery space; he had no idea what to expect. He got here a day before the opening and was really excited and blown away by seeing the space."
The family's initial intention for the museum was for it specifically to inspire youth to pursue interests in art, which Knee and Howerton hope to encourage by hosting free viewings for school groups by appointment. Now, in addition to that, Knee will be available to host walk-in viewings two days a week.
"I think we can do both," she said. "I'll have the door open, and people can just walk in."
She hopes to have JCMoMA ready to host its regular hours before Downtown Jefferson City's Holiday Open House Nov. 7, and to open the art museum for viewing during other downtown events.
As JCMoMA prepares to begin selling some of the pieces by Purvis Young and Thornton Dial - both prolific African-American artists whose work is featured in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the American Folk Art Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as well as other notable collections - Knee will obtain more detailed information about the paintings and sketches in the local museum's inventory, including prices, which she estimates could be around $100 for non-original prints up to $3,500-$4,500 for larger original paintings.
Knee said she anticipates the majority of the works remaining on display for some time still.
"It's not our incentive to try and sell as quickly as possible. It's more about, this is a piece of history," she said. "I think it just opens the door for twice as many people to come through."