Museum Collaboration
Making Art Come Alive
It's one thing to see art reproduced in a book, but nothing replaces the up-close and inspiringly personal experience of walking the halls of a museum. Unfortunately, many of New York City's lowest-income kids never have the opportunity to visit art museums. CFK is changing that.
Serving the South Bronx and tri-state community since it was first established by a group of community leaders in 1970, the Bronx Museum of the Arts has always been dedicated to educating children in the visual arts and to opening dialogue about art between children and their families. In August 2008, CFK partnered with the Bronx Museum to integrate the arts into the teaching curriculum of P.S. 73 in the Bronx. The program supplements children’s learning with valuable cultural experiences, including a series of interactive museum tours and art making workshops both in school and in the museum.
As part of the program, museum instructors work with classroom teachers to implement the curriculum and document the creative process. Recent programs include an eight-week curriculum based on the Bronx Museum of the Art's exhibitions "Street Art Street Life" and "Tale of Three Cities." In the program, kids are introduced to museum culture and learn how to use the museum as a resource for information relevant to their lives and classwork. They look at, discuss, interpret, and write about art, as well as make art themselves in workshops that reinforce critical thinking skills.
Visit the Bronx Museum of the Arts
What the Kids Say:
"In the program they let you draw your feelings. When I grow up I think I want to be an artist!"
— 9 year-old
"The part I liked the most was the collage, 'cause I like to mix colors up. And I like the teachers. They are nice."— 10 year-old
"In The Bronx Museum I learned how to do collages and how to dance the NY Groove. I also learned how to connect the environment. For example, the trees are connected to the sun, 'cause the sun makes the trees grow."
— 9 year-old
"What I enjoyed best in the museum is the art that I did... I got better at drawing pictures by following the directions."
— 9 year-old