Guggenheim Opens Sackler Center for Arts Education
By Marie Holmes

The Guggenheim has undergone a number of renovations recently, and they go beyond the black paint which now covers the museum’s ramps. Beneath the dramatic lighting and the monumental Baroque altarpiece in the rotunda–a highlight of the recently-opened Brazil: Body and Soul exhibition–the museum has installed the facilities that comprise the Sackler Center for Arts Education.

The Center opened its doors earlier this month, launching a new stage in arts education programming at the Guggenheim. Designed to “provide innovative learning experiences” and “meaningful encounters with the museum’s collections and exhibitions as well as modern and contemporary art in general,” the Center’s facilities include two multimedia labs, a studio arts lab, an exhibition space, the New Media Theater and the existing Peter B. Lewis Theater. In addition, a state-of-the-art Resource Center will provide a wealth of materials relating to the museum’s holdings and modern and contemporary art in general. Teachers searching for ways to incorporate art into their classrooms will find curriculum guides, slide and poster-sets, audiovisual materials, and the help of the museum’s education staff.

The Center will soon launch a new “Tour and Workshop” program, designed for grades 3-12. Students will visit an exhibit and then use either technology or traditional studio materials in the workshop, allowing for an extended and more meaningful museum experience that incorporates different learning styles.

In conjunction with the current Brazil: Body and Soul exhibition, Sackler Artist in-Residence Regina Silviera will work with New York City teachers on a project entitled To Be Continued . . . (Latin American Puzzle), which will explore stereotypes and preconceptions about Latin America.

With the wide array of programming that will take place in the Sackler Center, from lectures for graduate students to film screenings for children, the museum hopes to reach diverse communities. “Sometimes,” adds Kanatani, “a program can lead to introducing new audiences to the Guggenheim and to art.”

“We hope that the Sackler Center will become a model for museums worldwide to redefine their public role as institutes for learning,” says Kathe A. Sackler, M.D., whose family provided the founding gift for the Center.

A variety of events for students, teachers, and the general public are scheduled in conjunction with Brazil: Body and Soul, on display until January 27, 2002, as well as the opening of the Sackler Center. For more information about programs and events at the Sackler Center, including open houses for educators, call (212) 360-4334, or go to www.guggenheim.org.

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