Museum Introduces New, Free Program to Engage Youth Visitor Experience
Denver, CO –March 27, 2014– The Clyfford Still Museum announced today the inStill Gallery Experiences, complimentary for schools and education facilities. The inStill Gallery Experiences are thematically integrated, standards aligned, interactive, immersive museum visits for school-aged children unique to a single artist museum.
In order to best serve the needs of a diverse community and demands on funds in Colorado K-12 schools, inStill Gallery Experiences are free to all schools, regardless of school type. Combining the best of contemporary classroom practice with the best of museum education techniques in a “workshop model” lesson versus a standard “tour,” the instill Gallery experiences take a new approach to school visits to museums by transforming the Museum’s galleries into a classroom.
“The Clyfford Still Museum aimed to design an interactive yet meaningful education program to provide an experience that might inspire, or perhaps even instill, a love of art and learning that will bring students and teachers back to the Museum for years to come,” said Victoria Eastburn, Director of Education and Programs, Clyfford Still Museum. “One of the most compelling elements of inStill is that students will do most of the talking and the Museum’s professional team of gallery teachers facilitates hands-on, standards-aligned lessons right in the gallery setting.”
Not just an art experience, inStill integrates art, literacy, and humanities and is offered to students in grades four through 12. inStill Gallery Experiences are 90 minutes long and occur each weekday morning at the Museum. Students are gathered in small groups of 5-7 students per each professional CSM Gallery Teacher to ensure specialized attention and focused learning. In order to ensure best practice, meaningful learning, and high-quality, CSM gallery teachers are paid, professional staff that are experienced in K-12 education—many of whom possess professional teaching licenses, as well.
Students participate in a combination of deep looking, inquiry, writing, and discussion and hands-on activities and instruction are used to support student learning and address various types of learners. The inStill approach is designed to facilitate student interaction and engagement to build relevant—and transferrable—21st century skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication. inStill lessons relate to Colorado and National academic standards in multiple areas, so teachers can plan a visit to the Museum even if their focus is on literacy or social studies.
Three “enduring understandings” guide the inStill curriculum: Art Language; Artistic Vision and Voice; and Art as a Reflection of Human Concerns. Teachers may choose from multiple lesson topics including, World War II and Abstract Expressionism; Historical Focus: The Great Depression; Making Connections: Art and the World Around Us; Making Meaning: Questioning; and Choices Artists Make. These topics utilize essential questions to explore the enduring understanding which, not only relates to the art of Clyfford Still, but also to big ideas and concepts relevant to critical exploration of art and humanities in general. To ensure success, learning, and relevance, inStill Gallery Experiences are evaluated by outside professional evaluation staff and teaching professionals on an ongoing basis.
The Clyfford Still Museum offers a suite of public programs including lectures, films, productions, concerts, and gallery talks to support and engage visitors’ understanding about the work of Clyfford Still, his life, and his significance to modern and contemporary art. Our program seeks to expand understanding of the work of Clyfford Still, involve the community in interpretation, and create multiple interdisciplinary ties to our subject matter to increase relevance to the community at large. The Museum’s numerous program partnerships help us extend to new audiences and combine efforts with the Denver cultural community.
All school visits require scheduling. Students who attend inStill receive one free family pass to bring their family back to the Museum. Limited funds are available for buses and transportation and interested schools should contact the Museum’s Education department for more information at 720.354.4876. Please visit www.clyffordstillmuseum.org for a complete list of upcoming programs and events.
About The Clyfford Still Museum
The Clyfford Still Museum was founded to promote public and scholarly understanding of the late artist’s work and legacy, through the presentation and preservation of the Clyfford Still and Patricia Still estates, donated to the City of Denver in 2004 and 2005 respectively, and totaling approximately 2,400 artworks. Considered one of the most important painters of the twentieth century, Still (1904 – 1980) was among the first generation of Abstract Expressionist artists who developed a new, powerful approach to painting in the years immediately following World War II. The Stills’ estates—now understood to contain nearly 95 percent of the artist’s total output—as well as his extensive archives, were sealed off from the public from 1980 to 2011.
The museum is in the heart of the city’s Civic Center Cultural Complex. For more information about the Clyfford Still Museum, please visit www.clyffordstillmuseum.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.