Thinking About Stuff in an Intellectual Way: Kids as Curators Opens in Erie Art Museum Annex Gallery
Erie, PA, March 12, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Now in its 6th year, the very popular Kids as Curators exhibit has a new batch of middle school students and their teachers, this time thinking about their stuff in an intellectual way.
Each year for the exhibit, the Erie Art Museum forges a unique partnership with three local middle schools representing rural, urban and suburban populations. The end result culminates in an exhibit curated by, designed by, and featuring the collections of middle school students. After an extensive training at the Erie Art Museum, the teachers are charged with helping their students create an exhibit drawing from their collections. The school exhibits are then professionally installed at the Museum for the community to enjoy. Schools are given plenty of freedom to decide just what kinds of collections and the theme they’ll employ.
"The idea for the project came from two simple facts," states Kelly Armor, the Museum's Education Director. "A museum is basically a place that presents interesting stuff in an educational context. Middle school students are voracious collectors. Most of us know a twelve-year old whose bedroom is a stockpile of American cultural artifacts. If we can get them to think about their stuff from an intellectual perspective, we can spark a lifelong interest in learning and museum-going!"
Students from Irving Elementary, St George School and Warren School District conceived of and built the current exhibit on view through March 28. Each school's collection encompasses an unique theme: Irving students have explored travel, St. George has amassed a vast collection of currency from around the globe and Warren students’ collection examines both the historical and contemporary artifacts of their region. The exhibit features an interactive fortune cookie station, a station to mint your own currency and a map charting visitor's dream destinations.
Previous Kids as Curators exhibits have addressed the ways that 13-year-olds cope with hard times, how patterns are integral to industrial design, and recreating a local woodland environment. Candice Kemp, an English teacher from General McLane, recalls her experience: “I believe real learning occurs when the situations we provide our students closely approach real life…. The Erie Art Museum provided a real life situation—to curate an exhibit for the public. Quite a daunting task for kids, but it was exactly what I was looking for…. In the fall, the staff gave my students a guided tour of the museum’s artifacts with a twist. My students were to view the museum from the curator’s point of view. How insightful. Let the students discover the process, and discover they did. On the bus ride back to school the air was filled with ideas of collecting, presenting, and constructing.”
Students, after seeing their exhibits in the Museum, wrote, “It left my heart beat pounding and left myself in awe. Not only was my school exhibit awesome but the other schools’ were too.” “I thought it was really neat to see how regular kids like myself would be able to make something so professional.” “It’s a bit harder than it looks, it takes a lot of effort, ideas and thoughts.” This year’s partners are students from the Warren County School District’s gifted program, Erie’s Irving Elementary after-school program, and St. George School. These three groups of students represent a real diversity of viewpoints, and visitors can expect this year’s exhibit, like those of previous years, to be lively, engaging, humorous and interactive.
The exhibit is on view February 12 - March 28, 2010 in the Second Floor Gallery. A free public opening reception will be held during Gallery Night, Friday, March 12, 2010 from 7–10 p.m.
This project is supported by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, and corporate sponsorship from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.
About the Erie Art Museum
The Erie Art Museum anchors downtown Erie’s cultural and economic revitalization, occupying a group of restored mid-19th century commercial buildings, including an outstanding 1839 Greek Revival Bank. It maintains an ambitious program of 15 to 18 changing exhibitions annually, embracing a wide range of subjects, both historical and contemporary and including folk art, contemporary craft, multi-disciplinary installations, community-based work, as well at traditional media.
The Erie Art Museum also holds a collection of over 6,000 objects, which includes significant works in American ceramics, Tibetan painting, Indian bronzes, contemporary baskets, and a variety of other categories.
The Museum offers a wide range of education programs and artists’ services including interdisciplinary and interactive school tours and a wide variety of classes for the community. Performing arts are showcased in the 24-year-old Contemporary Music Series, which represents national and international performers of serious music with an emphasis on composer/performers, and a popular annual two-day Blues & Jazz festival.
The Erie Art Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free for members, free on Wednesdays, $4 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students and $2 for children under 12.
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Each year for the exhibit, the Erie Art Museum forges a unique partnership with three local middle schools representing rural, urban and suburban populations. The end result culminates in an exhibit curated by, designed by, and featuring the collections of middle school students. After an extensive training at the Erie Art Museum, the teachers are charged with helping their students create an exhibit drawing from their collections. The school exhibits are then professionally installed at the Museum for the community to enjoy. Schools are given plenty of freedom to decide just what kinds of collections and the theme they’ll employ.
"The idea for the project came from two simple facts," states Kelly Armor, the Museum's Education Director. "A museum is basically a place that presents interesting stuff in an educational context. Middle school students are voracious collectors. Most of us know a twelve-year old whose bedroom is a stockpile of American cultural artifacts. If we can get them to think about their stuff from an intellectual perspective, we can spark a lifelong interest in learning and museum-going!"
Students from Irving Elementary, St George School and Warren School District conceived of and built the current exhibit on view through March 28. Each school's collection encompasses an unique theme: Irving students have explored travel, St. George has amassed a vast collection of currency from around the globe and Warren students’ collection examines both the historical and contemporary artifacts of their region. The exhibit features an interactive fortune cookie station, a station to mint your own currency and a map charting visitor's dream destinations.
Previous Kids as Curators exhibits have addressed the ways that 13-year-olds cope with hard times, how patterns are integral to industrial design, and recreating a local woodland environment. Candice Kemp, an English teacher from General McLane, recalls her experience: “I believe real learning occurs when the situations we provide our students closely approach real life…. The Erie Art Museum provided a real life situation—to curate an exhibit for the public. Quite a daunting task for kids, but it was exactly what I was looking for…. In the fall, the staff gave my students a guided tour of the museum’s artifacts with a twist. My students were to view the museum from the curator’s point of view. How insightful. Let the students discover the process, and discover they did. On the bus ride back to school the air was filled with ideas of collecting, presenting, and constructing.”
Students, after seeing their exhibits in the Museum, wrote, “It left my heart beat pounding and left myself in awe. Not only was my school exhibit awesome but the other schools’ were too.” “I thought it was really neat to see how regular kids like myself would be able to make something so professional.” “It’s a bit harder than it looks, it takes a lot of effort, ideas and thoughts.” This year’s partners are students from the Warren County School District’s gifted program, Erie’s Irving Elementary after-school program, and St. George School. These three groups of students represent a real diversity of viewpoints, and visitors can expect this year’s exhibit, like those of previous years, to be lively, engaging, humorous and interactive.
The exhibit is on view February 12 - March 28, 2010 in the Second Floor Gallery. A free public opening reception will be held during Gallery Night, Friday, March 12, 2010 from 7–10 p.m.
This project is supported by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, and corporate sponsorship from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.
About the Erie Art Museum
The Erie Art Museum anchors downtown Erie’s cultural and economic revitalization, occupying a group of restored mid-19th century commercial buildings, including an outstanding 1839 Greek Revival Bank. It maintains an ambitious program of 15 to 18 changing exhibitions annually, embracing a wide range of subjects, both historical and contemporary and including folk art, contemporary craft, multi-disciplinary installations, community-based work, as well at traditional media.
The Erie Art Museum also holds a collection of over 6,000 objects, which includes significant works in American ceramics, Tibetan painting, Indian bronzes, contemporary baskets, and a variety of other categories.
The Museum offers a wide range of education programs and artists’ services including interdisciplinary and interactive school tours and a wide variety of classes for the community. Performing arts are showcased in the 24-year-old Contemporary Music Series, which represents national and international performers of serious music with an emphasis on composer/performers, and a popular annual two-day Blues & Jazz festival.
The Erie Art Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free for members, free on Wednesdays, $4 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students and $2 for children under 12.
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Contact
Erie Art Museum
Carolyn Eller
814-459-5477
erieartmuseum.org
Carolyn Eller
814-459-5477
erieartmuseum.org
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