by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
The Museum of Contemporary Art’s “Voice of the People” program, now in its third year, is an opportunity for children to gain an appreciation for art while providing an asset for the museum and its members and visitors.
With major funding via a grant from The Chartrand Foundation, the program brings fourth-grade students from S.P. Livingston Elementary School to the museum.
There, they experience MOCA’s permanent collection and featured exhibits, participate in hands-on activities and later produce an audio guide to enhance the museum experience for others.
Data collected from participants, teachers and an evaluation of students’ literacy levels indicates it’s a win-win effort.
The art is used as a catalyst for developing critical thinking, writing and verbal skills, said Elizabeth Kerns, MOCA associate director of education. By taking the educational experience out of the classroom and into the museum, the program engages students and provides a way for the museum to better reach the entire community.
“The students are very enthusiastic. Programs like this make literacy and learning more fun. Contemporary art can come with the view that it’s frivolous and doesn’t have much behind it,” said Kerns.
The program changes that. “We’re able to validate the art and what it contributes to people who aren’t art enthusiasts. That’s part of the museum’s mission, to bring art to the community,” she said.
Part of the process for the students is to study the art, write about it and record their observations to create an audio guide that’s available to museum visitors. It’s a guided tour from the viewpoint of a fourth-grader.
Kerns said what the students have discovered is less on the academic side of art and more experiential for them and for visitors who take the audio-guided tour.
“It’s more interpretive,” she said. “The average person spends about 2.7 seconds on each piece of art in an exhibit, so there’s only so much you can take in. It’s a different experience to listen to a child talk about a piece of art for 30-40 seconds.”
In addition to viewing the exhibits, students also spend time with art activities assisted by museum educators.
According to a report prepared by MOCA to evaluate the results of the program, all of the students who have participated in the program have shown “moderate to marked change” in all areas measured. Those areas include creative expression, critical thinking, writing, verbal skills and working cooperatively.
The program also offers the museum an opportunity to extend its impact into parts of the population that traditionally have been underserved in terms of participating in the arts.
“We’re bringing art to a segment of the community that might not otherwise take advantage of the museum’s resources,” said Kerns. “For so many of these kids, it’s their first time in the museum. Young people are the future supporters of arts in our community.”
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