Guggenheim
Opens Sackler Center for Arts Education
By
Marie Holmes
The
Guggenheim has undergone a number of renovations recently, and
they go beyond the black paint which now covers the museum’s ramps.
Beneath the dramatic lighting and the monumental Baroque altarpiece
in the rotunda–a highlight of the recently-opened Brazil: Body
and Soul exhibition–the museum has installed the facilities
that comprise the Sackler Center for Arts Education.
The Center opened its doors earlier this month, launching a new
stage in arts education programming at the Guggenheim. Designed
to “provide innovative learning experiences” and “meaningful encounters
with the museum’s collections and exhibitions as well as modern
and contemporary art in general,” the Center’s facilities include
two multimedia labs, a studio arts lab, an exhibition space, the
New Media Theater and the existing Peter B. Lewis Theater. In
addition, a state-of-the-art Resource Center will provide a wealth
of materials relating to the museum’s holdings and modern and
contemporary art in general. Teachers searching for ways to incorporate
art into their classrooms will find curriculum guides, slide and
poster-sets, audiovisual materials, and the help of the museum’s
education staff.
The Center will soon launch a new “Tour and Workshop” program,
designed for grades 3-12. Students will visit an exhibit and then
use either technology or traditional studio materials in the workshop,
allowing for an extended and more meaningful museum experience
that incorporates different learning styles.
In conjunction with the current Brazil: Body and Soul exhibition,
Sackler Artist in-Residence Regina Silviera will work with New
York City teachers on a project entitled To Be Continued .
. . (Latin American Puzzle), which will explore stereotypes
and preconceptions about Latin America.
With the wide array of programming that will take place in the
Sackler Center, from lectures for graduate students to film screenings
for children, the museum hopes to reach diverse communities. “Sometimes,”
adds Kanatani, “a program can lead to introducing new audiences
to the Guggenheim and to art.”
“We
hope that the Sackler Center will become a model for museums worldwide
to redefine their public role as institutes for learning,” says
Kathe A. Sackler, M.D., whose family provided the founding gift
for the Center.
A variety of events for students, teachers, and the general public
are scheduled in conjunction with Brazil: Body and Soul,
on display until January 27, 2002, as well as the opening of the
Sackler Center. For more information about programs and events
at the Sackler Center, including open houses for educators, call
(212) 360-4334, or go to www.guggenheim.org.
Education Update, Inc., P.O. Box 20005, New York, NY 10001. Tel:
(212) 481-5519. Fax: (212) 481-3919. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of
the publisher. © 2001.
|