Yale Center for British Art launches new educational programs
The Yale Center for British Art has launched three education programs to offer visitors new and unique ways to engage with, and learn from, the museum’s collection.
“Exploring Artism,” piloted by the center’s education department last spring, is a monthly program for children ages 5 to 10 years who are on the autism spectrum. The program — designed in consultation with the Yale Child Study Center — provides children and families with an opportunity to explore the art in the center’s galleries.
“The program provides a fun way for the children and their parents, siblings, and other relatives to experience the collection in a welcoming and inclusive learning environment,” say the organizers. “Exploring Artism” will be offered monthly 10:30 a.m.-noon on Sept. 22, Oct. 20, Nov. 17, and Dec. 15. Attendance is free, but registration is required.
Debuting on Thursday, Sept. 27, at 12:30 p.m., “Art Circles” is a 30-minute “conversation” that will focus on one object not typically explored in the collection. Participants will bring their own experiences to the conversation, thereby deepening their own and others’ engagement with the art, note the organizers. The object under discussion will be different for each session. Additional meetings of “Art Circles” will take place on Oct. 11, Oct. 25, and Nov. 8.
Two workshops for adults and teachers will complement and enhance the center’s exhibition “Caro: Close Up,” featuring works by the acclaimed British sculptor Sir Anthony Caro. On Saturday, Sept. 29, “Study Trip to Storm King Art Center: Teaching in Three Dimensions” will explore strategies and methods of teaching visual literacy through sculpture. Participants of “It’s Like Sewing (but with Electricity and Metal),” offered on Saturday, Nov. 10, will learn the processes of fabrication and the welding of steel to create sculptural designs.
“We hope that these new programs will both broaden our outreach to new audiences and demonstrate the variety of ways learning and self-discovery can take place in the museum setting,” said Linda Friedlander, curator of education at the center.
