SCHOOL BELL RINGS AT THE NEW CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
LAUNCH OF SCHOOL-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM TO SERVICE DOWNTOWN STUDENTS

Pilot Program Reinforces Commitment to Education

September 8 , 2008—San Diego, California—Since opening to the public on May 4, The New Children’s Museum has hosted more than 80 school tours and visits from non-profit educational groups, including local Boys and Girls Clubs. In addition to nearly 80,000 Museum visitors, these educational programs have provided an opportunity for 3,780 students to experience the Museum’s opening exhibition, childsplay, and hands-on studios. Visiting schools include public and private, as well as Title 1 schools, which receive free admission. In addition, many young artists have participated in a variety of arts-based camps and workshops for children of all ages, including ‘Felting Fun’, ‘The Paint Skate Experiment’, and ‘Turntablism 101’, while moms and toddlers have been enjoying weekly music and movement classes. A commitment to accessible learning experiences for all children is one of the cornerstone values of The New Children’s Museum (NCM) and a driving force in the launch of a new educational partnership planned for the new school year.

The New Children’s Museum announces the launch of a pilot School-in-Residence educational program that will provide hands-on, meaningful and guided projects to students from downtown San Diego. Beginning on September 22, fifty third-graders and their teachers from Washington Elementary will spend three weeks on-site at NCM, taking their regular classes in the Museum’s Arts Education Center (AEC). They will participate in a specially designed curriculum to enhance and encourage creativity, facilitated by NCM Studio Arts Director Alberto Caro. Goals of the program include building community within the school; encouraging students to examine objects in new ways and ask questions; promoting the art-making process and empowering students to view themselves as artists. Ultimately, the Museum’s School-in-Residence program will partner with schools from all over San Diego county.

In addition, students from Monarch School will participate in after-school arts enrichment programs throughout the year. They will spend one afternoon per week in the Museum, touring the exhibition, participating in studio programs. The Arts Education Center is equipped with six classroom spaces designed to accommodate arts projects in all media as well as a more traditional quiet classroom environment. The AEC also provides direct access to the Museum.

“We are committed to fostering creativity and providing innovative learning experiences through project based learning,” explained Rachel Teagle, the Museum’s Executive Director. “These unique partnerships with Washington Elementary and Monarch School are a continuation of our goal to be a cultural institution that serves as many children and students as we can. We’re especially proud to begin by responding to the needs of our downtown neighbors.”

Programs facilitated in the Arts Education Center, including the School-in-Residence program, help fill a gap in arts education left by cuts to school funding. “We are thrilled to be participating in this valuable program with The New Children’s Museum, which is providing much needed access to arts programming,” explained Janie Wardlow, Principal, Washington Elementary. “Our students would not otherwise be exposed to the visual arts or have these kinds of meaningful learning experiences.”

In addition to these unique school partnerships, NCM will continue to work with community partners, such as Boys and Girls Clubs and Voices for Children, to ensure that income is not a barrier to Museum access. The Museum will continue to form partnerships with downtown schools—as well as schools throughout the San Diego/Tijuana region—to develop bi-national programming and after-school activities. The accessibility of these programs is made possible, in part, through the generosity of Museum members at the Support Level ($1,500 and above).

ABOUT THE NEW CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
The New Children’s Museum is a dynamic new model of a museum that celebrates children and the visual arts. A non-profit institution funded by memberships and community support, the Museum empowers children to think, play and create with participatory exhibitions, hands-on studio opportunities, and in-depth classroom experiences.

The Museum has recently opened its beautiful new home, a state-of-the-art facility in downtown’s Marina district. Designed by San Diego architect Rob Wellington Quigley, the environmentally sustainable building is one of the first “green” museums in California. To learn more about Museum programs, or to become a Museum member, visit www.thinkplaycreate.org.