An MCASD Mascot? You Bet!

This summer, the Nationwide Museum Mascot Project (NWMMP) will start and end its 2012 Summer Tour at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD). The tour kicks off Sunday, June 3, where the mascot will greet visitors at MCASD La Jolla and direct them to the Sculpture Garden (the galleries will be closed for installation), and then travel downtown via public transit to greet visitors at MCASD Downtown in the afternoon.

The NWMMP promotes art institutions with custom-made, sports team-like mascots that engage with visitors and staff alike through handshakes, high-fives and hugs, pro-museum sign picketing, social networking, and workshops. Free giveaways range from homemade buttons and stickers to balloons, zines, and corn dogs. This project is on the tipping point between sincere promotion and playful parody.

Throughout the summer, the NWMMP will mascot multiple institutions across the country, including Hammer Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, and many more. The tour will conclude on Thursday, August 9 at MCASD’s TNT (Thursday Night Thing) event. Read more about the 2012 Summer Tour, and look for a mascot at a museum near you!