A photograph of Phoebe Hillemann

Phoebe Hillemann

Teacher Institutes Educator

Museum educator who manages SAAM’s national summer teacher institutes.

Blog Posts

  • Detail of quilted portrait showing three African American soldiers
    Unpacking the Stories Behind Artist Bisa Butler’s Portrayal of the Harlem Hellfighters
    Tips for teaching the layered World War I history of the 369th Infantry Regiment on their return from France
  • Marian Anderson and symbols that surround her life
    Discovering William H. Johnson’s Hidden Stories
    SAAM educator Phoebe Hillemann reflects on creating resources to spark curiosity for learners of all ages who view William H. Johnson’s Fighters for Freedom series
  • Detail of a quilt featuring images of Martin Luther King Jr.
    Teaching a More Complete Picture of MLK
    While Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was a pivotal moment in U.S. history, there’s more to his life and legacy than that single story. Smithsonian educators share approaches to expand classroom lessons and student understanding of this great civil rights leader.
  • A photograph of six different artworks on postcards.
    Representation Matters: Bringing Women’s Stories Into the Classroom Through American Art and Portraiture
    A collaboration between SAAM and NPG illuminates the lives and works of women artists in our collections.
  • A photo of a group of museum visitors at the first ASL Happy Hour
    Wine and Sign at ASL After Five
    The second ASL After Five happy hour event for the D.C. area’s Deaf community will take place on May 31, 2019
  • Media - 1986.65.174 - SAAM-1986.65.174_1 - 83090
    Back to School with SAAM
    While many of us are planning one last beach getaway, teachers and students in several places around the country have already headed back to the classroom. You might be surprised, however, to hear some of the ways artworks in SAAM’s collection will be showing up with them!
  • This is a black and white photo taken in 1978 of the docents at SAAM.
    SAAM’s Docents Celebrate 50 Years of Artful Conversations
    The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s own corps of volunteer docents has an illustrious history of creating eye-opening experiences for visitors, and this year marks their 50th anniversary.
  • The Renwick's New Art Cart and builders Tessa Berry, Jim Baxter, and Layla Saad.
    The Renwick’s New Touch Cart is a Work of Art
    Being invited to touch objects in a museum is a rare and thrilling experience. Renwick visitors will now have the opportunity to explore tactile connections thanks to a new mobile touch cart.
  • Teacher Institute
    What Can Teachers Learn from Thinking like an Artist?
    For many of us who don’t consider ourselves artists, being asked to draw on the spot can be a scary proposition. And what if you were then told you’d be doing it in front of a successful working artist? This June, teachers participating in SAAM's four-day summer institute, entitled Art, Inquiry, and Action, were asked to do just that in a hands-on workshop led by artist Manuel Acevedo. And what they took from it was both surprising and intriguing.
  • Splash Image - At SAAM, Deaf Guides Take the Lead With Art Signs
    At SAAM, Deaf Guides Take the Lead With Art Signs
    As Emily Blachly leads a group of adults in discussing a 19th-century landscape in SAAM’s galleries, several visitors passing through the second floor hallway pause with interest. Two people stop to join the conversation. This is not an unusual occurrence for anyone who gives tours at SAAM, but Blachly’s gallery talk is especially intriguing for a visitor to encounter — she was speaking with her hands.
  • Splash Image - A Healing Machine for the Elementary School Classroom
    A Healing Machine for the Elementary School Classroom
    If you have visited SAAM's folk and self-taught art galleries since they re-opened in October, you probably encountered Emery Blagdon's wondrous Healing Machine, an installation of individual paintings and found-material sculptures suspended from the ceiling. While many museum visitors are moved by The Healing Machine, Blagdon's work found a new life this winter in an elementary school about two miles from the SAAM.
  • Splash Image - Conversation Piece: Martin Puryear's Vessel
    Conversation Piece: Martin Puryear’s Vessel
    Each month, visitors to SAAM are invited to participate in a discussion-based program called Conversation Pieces. Spending an hour with a single work of contemporary art, participants engage in an open-ended experience of guided looking and discussion facilitated by Joanna Marsh, Senior Curator of Contemporary Interpretation.
  • Splash Image - Conversation Piece: Mark Bradford's Amendment #8
    Conversation Piece: Mark Bradford’s Amendment #8
    Each month, visitors to SAAM are invited to participate in a discussion-based program called Conversation Pieces. Spending an hour with a single work of contemporary art, participants engage in an open-ended experience of guided looking and discussion facilitated by Joanna Marsh, Senior Curator of Contemporary Interpretation.
  • Splash Image - Docents Look Back on 40+ Years at SAAM
    Docents Look Back on 40+ Years at SAAM
    Every day, SAAM's nearly 130 volunteer docents share their knowledge and love of American art with the public through highlights tours, school field trips, outreach, videoconferencing, and more. Eye Level sat down with two of our longest-serving docents, Phoebe Kline and Susanne Joyner, to hear their reflections on the ways the Museum has changed, highlights of its history, and what keeps them engaged.
  • Splash Image - Conversation Pieces: The Value of Dialogue in Art Museums
    Conversation Pieces: The Value of Dialogue in Art Museums
    Joanna Marsh, Senior Curator of Contemporary Interpretation, fills us in on the theory behind Conversation Pieces, a discussion-based public program that takes place monthly in SAAM's galleries.
  • Media - 1966.27.4 - SAAM-1966.27.4_1 - 77487
    Teaching the African American Experience through Art
    On October 13, the Smithsonian American Art Museum will host "Art and the African American Experience," an evening for teachers presented in celebration of the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Led by educators at SAAM, Teaching for Change, and the Anacostia Community Museum, participants will explore ways of thoughtfully addressing race and the African American experience through art in their teaching. The event is free with registration, and includes teaching resources and a standing reception.
  • Splash Image - Integrating Art in the Online Classroom
    Integrating Art in the Online Classroom
    Michael Hristakopoulos teaches high school social studies at a virtual school in Florida. This July, he participated in one of SAAM's summer teacher institutes, offered for English and social studies teachers interested in integrating American art into their curricula. This summer, 59 teachers from 22 states and Washington, D.C., participated in one of two week-long sessions. Michael fills us in on how he applied his experience here to his online teaching environment.
  • Splash Image - Art Museum Tours For Visitors Who Are Blind
    Art Museum Tours For Visitors Who Are Blind
    The best in-person encounters with artwork can engage us with compelling stories, challenge us with thought-provoking ideas, and inspire creativity. By looking deeply, visitors connect with art through what they see. But how does someone who is blind experience art in a museum? At SAAM, a team of volunteer docents have been specially trained to bring artwork to life for visitors who are blind.