MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS PARTNER IN CREATING GROUNDBREAKING EDUCATION CURRICULUM THAT WILL SERVE 7,000 NORTH MIAMI PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS ANNUALLY
The Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (MOCA) announces its groundbreaking new partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools for school-wide magnet programs in museum and communications studies for three Miami-Dade County Public Schools in North Miami: William J. Bryan Elementary, North Miami Middle, and North Miami Senior High, that will begin with the 2008-2009 school year. The program, called Choices2, is funded in part by a $10.4 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Education, under the Magnet Schools Assistance Program. As the only Choices2 partner based in the North Miami Schools area and only art museum in the program, MOCA will lead the development of an integrated curriculum, focusing primarily on using art for object- and project-based learning, which emphasizes problem-solving, communication, exploration, invention and inquiry. Museum Studies Academies will be established at North Miami Middle School and North Miami Senior High Miami-Dade County Public Schools is the first school district in Florida to provide museum magnet programs. Through the Choices2 program, MOCA will educate over 7,000 students from kindergarten to grade twelve annually on a continuous basis. The new initiative builds on MOCA’s successful track record of innovative art education for children and teens and aims to increase academic excellence, reduce minority isolation, and stimulate visual literacy and creative thinking.
MOCA Chairman Irma Braman said, “This extraordinary partnership between the museum and schools is indicative of MOCA’s commitment to education in the community. We expect that it will become a model for school districts around the nation.”
MOCA Executive Director Bonnie Clearwater states, “MOCA has extensive experience using contemporary art to educate children and teens, many of whom acknowledge their education at MOCA as key to their success in college and chosen careers. It is astonishing to think about the educational impact that will be made on such a large scale through Choices2” .
North Miami Mayor Kevin A. Burns said, “With three new schools under construction, and a fourth one on the way, and this unique magnet program, we can proudly say that education is a top-priority for the City of North Miami. The Museum of Contemporary Art will be an integral part of the museum education/arts track that will offer students in grades K-12 the opportunity to have hands-on experience in object-based learning. MOCA has an international reputation for its top-notch exhibitions and education programs and provides a unique learning environment for students.”
“Miami-Dade County Public Schools is pleased to expand our highly successful museums magnet programs to three schools in the North Miami area. This museum-based approach to teaching and learning places objects at the core of the learning process in the classrooms and at the museums. On-going learning expeditions to museums will provide students an opportunity to have personal contact with authentic objects, artifacts, and works of art, allowing them to gain skills that are critical to all areas of learning, as well as first-hand experience in museum career,” said Ray Azcuy, Director, General Education Specialized Programs – Schools of Choice, Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
MOCA educators will visit classrooms at all grade levels to present on-site programming, enabling children to understand how their lifestyles and neighborhoods can be examined in the context of creative culture. MOCA educators will also lead teacher-training workshops to incorporate art object-based learning in their curriculums. Classes will also be held on-site at MOCA, providing invaluable opportunities for students to interact with visiting artists, museum and arts professional and have direct access to the museum’s collection and exhibitions for research and projects. MOCA educators will assist students and teachers in the creation of podcasts and online “virtual” exhibitions. In addition to MOCA, the Choices2 program includes partnerships with Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, Haitian Heritage Museum, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, and Miami Science Museum.
Description of Programs:
North Miami Senior High and North Miami Middle School will replicate the highly successful All Academy Model, which will create smaller, personalized communities that offer students opportunities to explore their interests and aptitudes while receiving a solid foundation in academics. The schools will implement career academies, a comprehensive strategy that links students with peers and community partners in an environment that fosters meaningful interaction and academic achievement and are tailored to prepare students for high-wage and high-skilled regional career opportunities, preparing them to become both participants and leaders in the global economy.
MOCA will work with Choices2 partner museums in designing curriculum for North Miami Senior High School’s Museum Studies & Fine Arts Academy (9th-12th grade), which join the school’s existing International Baccalaureate program, and four other new specialized academies. Students enrolled in the Museum Studies strand will take elective courses, such as Introduction to Museum Studies and Teaching and Learning in Museums, planned in collaboration with MOCA and other Museum Academy partners. Students will gain first-hand experience in museum careers, such as curators, museum educators, exhibition designers, art historians, registrars, and publications coordinators and will intern at partner museums and galleries.
The visual arts component of the High School Fine Arts strand will include a variety of two- and three-dimensional media, art history, Advanced Placement Portfolio development, and dual enrollment courses at Miami Dade College, where eligible students can simultaneously earn college credit toward a postsecondary diploma or degree at a Florida public institution that will also count as credit toward a high school diploma. Museum studies students will organize exhibitions and participate in internships at MOCA and at other partnering cultural institutions in South Florida.
Every student in North Miami Middle School’s Museum and Communications Academies will attend workshops at MOCA that will build literacy, self-esteem and communication skills through art education. Students will have unique opportunities to work with local artists, dancers, musicians, broadcasters, politicians and other members of the South Florida community. Students will be encouraged to publish and broadcast their work through local media and online outlets and in MoCA’zine, the Museum of Contemporary Art’s teen arts journal.
Middle School Students will participate in MOCA’s NewMedia Visiting Artist Program where they will work with visiting artists to produce collaborative artwork that will be displayed at the North Miami Public Library. The program will focus on using new media such as computer technology, video, photography, and the integration of sound and music with art.
Middle School students will enroll in MOCA’s Summer Journalism Institute, which will provide intensive training in writing about the arts, photojournalism, and graphic design with the goal of producing a magazine. An online version of the magazine will be posted on the school’s and museum’s websites.
William J. Bryan Elementary School students will enroll in the Making Achievement Gains by Infusing Culture, Arts and Literature- (MAGICAL) Explorations program. Every student at W.J. Bryan Elementary will participate in trips to MOCA that will include discussions regarding artwork aimed at expanding their verbal and written communication skills. Students will be led on walking tours of their neighborhood to document the natural environment and the impact of urban development, and will be exposed to the influences of various ethnic communities. In addition, they will create “Museum in the Classroom” displays following museum visits, participate in MOCA’s Children’s Art Fair, and access MOCA’s virtual museum library on the school website.
The Museum of Contemporary Art will add a full-time Assistant Education Curator and 10 part-time educators to teach classes in drawing, graphic design, journalism, applied arts, art history, and museum studies.
