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Michener Art Museum and Heritage Conservancy Partnership Draws Student Awareness with A River Flows Through Art Educational Program Achieved Through the Support and Ingenuity of Art Bridges The Michener Art Museum, in collaboration with Heritage Conservancy, achieved impressive marks for the inaugural program, A River Flows Through Art: A Catalyst for Change. This innovative school-based outreach program was conceived from the scholarly vision of Art Bridges’ collection sharing initiative. Through the efforts of Art Bridges, a new foundation dedicated to increasing access to great works of American art across the country, Edward Steichen’s In Exaltation of Flowers mural was installed next to Daniel Garber’s mural A Wooded Watershed, a permanent installation at the Michener. The Michener aligned with Heritage Conservancy, a community based non-profit land trust dedicated to preserving and protecting Bucks and Montgomery County’s natural resources and historic heritage, to implement a program educating students about American painters and conservation of artwork in conjunction with conservation of the environment and the importance of protecting waterways. Students from three local schools - Morrisville High School, Strayer Middle School, and Thomas Holme School - studied the Steichen and Garber murals in a compare and contrast format, with a strong focus on the natural elements that highlight these works, and learned that murals were used as a communication tool. With the river as a focal point, the discussion flowed from art restoration to land conservation, aquatic ecosystems, and the negative impact pollution has on water quality. The five-week endeavor culminated by challenging the students to create pieces of advocacy artwork, expressing their own creativity with a cause in mind and the knowledge that the individual pieces would be displayed together, furthering the connectivity component. “Just as the Delaware River links communities together, the student mural on display merges the work produced at each school. It shows each student’s unique voice and individual version of the river and its ecosystem, including their community as it is or as they wish it to be,” said Adrienne Romano, Michener Art Museum Director of Interpretation and Innovation, as she addressed the group during the open house. “When seen as a collective whole, their works convey a larger message of how art can raise awareness and engender change in helping to protect our planet.” In speaking to the group, Shannon Fredebaugh, Heritage Conservancy Community Engagement Programs Manager, helped to drive home the connection between art and conservation. “Natural areas have inspired many artists. In fact, if you trace the origins of studying nature to early environmental scientists, you’ll notice that many of them were not only scientists, but also talented artists. They had to be, they didn’t have a smartphone with a camera or the iNaturalist app to help them record what they saw. They had to draw in detail the animals, plants and landscapes they found. So the pairing of art with environmental science is a natural fit, and that’s exactly what came together for the Michener’s A River Flows Through Art program.” An open house was held at the Museum on March 31, with over 70 people in attendance, to thank participants and reiterate the program’s impact. The digital display of the students’ collective mural was debuted and will be exhibited at the Michener Art Museum through early summer. Generous support for “The River Flows Through Art: A Catalyst for Change” was provided by Art Bridges. The James A. Michener Art Museum collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits American art, and promotes the work of nationally and internationally known Delaware Valley artists of all eras and creative disciplines. The museum presents exhibitions that explore a variety of artistic expressions and offers diverse educational programs that develop a lifelong involvement in the arts. Throughout the year, the Michener Art Museum hosts a wide range of programs open to the public, including lectures, artists conversations, gallery talks, artist studio tours, dance performances, jazz and other musical performances, family-themed activities, and other events. The museum also offers a diverse selection of art classes for children and adults, which include instruction in drawing, painting, sculpting, and printmaking as well as programs for the public, schools, and teachers designed to support arts and STEAM education. The James A. Michener Art Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Michener Art Museum is located at 138 South Pine St., Doylestown, PA. The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 am – 4:30 pm; Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm and Sunday noon – 5:00 pm. For more information, visit MichenerArtMuseum.org or call 215.340.9800. Art Bridges is a pioneering new foundation dedicated to dramatically expanding access to American art across the country. Created by collector and philanthropist Alice Walton in 2017, Art Bridges strives to bring great works of American art out of storage and into communities across America. Through financial and planning support, Art Bridges helps organizations of all sizes build exhibitions and programs that deeply engage audiences. Based in Doylestown, PA, Heritage Conservancy is committed to being the region’s premier, nationally accredited conservator. We are a community-based organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of significant open spaces, natural resources, and our historic heritage. A champion of conservation best practices, Heritage Conservancy believes that everyone is responsible for stewardship and seeks to enlighten, engage, and empower others to help achieve this mutual vision.
Michener Art Museum and Heritage Conservancy Partnership Draws Student Awareness with A River Flows Through Art Educational Program Achieved Through the Support and Ingenuity of Art Bridges
The Michener Art Museum, in collaboration with Heritage Conservancy, achieved impressive marks for the inaugural program, A River Flows Through Art: A Catalyst for Change. This innovative school-based outreach program was conceived from the scholarly vision of Art Bridges’ collection sharing initiative. Through the efforts of Art Bridges, a new foundation dedicated to increasing access to great works of American art across the country, Edward Steichen’s In Exaltation of Flowers mural was installed next to Daniel Garber’s mural A Wooded Watershed, a permanent installation at the Michener. The Michener aligned with Heritage Conservancy, a community based non-profit land trust dedicated to preserving and protecting Bucks and Montgomery County’s natural resources and historic heritage, to implement a program educating students about American painters and conservation of artwork in conjunction with conservation of the environment and the importance of protecting waterways.
Students from three local schools - Morrisville High School, Strayer Middle School, and Thomas Holme School - studied the Steichen and Garber murals in a compare and contrast format, with a strong focus on the natural elements that highlight these works, and learned that murals were used as a communication tool. With the river as a focal point, the discussion flowed from art restoration to land conservation, aquatic ecosystems, and the negative impact pollution has on water quality. The five-week endeavor culminated by challenging the students to create pieces of advocacy artwork, expressing their own creativity with a cause in mind and the knowledge that the individual pieces would be displayed together, furthering the connectivity component.
“Just as the Delaware River links communities together, the student mural on display merges the work produced at each school. It shows each student’s unique voice and individual version of the river and its ecosystem, including their community as it is or as they wish it to be,” said Adrienne Romano, Michener Art Museum Director of Interpretation and Innovation, as she addressed the group during the open house. “When seen as a collective whole, their works convey a larger message of how art can raise awareness and engender change in helping to protect our planet.”
In speaking to the group, Shannon Fredebaugh, Heritage Conservancy Community Engagement Programs Manager, helped to drive home the connection between art and conservation. “Natural areas have inspired many artists. In fact, if you trace the origins of studying nature to early environmental scientists, you’ll notice that many of them were not only scientists, but also talented artists. They had to be, they didn’t have a smartphone with a camera or the iNaturalist app to help them record what they saw. They had to draw in detail the animals, plants and landscapes they found. So the pairing of art with environmental science is a natural fit, and that’s exactly what came together for the Michener’s A River Flows Through Art program.”
An open house was held at the Museum on March 31, with over 70 people in attendance, to thank participants and reiterate the program’s impact. The digital display of the students’ collective mural was debuted and will be exhibited at the Michener Art Museum through early summer.
Generous support for “The River Flows Through Art: A Catalyst for Change” was provided by Art Bridges.
The James A. Michener Art Museum collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits American art, and promotes the work of nationally and internationally known Delaware Valley artists of all eras and creative disciplines. The museum presents exhibitions that explore a variety of artistic expressions and offers diverse educational programs that develop a lifelong involvement in the arts. Throughout the year, the Michener Art Museum hosts a wide range of programs open to the public, including lectures, artists conversations, gallery talks, artist studio tours, dance performances, jazz and other musical performances, family-themed activities, and other events. The museum also offers a diverse selection of art classes for children and adults, which include instruction in drawing, painting, sculpting, and printmaking as well as programs for the public, schools, and teachers designed to support arts and STEAM education. The James A. Michener Art Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
The Michener Art Museum is located at 138 South Pine St., Doylestown, PA. The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 am – 4:30 pm; Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm and Sunday noon – 5:00 pm. For more information, visit MichenerArtMuseum.org or call 215.340.9800.
Art Bridges is a pioneering new foundation dedicated to dramatically expanding access to American art across the country. Created by collector and philanthropist Alice Walton in 2017, Art Bridges strives to bring great works of American art out of storage and into communities across America. Through financial and planning support, Art Bridges helps organizations of all sizes build exhibitions and programs that deeply engage audiences. Based in Doylestown, PA, Heritage Conservancy is committed to being the region’s premier, nationally accredited conservator. We are a community-based organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of significant open spaces, natural resources, and our historic heritage. A champion of conservation best practices, Heritage Conservancy believes that everyone is responsible for stewardship and seeks to enlighten, engage, and empower others to help achieve this mutual vision.