Picture a rainy, fall day with a light chill in the air. The leaves fall around you, giving every inside space a warm energy that pulls you inside. Full of brilliant works from artists of all generations and walls lined with talent from all over the world, museums are the perfect place to escape from stress or the bustle of the city.
Whether it be a rainy day and a museum seems the most peaceful and beautiful to escape to, or the sun is shining through the long open windows, a museum is a place for anyone looking for a quiet place to wander.
New York City is home to many of the most famous museums in the world, such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), the American Museum of Natural History, the Whitney, the Brooklyn Museum, and many more. They are home to many exciting, once-in-a-lifetime exhibits that only the lucky get to experience. These museums offer things like a series of never-before-seen works from extraordinary artists, interactive activities for adults and children, and programs for teens.
Museums serve as a place for people to come together and remark on the astounding work of others from the past and present. Many people in NYC grew up going to museums with family or friends. When I was younger, I remember seeing the huge dinosaur in the lobby of the Museum of Natural History and feeling so small. Part of the magic of a museum experience is that you can really imagine the past in a way that is hard for a child to do in any other setting.
There is truly something for everyone within the museum community of New York. With different museums from the oldest museum in NY, the New York Historical Society Museum and Library, to more recent experiences such as the Museum of Ice Cream.
According to the Museums Association, “Museums can increase our sense of wellbeing, help us feel proud of where we have come from, can inspire, challenge and stimulate us, and make us feel healthier.” It is great that these museums are encouraging teens to get involved and be able to experience these benefits.
Briana Melguizo-Szarf, a junior at the NYC iSchool, has been going to museums all her life. She says, “I grew up across the street from the Brooklyn Museum, so that was usually a weekend plan, and so I got kind of, like, accustomed to the museum lifestyle.”
Some of these museums like the Whitney and the Brooklyn Museum offer teen programs, where high school students are able to get involved in different activities that the museum funds. This can be very exciting for young students who are interested in the arts, or the behind the scenes of art. These programs allow kids who may not have a creative outlet to have their work shown and encouraged by the museum. A lot of these museums also allow students to come for free, which can be super cool and provide inspiration for aspiring artists.
According to Luci Creative, “Teen programs in museums are successfully cultivating lifelong audiences for cultural institutions…55% of interviewees in the Room to Rise report stated their teen program was one of the most important experiences they’ve had.”
NYC iSchool’s admired art teacher, Ms. Smith, is familiar with museums and says, “I love going to museums, but I find that like, just during the school year, I’m busy with work, and then I’m tired, and you know, I have all these excuses. But I do like to go, and I’m always happy when I do make time to go.”
When asked about teen programs in museums, Smith said, “I’ve had lots of students over the years who have done those programs and then they’ve told me later that they got a lot out of it. I think they pretty much always had a valuable experience.” These prestigious names on a student’s resume can open many doors for colleges and other programs.
Briana also talks about her experience with teen programs at museums: “Now, being in high school, I’ve been applying to a lot of museum internships, and I feel like they really help me gain a sense of perspective over the world, and see art from all different types of cultures.”
The MoMA is a very famous museum in Midtown Manhattan, home to many extremely famous works of art, such as Van Goh’s Starry Night, multiple Warhol and Picasso works, along with some Monet paintings. They offer different teen programs that get students involved in the museum. They offer “a wide variety of unique and free hands-on, drop-in studio art courses and behind-the-scenes, internship-like programs.”
Museums such as the world-famous MET – known for the annual MET gala and many amazing exhibits- also offer classes, events, and workshops for teens to develop their art skills, and connect with their peers and the museum’s environment.
Tessa McCormick, a sophomore at Edward R. Murrow High School, has been a part of the Whitney Museum’s teen program for one year. She says, “The Whitney program has been very helpful for me to express myself through art with no boundaries. They provide all the teen members in the program with all the materials, the time, and the environment that we need to most effectively create art that they are proud of. They also encourage us to create an individual art persona.”
At the NYC iSchool, we are lucky to have the mentorship we do from the administration as well as from teachers. One amazing thing that we have access to is the Programs and Opportunities email that Ms. Leimsider emails to the school community. This helps students know what they have access to, and that is the first big step: knowing where to look for resources.
Museums offering these programs for teens in such a vibrant, exciting city can really help give them a creative outlet and help them repopulate their audience into younger generations. These programs can be life-changing for some students who don’t have support or encouragement from others. They provide a safe space where they can make connections with their peers and with people involved in the art world. Opening doors in young teens’ lives can make them realize that they might be able to pursue something they love.
