High School Enrichment During The School Breaks

During the public school midwinter recess, The School Art League brought a bright and dedicated group of teens from across the city join museum educators from the Rubin Museum of Art for a deep exploration of the relationship between art, the cultures that make it, and the museums that share it.

The School Art League’s Museum Experience Program gives students a rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at New York City’s world-class museums. Students meet museum staff, share “the back story” of exhibitions, participate in personalized gallery talks, and discuss careers in the arts.

We met for breakfast and got to know each other better before heading into the galleries for some scintillating conversations. After that, we returned to the Education Center and discovered the hands-on investigation techniques of professional museum curators, historians and art handlers with the museum’s new Artifact Investigation Workshop! Using inquiry and observation, students and program organizers worked collaboratively to look deeply at, handle, and uncover the religious, artistic, and cultural meanings of authentic works of art from the museum’s teaching collection. We wrapped up the day with some student Q&A with museum educators on their career paths in the arts.

How did things go? Take a look these samples of post-program student evaluations!

 

Student #1
Before today’s visit to the Rubin, I thought that…
I would be confused. I had come to the museum a few years ago and had not known much about Buddhism or Hinduism.

But now I think that…
I am starting to understand this culture. I have applied knowledge from school to what I see.

What surprised you about your visit to the Rubin?
I was surprised that the Rubin has contemporary Indian art, and how similar it is to Western art. I never knew that Indian Cubism existed.

Student #2
Before today’s visit to the Rubin, I thought that…
It was going to be boring.

But now I think that…
Learning about the cultures and religions was pretty interesting.

What surprised you about your visit to the Rubin?
I was surprised that I actually liked learning about Himalayan art.

Student #3
Before today’s visit to the Rubin, I thought that…
I would walk around, looking at different exhibits and listening to a lecture at each.

But now I think that…
My visit to the Rubin was very exciting. Since most art was Eastern and being Indian I recognized most of what I was looking at. Also since I take AP World History at school I was able to apply what I learned from there to the exhibits I saw.

What surprised you about your visit to the Rubin?
I got to touch real artifacts when usually you can’t.

 

The whole experience got me thinking about important encounters I had with cultural organizations when I was in high school… and how for me, the most memorable ones were usually outside of school time, with my peers by my side, and involved being able to actually *do* something. What kinds of museum experiences do you recall from your high school years? Why did they stay with you?

This entry was posted in Education Center, Exhibitions, Gallery Tours, Himalayan Art, K-12 Schools, Museums, Outreach, Resources, Teens, Visitor Experience and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to High School Enrichment During The School Breaks