Museum Marvels

Does anyone remember back in the day, when you were planning a vacation, and you needed to figure out, what you wanted to do? Were you going to sight see? Visit museums? Shop? I ALWAYS picked SHOP!!  Well, things changed back in the early 1990's when I became a museum educator for The Museums at Stony Brook. I REALLY enjoyed learning all sorts of things and making connections with history. I was even called upon to do some of the art or signage for exhibits. This was (and I'm sure still is) a really great experience. There are 3 different museums on the grounds along with a little red school house. It was fun taking students back in time, as well as behind the scenes!

 

However, I thought it would be a good change to see the same students each week and make lots of different art as opposed to doing the same thing ALL the time. That's when I decided to teach art in an elementary school. But, there was still a small part of the museum educator in me, when I created a hallway museum for my students.

 

Then a few years ago, I received a flyer from an art teacher at a local charter school asking for submissions for a display at The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, a local museum. How COOL was that? Well, it turned out there wasn't much of a response and ALL of the student work I picked out was displayed. Along with students from the charter school.

Some close ups from the first year. We did self portraits.

     

But the best part of having student work displayed  in a museum was getting permission to take students to see their work! And to experience a real museum and learn about different careers in art and different ways of making art. One of those win, wins!

For the next year students did oil pastel mono prints. I was split between schools and still took classes from both schools! It was decided that this special trip would become an annual event for our fourth graders.

 

Last year students had free choice making their art and they wrote an artist's statement to go with it.

 

 I NOW make it a point to visit museums in my travels and found a really great one in Nashville to take the grand kids who live there to. It's The Frist and they have this awesome interactive room just for children. How cool is it to sketch a giant mannequin? And for the current exhibit it has clothes on!!

And in DC over the summer 2 of my grandsons went thru the giant maze at 

The National Building Museum. Photo was taken from the second floor!

I have been able to get grants for field trips that I take my students on. Also, school district buses for local trips are cheaper to use. Do you have the opportunity to take your students to an art museum?

I would love to hear about it!
Thanks for reading!