Case Study: The Whitney Museum of American Art

Programmes include the School Partnerships, which are long-term, multi-year partnerships with a small group of schools in the city. These partnerships have a focus on the entire school community; not just the students, but their families and school faculty too. A variety of activities are offered, such as guided visits, hands-on art making, family programmes, and professional development for teachers.

The partnerships specifically focus on deprived schools and are free of charge for ‘Title 1’ schools, which are those receiving funding meant to help students who are at high risk of falling behind academically. Schools with a high concentration of low-income students receive government funding for goals such as improving the curriculum, instructional activities, and parental involvement. The Whitney also boasts the ‘Neighbourhood Friends’ initiative which aims to strengthen relationships between the museum and its diverse community through allowing neighbouring schools to take full advantage of their local museum. The initiative offers nearby schools priority booking for guided visits, invitations to special family and teen programmes at the museum, opportunities for customised professional development workshops for teachers, and invites to special events.

Another programme on offer is the ‘Teacher Exchange’, aiming to enable museum educators and school teachers to learn from one another in a year-long programme. This encompasses monthly meetings at the museum, allowing teachers and museum educators to engage in conversation with one another and brainstorm ideas for curricular connections. There are also opportunities to hear from curators, engage in discussions with artists, and to get hands-on and make some art.