EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS | EDUCATIONAL TOURS

Harwood Educational Programs
One of the Harwood Museum of Art's main goals is to introduce and to make accessible the collection and special exhibitions to our entire community, young and old. Since our reopening in 1997, the Harwood has introduced thousands of children to the Museum. We have also established a series of innovative, free, regular art programs for children and families, and have provided outreach into our local schools. We believe introducing children to art at an early age provides countless benefits - encouraging creativity, building links to our histories and cultures, while also allowing for fun and experimentation.

Current Kids' Programs include
Saturday Arts for Kids - designed for kids of all ages, this free one-and-a-half hour program examines different areas of the Museum's collection or special exhibitions with a fun focused tour followed by a hands-on art project. This class is taught by the Museum educator with special sessions by local artists. Please check the calendar for more details.

Art & Movement: Yoga Beginnings for Kids - a free Saturday program featuring a one hour kid-friendly yoga class in the Agnes Martin Gallery followed by an art project related to different themes. This class is taught by certified yoga instructor Jayne Schell along with the Museum educator. Please check the calendar for more details.

Home school @ the Harwood - The Harwood offers two programs for home-school families held monthly from September thru May. Homeschool Group I is designed for children ages 3-8 and held the first Monday of each month from 10-11:30. And for children 9 & up, Homeschool Group II meets the first Wednesday of the month from 1-2:30. Both programs seek to make children comfortable with learning in the Museum environment and reinforce the belief that looking at and making art is a process of discovery. Please check calendar for more details.

Art Explorations Workshops
A four part workshop scheduled during June & July - an introduction to different materials and methods using the Museum and its collection as inspiration. Two sessions offered for different age groups.

Wednesday a.m. (art play in Museums) - a free preschool program developed in collaboration with the Museum Association of Taos (MAT) featuring a story and art activity. This program takes place on a rotating schedule at different MAT sites every Wednesday throughout the year.

Visiting Art Workshops
The Harwood Museum hosts visiting artist residencies at the museum throughout the year. We encourage these artists to teach special workshops based in their area of expertise. These free workshops are complemented by a visit to the artist's studio on site at the Harwood Museum - check out the calendar for details

Adult Programs
We also offer regular programs for adults including our lecture series, as well as special art history programs such as American Art Pre-Modern to Post Modern an 8-part class offered each winter chronicling the history of American Art from the 1700's to 1960s, and other focused art history classes offered throughout the year. The adult docent program is designed to teach people about the collection - trainings are offered throughout the year. Docents provide tours to adult and school groups throughout the year. Docents can also work with the Museum educator on special kids' programs. Other specialized adult classes and workshops are scheduled throughout the year - check out the calendar for details.

Finally, the Harwood Museum of Art offers the discovery corner, a permanent feature of the Museum located within our facility. This area is designed for kids and adults with activities and books as well as a computer with cd-roms. The discovery corner provides a space to learn more about the Harwood collection as well as other themes in art history.

School Educational Tours
The Harwood Museum of Art feels strongly that all educational programs can be fun - we encourage looking, the expression of ideas and creativity. Our docents/guides are trained not to lecture, but rather to involve students of all ages in experiencing art in all of its wondrous forms.

Educational Tours of the Harwood Museum of Art are offered for school and adult groups. Please call Lucy Perera-Adams 505/758-9826 ext 105 to schedule a visit.

The Harwood Museum School Tour Education program
Develops imaginative, critical and reflective thinking, as well as problem-solving skills and incorporates an understanding of cultural and historical contexts.

Tours of the Harwood Museum of Art can be arranged to fit into your class' schedule and needs, however, we recommend setting aside 1.5 hours for your visit - approximately 45 minutes for the tour and 45 minutes for the art activity. We will work with your class size - if the group is large we will split the class in half and work with two docents. The Museum will open early to accommodate your schedule - however, tours are best received in the morning.

We offer a free art activity with all of our tours - this allows the children to actively create - a much needed component of the Museum experience. The art project takes place in the Museum galleries, and is developed in conjunction with a theme discussed during the tour (i.e. landscapes, portraits, religious art, realism vs. abstraction) or is designed around a special exhibition. All tours and art activities are designed to be age appropriate.

Tours Offered
General Tour - An introduction to the collection
This tour focuses on different themes - exploring the variety of artistic expression and how art is the physical manifestation of the human experience. This tour is conducted as an interactive dialogue between the docent and students. Students will learn about the history of the museum, its collection and key art historical concepts. The art activity is designed to complement the tour.

Specialized Lesson Tours The specialized tour is requested by a teacher who is studying something in particular. The Museum educator will work to develop a tour that fits the classes' needs. Examples: landscapes, portraits, realism, abstraction, Hispanic traditional art, prints & their makers, drawing, sculpture, plein air painting, recycled art, special exhibitions.

All our school tours are free. Please call with 2 week advance notice to schedule.

In addition to these tours, we will work with teachers to create tours that include multiple visits to the museum as well as outreach into your classroom.

Group Tours for adults
We offer one hour tours to tour groups which include a general tour of the collection and special exhibitions, as well as focused tours on different areas of the collection. Please call to learn more and/or schedule a docent. Tour group rate $6 per person.

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