Professional Development Programs for Educators

How can artwork provide opportunities for engaging (and measurable!) assessment?

Supporting deep understanding—not just building knowledge—provides students with transferable, meaningful learning. Collaborate with education colleagues to explore how artwork and micro-assignments can provide teachers with formative assessments along students’ learning pathways

Free | Registration required via Eventbrite | Meet in G Street Lobby

How might students explore place and time to imagine a brighter future?

How might students explore place and time to imagine a new future?

"This Present Moment" marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Renwick Gallery. The works on display capture the challenges of today, from environmental crises to poor labor conditions and more, and inspire dreams about a path forward. What open-ended problems do these works prompt us to consider? What data is needed to understand and solve these issues? What procedure or algorithm might help us create positive change? Let’s apply computational thinking to craft!

Online program. A Zoom link and a list of suggested materials will be sent to registered participants 24–48 hours in advance of the workshop.

If we are made of stories, how might artwork support students as they write about their own lives?

We are the embodiment of our experiences. Drawing from SAAM’s collection of self-taught artists, peel back the layers to discover unique perspectives and experiences. First, consider how your own storytelling might be a powerful tool in your classroom. Then, plan for how your students might use narrative writing to explore the influences that have shaped them.

Free | Registration required via Eventbrite | Meet in G Street Lobby

How can movement help us identify gaps in understanding and express new learning creatively?

By embodying a process, students can think more deeply and expansively, uncover gaps in their knowledge, and teach others through their performances. Explore artworks to exercise analytical skills and spark ideas, then work in small groups to creatively express new understandings. Bring your cell phone to make a mini movie with your colleagues!

Free | Registration required via Eventbrite | Meet in G Street Lobby

How might we extend our thinking about the past by exploring sources from the present?

“The American West” has always been a place of multiple stories, experiences, and cultures. Examine works from this traveling exhibition to consider how the telling of history can be expanded through modern and contemporary art.

Online program. A Zoom link and a list of suggested materials will be sent to registered participants 24–48 hours in advance of the workshop.

Free | Registration required via Eventbrite

How can artwork help us exercise our interpersonal skills?

People are all different. Our bodies, families, beliefs, abilities, and experiences vary, sometimes making communication difficult. Artwork can often communicate what we do not have the words for across cultures and differences. In this virtual workshop, practice multiple approaches and gain new resources for building mutual understanding and connecting with others.

Online program. A Zoom link and a list of suggested materials will be sent to registered participants 24–48 hours in advance of the workshop.

Join a rich conversation with aerospace engineer Janelle Wellons and horticulturist Abra Lee, as they reflect on artist Alma Thomas’s legacy as a STEAM trailblazer. Wellons shares insights on how visual images and inquiry can unlock the mysteries of the cosmos, while Lee unearths the histories of Black gardeners. Together, these reflections provide an in-depth understanding of Thomas’s cultural impact and the ways in which her work continues to inspire adults and students alike.