The Department of Education has a long history of working with an array of audiences in its mission to make the collection accessible to people of all abilities, backgrounds, and ages. Over the years we’ve come to recognize what a major part of the Museum audience senior citizens are—which makes sense since, according to statistics from the American Association of Retired Persons, individuals age 65 and over constitute one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. population.
Museum Studies, Class of 2011
When you were younger, perhaps you wanted to be an artist when you grew up. Perhaps you were the kid in class who was always doodling, who designed all of the posters for the dances and parties, and who would have rather hung around the art room than go out to recess with the other kids.
Leading Museum visitors through a Gallery Conversation
Part of the 12-month internship program is the opportunity to facilitate a Gallery Conversation, a one-hour guided tour of the galleries for the public. As a 12-month intern, I was given the opportunity to pick any topic or works I loved and research diligently—but what I have learned is that when I speak to the public, the research is less important than the conversation.
Last summer, the Community Partner Art Show opening celebrated the participants and the amazing organizations that we work with through our Community Partnership Program. It was a fantastic exhibition, and it was so powerful hearing the participating artists discuss the ideas, inspirations, and, yes, hesitations surrounding their involvement with the Museum and the creation of their artworks. I hope you enjoy the video above, which documents this exciting event.
Artist Amy Sillman as she begins her talk in the Abstract Expressionist New York exhibition.
When we visit MoMA we expect to see works of art made by artists, but seldom do we hear firsthand from the artists themselves about the works on display—while we stand directly in front of them! The recently concluded series Abstract Expressionist New York: Artist-Led Gallery Talks offered MoMA visitors this unique opportunity.
Teens displaying their photographic masks in Central Park
Through a series of adventurous performance-based actions, the teens in our “Stop Or I’ll Shoot!” workshops have formed themselves into a functioning arts collective to negotiate and investigate ideas surrounding public and private space, altered perceptions, and challenging interactions.
Teens react to their surroundings after entering Flux Factory for the first time.
In her session of In the Making, teaching artist Kerry Downey has been tackling the difficult world of abstract art and the way in which non-representational art can express emotions. For her first field trip of the season, she took the group on a strange, confusing, and ultimately beautiful journey through the amazing environs of Long Island City’s Flux Factory.
Like my uncles, my father, and many other fathers, Fluxus is a stroller, meaning all are peripatetic, funny, unreliable, enigmatic, and angry.
My father strolled, my uncles strolled, and so does Fluxus. The word “stroller” is not my own. I heard it at my uncle’s funeral. A strange woman said it. I did not know her. I suppose my uncle did. He knew a lot of people. When it came time for folks to say a few words about the deceased, the woman stood up and said, “He was a stroller.” Everyone laughed. At first I thought she was calling him a baby carriage but I knew what she meant.
In the Making is a free, ten-week program for NYC teens that offers studio art making as led by various artist-educators in the field. For the past 6 weeks, MoMA educator Mark Dzula has been leading the teens in his Music for the Eyes class through the strange and wonderful world of sound-art and sound-based installations.
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