education.rma2.orgEducation at the Rubin | look deeply | think deeply | feel deeply

← Older posts Rubinmuseum.org BlogPosted on April 29, 2015 by admin In February, the Rubin Museum launched its new website with a brand new look. All future posts related to the fantastic programs and experiences of the education department will now appear on the museum’s blog page . To stay up to date with the Education Department at the Rubin Museum and learn more about exhibitions, programs, events and resources, please visit us at www.rubinmuseum.org. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Rubinmuseum.org Blog Fall 2014 Partnership with PS 33Posted on February 4, 2015 by admin Fall 2014 Partnership with PS 33 By: Asya Gribov, Teaching Artist Asya with the Mandalas created by the Pre-K classes! For the second year in a row, I had the pleasure to teach the Thinking Through Art residencies at PS 33 in Chelsea. Teaching the cultures and traditions of the Himalayan region to students in Pre- K and Kindergarten classes, allows me to think deeper about creating multiple entry points into really big ideas. Together we are able to learn about different cultures, responsibilities and the interconnectedness of the world through exploring themes unique to the Himalayan traditions as well as relevant to our lives in New York. We began the year by learning about the Himalayan Mountains and the surrounding regions. The students then created their own mountainous landscapes; it was up to me to convey the magnitude of the landscape to students that might have never left the urban landscape of New York. Through embodied play, we pretended to scale the Himalayan Mountains as we gasped for oxygen, tried to keep warm and enjoyed the vistas of the region from the top (and some students helped us envisioned dragons perched at the peaks). Sharing our mountains! Looking closely at Thankas, found in the museum collection, we drew our own scrolls depicting our community while comparing our daily life to that of a child in Nepal. K students working hard on their scrolls! Some of the most meaningful moments for me were seeing the students make connections between the traditions we were discussing in class and their own lives. Yaks became our friends and we learned about the craft of felting from animal wool to make clothing necessary for the cold climates. Echoing the thoughts of many in the class, Lucas pointed out that our clothing come from a store and is easier to get.” Feeling all of the wool, getting ready to do some wet felting! Making museum pieces come to life is another one of my personal favorite parts of teaching. Having the unique ability to share art objects outside museum casing, allow the students to interact with the objects in ways not accessible by simply visiting the galleries. Whether it is creating wind to blow the wish flags around, listening to the Tibetan Singing Bowl, or smelling the incense depicted in the artworks, allows students to use their five senses to form a rich understanding and appreciation for learning about other cultures and new places at an early age. The students are able to hear the sound of the Tibetan Singing Bowl, likening the sound to a bell, and draw conclusions that it might be used for announcements or as Van pointed out, to help people focus.” In designing their own wish flags, students discussed the importance of putting time and decorations to make them special” and important as they make their own wishes. Hermaine wished for bunk beds; Ashton drew all 12 Transformers that he wished to get; Lexi wished to ride a unicorn over rainbows, and Raina’s wish came true when it snowed so much one-week. Looking at the prayer flags all together! The final product! Our very own wish flags! As the culmination of the Fall 2014 residency, the Pre-K and Kindergarten classes visited the galleries of the Rubin Museum, (also known to some students as the place where Asya lives) for art making and deeper exploration. Sharing our classroom experience with parents enables the learning to continue beyond the classroom. Students feel empowered to share their knowledge with their parents and continue these thoughtful conversations at home. A special thank you to Mrs. Lindy, Ms. Harvey, Ms. Burns, Ms. Scott, and Ms. Georgantonisas well as the classroom support teams and all of the parents of PS 33 who helped us make this such a positive experience! Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Fall 2014 Partnership with PS 33 Liberty High School- Inspired by Clemente- Inspired by IndiaPosted on January 30, 2015 by admin Liberty High School– Inspired by Clemente–Inspired by India My name is Ankita Mishra, and I have been a Teaching Artist here at the Rubin Museum through the Thinking Through Art (TTA) program for almost three years. What always strikes me at the close of a semester is not just the overwhelming sense of calm, pride, and exhaustion, but the knowledge that I have experienced something authentically new and refreshing. No matter how many classrooms and lessons I facilitate, not one is the same as the last. Exploring Clemente’s work together on the 6th floor I taught two residencies at the nearby Liberty Highschool for Newcomers on 18th Street between 7th and 8th aves. One was a standard residency on par with my previous Thinking Through Art experiences– that is, approximately 6 to 8 weeks long, with me visiting the classroom once a week. Alongside this I taught a shorter residency just three sessions long with a Health class. One of the beauties of the TTA Program for me is this interdisciplinary aspect, where Himalayan art from our collection gets a chance to connect to all subjects of study. For instance, Ms. Lei’s 10th grade Health class was a mix of students from all backgrounds: Haitian, Egyptian, Chinese, Dominican, and Pakistani, to name a few. Our project was to make amulets, filling them with healing spices and wishes for good health. Through this project we discussed the function and significance of a Mandala and focused on ways and goals to better oneself. This idea resonated with my students immensely. My favorite lessons with this class took place at the museum, seated in front of a mandala on the 5th floor. Students were given Mandala worksheets and asked to fill them in with drawings of what was healthy and what was not, placing themselves at the center of this Mandala. At the end of the workshop, we folded each mandala into a square, filling them with healing spices and wishes for the future, and then wrapped them with colored string. Some students even chose to make them into necklaces, and wore them proudly throughout the day. Working on our projects in the Education Center For Ms. Burd’s classroom, the project was slightly longer and more involved, lasting about 6 weeks. Their workshop was directly inspired by Francesco Clement e’s paintings and the billboard-style watercolor posters found in India. Again, the students were asked to take their personal life experiences and connect them to Clemente’s pieces. They responded well to the storytelling aspect of the workshop– the most special and compelling part about working with students from so many different backgrounds are their personal stories. What proved to be more challenging was taking their stories and translating them into visual symbols. Ms. Burd and I worked closely with the students to help them find a symbol that helped express what they wanted to relate to others. Because the students at Liberty vary in English literacy levels, the one-on-one approach proved to be extremely useful in this classroom. A student’s final project A student’s final project At the end of the workshop, Ms. Burd’s students all gathered at the Education Center during their class period to present their work formally. This chance to reflect and observe each student’s work is a feature of the longer residencies that I truly enjoy. This particular class, unlike some others that I’ve taught, was a bit more timid. They responded to lots of positive reinforcement from their peers (at...