The Parrish Art Museum blazed a trail this year in education, with courses for teachers that will boost the teaching of art across the board. For its efforts, the Water Mill museum has been recognized by the New York State Art Teachers Association.
During a virtual ceremony at the agency's This Is Art 2020 conference on Nov. 20, the Parrish received the association's Special Citation Business/Institute Award.
"One art teacher who was on our education committee came to me with the idea of holding courses for teachers," said Cara Conklin-Wingfield, the museum's education director. "We created a series of programs for teachers for their own enrichment, since most of them are artists, and then we focused on resources that they can use in the classroom."
Lee Harned, a retired art teacher from the Mattituck-Cutchogue School District and member of the Parrish's education committee, nominated the museum for the award. In her statement, Ms. Harned praised the museum's commitment to supporting art teachers, its annual student exhibition, weekly art classes, summer art camps, weekend family art workshops, and Ms. Conklin-Wingfield's commitment to professional development.
"In the education department we try to make our work visitor-centered, which is why it's great when we have partnerships, so we can learn how the museum and its resources can be more useful," Ms. Conklin-Wingfield said.
In addition to the series of professional development programs for regional educators, the museum collaborated with six public school teachers through the program Art + Language. The curriculum, designed to enhance visual art, critical thinking, and language skills, helped 305 students.
The museum was also able to connect with 375 students from seven schools in its annual artist-in-residence program, featuring such artists as Irina Alimanestianu, Scott Bluedorn, and Bastienne Schmidt. The student exhibition is a 60-year tradition at the Parrish, which also sponsors an after-school program of weekly workshops at the Retreat and the Southampton Youth Association.
Other initiatives include Access Parrish, which provides visual art experiences for youths and adults with special needs, as well as people with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. During its fourth year, that program reached more than 1,350 individuals. Another program is Art in Corrections at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, with teaching artists including Ms. Schmidt, Monica Banks, Jeremy Dennis, Eric Dever, Laurie Lambrecht, and Barbara Thomas.
More information about the museum's programs can be found online at parrishart.org.