The Met's Art Education Facility
Renewed Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center Gets Hi-tech Makeover
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education in New York has been redesigned, incorporating 21st-century technologies.
The Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education on the ground floor of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art reopened to the public on October 23, 2007. Designed and constructed by architectural firm Kevin Roche John Dinkledoo and Associates, its three-year renovation and reconfiguration accommodates the educational needs of students, their families, teachers, scholars and visitors to the Museum.
The Center's Expansion and Reinstallation
Once beyond the large and inviting Diane W. Burke Hall, where projection screens and various displays familiarize one with the Museum and its programs, the space includes:
- the Carson Family Hall for welcoming visiting school classes and hosting festivals and other activities during weekends and when schools are not in session;
- the North Classroom for small-size gatherings;
- a studio for making art;
- the brand new Art Study Room with teleconferencing capability, where original works of art can be used during instruction by curators, educators, conservators and the like;
- the 125-seat Bonnie J. Sacerdote Lecture Hall for symposia, talks, the viewing of films and other events;
- the Carroll Classroom for lectures and studio activities;
- a seminar room;
- the expanded Nolen Library with publications, videos, DVDs, online resources, wireless access for the public and a children's reading room; and
- the Teacher Resource Center with materials for instructors, curriculum designers and art resource specialists.
Now the renewed Uris Center has hi-tech classrooms and other facilities that can record and archive lectures and presentations, provide for distance-learning and allow for video-conferencing with museums and other institutions around the world.
Educational Programs at The Met
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has placed a high priority on educating scholars, students and the public for generations since its founding in 1870. It presents more than 20,000 educational programs and events annually, an astounding number. Among them are:
- guided class visits for kindergarten through the 12th grade with an ever-expanding array of topics, including Stories in Art, presentations on The Met's various collections by region and chronology and new cross-cultural offerings such as Communities Around the World, now offered on Saturday as well as Tuesday through Friday;
- teacher training workshops such as Nature Real and Imagined in Chinese and Japanese Art, The Age of Rembrandt, Tapestry in the Baroque, New York City district-wide conferences and multi-day Summer teacher institutes (some with online interactive forums), staff development sessions by appointment and offsite programs for schools and teachers;
- after-school and weekend programs in art-making for junior and senior high school students;
- the new multi-part Student as Art Researcher program in which educators, curators and librarians mentor high school students in learning how to do research in art history;
- The Met's ever-popular High School Internship program;
- festivals, guided gallery visits, storytelling, performances and art classes for children and their families;
- study, research and career development opportunities for museum professionals (fellowships, staff exchanges, grants, internships and curatorial studies);
- national, international and multidisciplinary conferences such as Art Beyond Sight: Multimodal Approaches to Learning, Creativity, and Communication;
- lectures, talks, guided tours, artist-led discussions, classes, films and symposia for college students and adults; and
- programs for visitors with developmental, neurological, physical, psychiatric, sensory and other disabilities.
The Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center's superlative redesign, expansion and technological enhancements allow The Metropolitan Museum of Art to continue being the Western Hemisphere's preeminent leader in art education worldwide.
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