Washington, D.C. – Forty fourth grade students’ individual artists’ books will be on view in the Educational Gallery from June 12 through Nov. 5, in Bridging Communities: On the Move, at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA). In its eighth year, the Bridging Communities program is a joint venture between two elementary schools and artists and authors. The program introduced the fourth graders to different artists and writers through workshops where new skills were developed.
Mieke Fay, NMWA manager of youth programs, notes, “Bridging Communities meets a variety of school curriculum standards and actively engages students in the learning process. Teachers have reported that, among other results of this project, students have improved their communication and critical thinking skills and viewed long-term projects more favorably.”
During this year-long partnership the students interacted with several professional artists, authors and illustrators through classroom visits. Each workshop introduced the students to a new and useful skill. The children learned about homemade paper making, different illustration techniques and how to plan a storyboard. All the students visited the museum to view artists’ books and gain perspective on the creation process. The final products are handmade artists’ books created by the fourth graders.,/P>
Bridging Communities enables elementary school students to develop their visual and language arts skills. Through workshops with these adult mentors, children learn the process and steps involved in constructing a book and are now able to express themselves creatively. Programs such as Bridging Communities also allow children to develop problem solving skills, visual literacy and communication abilities between students. Studies have shown that education through the arts ultimately expands the creative nature of children and impacts their entire learning process.
The two institutions involved this year are Claremont Immersion Elementary School and Oyster Bilingual Elementary School. The books’ themes are supported by the schools’ curriculums. Oyster school children developed books focusing on journeys and the Claremont students concentrated on topics involving motivation. The 40 books range in size, color and material used. The students participating in the program come from Spanish speaking backgrounds. Several of their books contain text in both Spanish and English.
The Claremont Immersion School, located on 4700 S. Chesterfield Rd. in Arlington, Va. contains one teacher in each classroom. The day is divided according to when the students learn Spanish and English. Oyster Bilingual Elementary School located on 2801 Calvert St., NW maintains two teachers in each classroom, one teaching Spanish and the other English.
The exhibition is organized by NMWA and the program is implemented by Mieke Fay, manager of youth programs. The workshops were directed by visiting artists and authors Carol Barton, Adjoa Burrowes, Amanda Degener and Joy Jones.
The presentation of Bridging Communities: On the Move at NMWA is made possible through the generous support of Citigroup Foundation and the Leo Rosner Foundation.
Admission to the museum from June 30–Sept. 24, will be $8 for adults, $6 for students and visitors 60 and over, and free for NMWA members and youth 18 and under. Admission to the museum from Sept. 25–Nov. 5, will be $5 for adults, and $3 for students and visitors 60 and over, and free for NMWA members and youth 18 and under. Free Community Days are the first Sunday and Wednesday of each month.
About the National Museum of Women in the Arts
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), founded in 1981 and opened in 1987, is the only museum dedicated solely to celebrating the achievements of women in the visual, performing and literary arts. The museum’s permanent collection features 3,000 works from the 16th century to the present created by more than 800 artists; including Mary Cassatt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Frida Kahlo, Lee Krasner and Louise Bourgeois, along with special collections of 18th-century silver tableware and botanical prints. The museum also conducts multidisciplinary programs for diverse audiences and maintains a Library and Research Center which is accessible to the public. NMWA is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C., in a landmark building near the White House. It is open Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday, noon–5 p.m. For information, call 202-783-5000 or visit the museum’s Web site at www.nmwa.org.
