Press Releases & Statements

Beginning November 5, 2018, the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) will present an exhibition of works by children from across the country, produced as a part of their participation in art education programs organized collaboratively by art museums and their local schools or youth programs. More than 10 AAMD member museums participated in the program, which is supported by the Department of Education; this the fourth such exhibition organized by the Association to be presented at the Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The exhibition will run through January 2, 2019.

The art museums that participated in the program are:

• Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA
• Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AK
• Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN
• Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
• Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Boston, Boston, MA
• Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ
• Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC
• Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum, Providence, RI
• San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA
• Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
• Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT

To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, AAMD and the Department of Education will co-host a panel discussion on research into museum education on November 15, that will also include discussion of recent research projects conducted at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and by the National Arts Education Association. Participants in the panel include: Barbara Bassett, The Constance Williams Curator of Education, School & Teacher Programs, Philadelphia Museum of Art; Madeleine Grynsztejn, Pritzker Director, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and President, Association of Art Museum Directors; and Brian Kisida, Assistant Professor, Truman School of Public Affairs, University of Missouri. The panel will be moderated by Melissa Menzer, Program Analyst, Research & Analysis, National Endowment for the Arts.

“Study after study has demonstrated that art and art museums provide powerful opportunities for education, with sustained benefits to children’s capacity for learning and thinking,” said Christine Anagnos, Executive Director of AAMD. “We are excited to present this exhibition, just one visible result from our successful, ongoing partnership with the Department of Education. This exhibition is an opportunity to showcase the many ways in which AAMD member museums are engaging with students and their teachers, and having a lasting impact on K-12 education in communities across the country.”

The exhibition is open to the public by appointment. Those wishing to attend should contact Jackye Zimmermann at the Department of Education, at Jacquelyn.zimmermann@ed.gov.

About AAMD

The Association of Art Museum Directors advances the profession by cultivating leadership capabilities of directors, advocating for the field, and fostering excellence in art museums. An agile, issues-driven organization, AAMD fosters engagement, leadership, and shared learning. Further information about AAMD’s professional practice guidelines and position papers is available at www.aamd.org.