Studio Museum in Harlem
Reaches Out
by Sybil Maimin
Among the
many exciting initiatives created by the Studio Museum in
Harlem (SMH) to further its mission of interacting with the
community and making art accessible to all, is “Expanding the Walls” (ETW).
A unique intergenerational program, ETW brings youth, seniors,
and families together around the art of James VanDerZee,
the famed photographer whose extensive and important work
in the Museum's collections records a rich and vibrant Harlem
during the first half of the twentieth century. The youth
component of ETW is intensive and comprehensive. During an
eight-month (January through August) period, about 15 high
school students meet with SMH curators, educators, artists-in-residence,
and guest speakers to learn about art, museums, photography,
American history and culture, community and identity, and
communication and leadership skills. Their commitment to
the project is seven hours a week during the school year
and twenty hours a week during the summer. Photography plays
a major role. Elderly residents of local senior centers meet
with the youth and share their experiences using the VanDerZee
images as jumping off points for their own stories of life
in the community. The Museum provides special visiting days
for seniors and during the summer ETW youth serve as their
guides. SMH also believes parents and children can bond over
art and offers various hands-on art-making activities for families
as well as interactive tours of the VanDerZee and other museum
exhibits and walks in the Harlem neighborhood. Some of the
tours are led by ETW youth. The Museum reaches out to its membership,
community organizations and schools for participants in these
programs.
Expanding the Walls began in 2001 and grew out
of a desire, shared by many museums, to reach beyond the traditional
museum visitor. SMH, in particular, felt a need to develop
relationships with the youth, seniors and families in its Harlem
neighborhood, especially long-time residents, and determined
that interactive, non-traditional programs would best accomplish
this goal. The renowned VanDerZee photo archive has proven
to be an ideal catalyst for the bringing together of generations
and for discussions of art, history, culture, and social movements.#
The Studio Museum in Harlem is at 144 West 125th Street.
Telephone is (212) 864-4500.
