How do museums expand their educational outreach? How do they make a difference in their communities? How do they inspire children to care about art and see it as relevant to their lives? Outreach can be more than school field trips and weekend family activities. By bringing museum collections into the classroom, a child’s life can be connected to art in a long-lasting and meaningful way.
The Barnes Education Mandate
The Barnes Foundation, in Philadelphia, is an educational institution with a world-famous art collection. By offering programs that combine in-class learning led by Barnes educators with a structured tour of the Philadelphia Collection Gallery, The Barnes is exemplifying their mission: “the promotion of the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts.” Programming develops students’ art appreciation and reinforces reading comprehension, math, science, history, and social studies, depending on the grade level.
The Barnes in the Classroom
We designed and created educator resource materials for The Barnes Foundation consisting of extensive teachers’ aids and promotional booklets.
Teachers’ binders are filled with curriculum guides, lesson plans, worksheets, and extension activities. Sections are separated by tabbed dividers displaying artwork from the Barnes collection.
Program Awareness
The Barnes K-12 programs promote cross-cultural experiences with interdisciplinary connections that meet school curricular standards. We designed catalogs listing programs for schools and courses for teachers, students, and the general public.
Education program resource booklet for schools and teachers
Classroom Resources
The Barnes provides classrooms with curriculum guides, multidisciplinary lesson plans, teaching posters, and extension activities that district teachers use to prepare students for the program and to facilitate ongoing learning throughout the academic year. We design oversized posters and program binders, each with customized lesson plans and activities, all updated annually.
An example of a classroom poster (front and back) for early learning. Custom designed for different grade levels, collection artwork is showcased on each poster, with supporting instruction and background information on the reverse side.
Book-making diagram created for kindergarten extension activity
African mask extension activity for 7th grade students
Illustrations for an early learning resource packet discussing shapes
Outreach can be more than school field trips and weekend family activities. By bringing museum collections into the classroom, a child’s life can be connected to art in a long-lasting and meaningful way.
First grade literacy activities
Read earlier museum case studies:
• Museums: Gallery Guides to Go
• Art Books: Judging a Book by its Cover
• Art Books: Creating a Keepsake
• Art Books: Special Exhibitions
• Art Books: Cultivating Engagement
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