The Museum Educators at CCMoA were established to specifically meet the needs of visiting school children and provide them with an enriching, interactive understanding of artworks in the museum. Using Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), students are guided by a series of questions about a selected work of art, enabling them to 'see' the art in a new way- to question, to discover, and to wonder about various aspects of the artist's creation. Rather than being lectured about the work, they are part of the exploration and experience of the process of making art, without judgement or bias.

In addition, there is an Educational Outreach program where Museum Educators go to the school, typically a 4th grade class, and present information about the Museum, it's history and some history of Cape Cod art. After two separate sessions, the students then visit the Museum to see the actual artworks they previously viewed as posters, and discuss other art on exhibition at that time.

The Museum Educators have also expanded their roles to interacting with those who have Alzheimer's or Dementia issues in a monthly program called "Art & Conversation." VTS is also used in this context as it invites a conversation about the art being viewed, and is found to be both beneficial to the participants in making connections with memories, and interacting with others in a group setting with their caregivers. We have also recently begun and Art & Conversation Outreach program, taking posters of artworks from the Museum's permanent collection onsite to Council on Aging facilities where seniors can participate in the same type of program.

Museum Educators meet monthly to plan and prepare for upcoming school visits, Art & Conversation programs and offsite visits to schools and/or senior centers. They provide an invaluable service for the Museum in sharing with the community the many artistic resources of the Museum, and in developing an understanding of the important role of art and artists of Cape Cod.

For more information about the Museum Educators, contact Benton Jones at 508-385-4477 ext. 15