Art museums provide fantastic learning opportunities.
Art museums are an advantageous venue to expand the minds and imaginations of students. Collaborating with an art museum on an education project requires the submission of a comprehensive proposal. Proposals must include a detailed outline of what you would like to plan, if exhibits are to be displayed and/or if instruction will take place at the museum. Once the proposal is written and completed, it should be submitted to the museum's associate educator, academic programs director or the specific entity fit to evaluate your materials.
Instructions
1. Craft the proposal at a minimum of one semester prior to the date you wish to collaborate. Explain and outline the purpose of the collaboration, the dates for when the collaboration would commence and end and the benefits of the collaboration for the museum, the educational facility you represent and your students. The body of the proposal should be between one and 10 pages. If the exhibit is not exclusive to a specific group of students, clearly identify the demographic you wish to target.
2. Include illustrations and documentation of exhibits. The Riverside Art Museum in Riverside, California, for example, will host and display selected exhibits for up to 120 days. Exhibit proposal documentation should include descriptions of all artwork that will be on display and an up-to-date copy of the curator's biography. Additionally, exhibition proposals must include visual representations of the artwork --- hard copy photographs and/or digital copies --- and examples of one or more special educational events you plan to incorporate. Examples of these events would be guest speaker talks or private tours. Address any physical properties the museum would need to host --- or accommodate --- as well, including movable walls or pedestals.
3. Describe any instruction that will take place at the museum. The Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design, for example, accepts proposals for on-site instruction. Include a syllabus of instruction, how many students you must accommodate and how the course of instruction will commence. Detail your proposal with how your instruction merges with the museum's standard exhibits and/or if the course is specific to artwork displayed by the museum. Submit your proposal to the academic program director of the museum between one semester prior to 21 days into the current semester to ensure sufficient time for the museum to evaluate your materials.
