For more information contact:
Leslie Appleget
District Arts & Communications Coordinator
North Adams Public Schools
lappleget@napsk12.org
413-776-1632
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BRAYTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND BERKSHIRE MUSEUM PARTNER TO INTEGRATE MOBILE MUSEUM UNITS INTO SECOND GRADE ART CLASSES
North Adams Public Schools, in partnership with Berkshire Museum, is excited to announce a residency project, beginning December 2024, that activates the content of seven mobile museum units (MoMUs) for second grade students at Brayton Elementary School and integrates museum objects related to science and social studies into their visual arts curriculum.
The MoMU residency will provide second grade students at Brayton with learning experiences that blend art, science, and social studies over a sustained seven-month engagement period. From December to June, a rotation of seven different MoMUs—small traveling exhibits that bring museum objects out into the community—will be installed in the lobby of the school monthly, with exhibits related to topics such as geology, plants, Berkshire history, math found in nature, and more. Through interactive lessons with museum educators, students will have the opportunity to closely explore the museum objects in each MoMU and create artwork related to MoMU content during their regular school-day art classes.
"We are delighted that our second grade students will have deep engagement with the new MoMU exhibits each month,” said Danielle Bowe, visual art teacher at Brayton Elementary School. “It is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with Berkshire Museum to enrich our art curriculum with meaningful projects that relate to the exhibits."
“Mobile Museum Units are a critical element of the museum’s educational philosophy, especially as we temporarily close for renovations,” said Joe Mastronardi, curriculum developer at Berkshire Museum, and lead museum educator for the partnership with North Adams Public Schools. “This is our way of staying connected to our county-wide community and emphasizing our profound commitment to everyone. Our MoMU lessons are engaging, object-based STEAM programming for any age; it’s always so much fun to teach them.”
To support this work, Berkshire Museum has been awarded a $5,000 Creative Projects for Schools grant from Mass Cultural Council, the state’s arts agency. Creative Projects for Schools grants support “creative learning experiences in the arts, sciences, and humanities where K-12 students can uncover hidden talents, discover and express their own ideas, build confidence, explore the natural world, and connect to their history and community.” This residency at Brayton builds upon the district’s previous partnership with Berkshire Museum—also supported by Mass Cultural Council—to bring art activation lessons connected to MoMUs to the former Greylock Elementary School in the 2023-2024 school year for students in second and fifth grades.
About North Adams Public Schools:
North Adams Public Schools serves the students of the City of North Adams through the provision of comprehensive PreK-12 public education. The mission of North Adams Public Schools is for every child to learn every day, in every classroom, and to empower all learners to recognize and optimize their full potential.
About Berkshire Museum:
The Berkshire Museum combines art, science, and history to create thought-provoking experiences for visitors of all ages. The museum’s mission is to bring people together for experiences that spark creativity and innovative thinking by making inspiring educational connections among art, history, and natural science.
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