Art Education Facilitator at the Museum of Biblical Art

Interning at two different places this summer has kept me extremely busy.  The responsibilities were varied at each location--Museum of Biblical Art, Dallas, TX.  Highlighted are some of the things I did at the MBA.

At the Museum of Biblical Art the role of Art Education Facilitator provided opportunities for me to teach in the museum environment.  The objective was to teach the entire staff about Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), Thinking Routines, and to encourage the staff to use their new skills in the museum.  The MBA staff learned about VTS in an informal learning environment and then observed how to teach in the gallery setting.  I presented the basic information about VTS and the types of questions to use, such as, "What going on in this painting?", "What makes you say that?"  and "What else do you see?"  The teaching started in the conference room and moved quickly into a nearby gallery to demonstrate VTS questions in front of an Alvar painting.

Because the painting was installed the previous week not much was known about the background of the painting.  The painting received the name "Christ Teaching On the Steps of the Temple".  I did do my research about the artist Sunol Alvar prior to teaching in the gallery.  "Alvar Sunol Munoz-Ramos was born on January 29, 1935, in Montgat, a Catalan fishing village on the Mediterranean coast near Barcelona.  Alvar started painting oils at age twelve and at age seventeen was accepted at the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes de San Jorge,  the prestigious fine art school in Barcelona.  His first solo exhibition was at Galleries Layetana in Barcelona in 1957." http://www.marymartinart.com/images/Alvar.pdf

Here is an example of one of his smaller works of art.  Coming soon to the Museum of Biblical Art--Sunol Alvar's paintings.

Concierto De Fluta by Sunol Alvar

Teaching in front of a magnificent painting in the gallery space was my favorite way to teach all audiences.  The art educator to audience ratio 20:1.  The audience consisted of support staff for the galleries and exhibitions, weddings and rentals, curator, executive director, conservator and interns.

Marseille Moon teaching in the Southwest Colonnade, MBA.

CJ leading a home school group tour.

I listened to CJ's tour dialogue and took photographs during a tour for home school students.  I was able to grasp different ways of talking about Biblical art.  Children and adults alike asked and answered questions about the works of art in the various galleries.  

Sculpture Atrium

Lauren Tollett teaching in the Sculpture Atrium at MBA.

There was much excitement as students participated in a scavenger hunt in the Mattie Caruthe Byrd Gallery where the Resurrection of the Christ mural consumes the room with authority.  

 Resurrection of the Christ

Biblical Scavenger Hunt

The children and their parents learned a lot about contemporary Biblical works of art.  One parent asked me if Jesus was wearing a Robe of Many Colors or was it Joseph with a halo of light and a dove above his head.  Knowing your Bible stories (which some of the children did) helped to find the answers quickly on the scavenger hunt.

The Museum of Biblical Art educational programs offered year around include:  Summer Art Camp for Kids, Heroes of History, Art Classes and Internships.  These programs are supported by the 8"x8" Art Exhibition and Auction and other fundraising activities of the MBA.

More to follow about Thinking Routines at the MBA, and interning at GDAC.