Montclair Art Museum Receives Program Support from the Montclair Foundation

MONTCLAIR, N.J. - July 19, 2017 - PRLog -- The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) is grateful to The Montclair Foundation for its generous program support of ArtLink, a longstanding partnership between MAM and the Montclair Board of Education that invites students in grades 2 and 3 to explore the Museum and make connections to classroom themes, including storytelling and science.

ArtLink is a dynamic, integrative program linking Montclair students and teachers to the Museum. First, a MAM educator introduces relevant themes and art vocabulary in a pre-visit to the classroom, complemented by a comprehensive curriculum packet for further exploration. Then, students partake in a guided tour and inquiry-based conversation at the Museum, followed by a studio workshop where the children respond creatively to their experience. A staff development workshop at MAM for both classroom and art teachers further encourages the practice of making cross-curricular connections.

ArtLink is aligned with Common Core Standards as well as the goals laid out by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, which promote literacy and evidential reasoning, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. It also makes direct connections to the district's ELA and Science curricula. For example, in the Storytelling unit, 2nd graders scour MAM's galleries for images with rich narrative content and analyze them during discussions that encourage students to decode the story and support their interpretations with visual evidence. They then weave their own tales, in word and image. Additionally, MAM's fall exhibition Charles E. Burchfield: Weather Event will have a direct correlation to 3rd grade students' study of water, climate, and the weather.

"Through ArtLink, the Museum is encouraging teachers to foster learning through art and to utilize MAM as a vibrant community resource that can help them achieve their teaching goals," said Petra Pankow, director of education. "The program ensures that each Montclair Public School student is exposed to the Museum before reaching Middle School and instills children with a sense of ownership of their own learning—and of this cultural institution in their own backyard." Studies show that early exposure to museums fosters curiosity and a lifelong appreciation for learning. The immersive educational environment of a museum caters to a wide range of different learners by providing open-ended visual, kinesthetic, and emotional experiences as a complement to more traditional classroom learning.

The Montclair Foundation was established to support not-for-profit organizations that meet health, educational, cultural, social service and quality of life needs in the greater Montclair community. It offers concerned citizens a way to assure the continuing vitality of Montclair and serves as a permanent conduit for charitable giving.