Parrish Art Museum Receives Grant For Education Initiatives With Area Schools

The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill has received an $83,495 federal grant to support a new education initiative that will enhance its existing relationship with Southampton and Tuckahoe public schools while also establishing new bonds with Bridgehampton School.

The three-year grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services will support “Art + Language: A New Design for Learning,” which will use artworks from the Parrish’s permanent collection to teach students visual thinking, deductive reasoning, and language skills, according to the museum.

The integrated education initiative is expected to reach 700 students.

“In partnership with the schools, we will develop, implement, and evaluate visual arts-based units of study based on the museum’s permanent collection that will support Common Core State Standards and address key components of the National Core Art Standards,” said Cara Conklin-Wingfield, the director of education at the Parrish, in a statement. “This new initiative will support teaching and learning in schools that are under the combined pressures of budget cuts, new standards, and a steadily increasing number of English-language learners.”

Art + Language is a 12-week program designed for students in fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth grade. Students will visit the museum to analyze and discuss artworks, and compare art forms, including film and literature. Students will meet with artists whose work is in the Parrish collection, and will create original works of visual art, writing and electronic media. The program will culminate with student presentations and discussions of their works, which will be posted on the Parrish’s website.

Art + Language was among 206 projects selected from a pool of 548 applicants to the Museums for America grant program. The three-year grant term begins Saturday, October 1. As part of the grant, the Parrish will create and distribute educational materials including lesson plans for both classroom activities and museum visits, so the initiative can be duplicated at other schools and museums.