Reflection: Georgia Museum of Art

On the second Saturday of February, I had the opportunity to volunteer my time to the Georgia Museum of Art. The museum, although not open to the public yet, was bustling with employees and volunteers aiding in the set up two classroom—an engagement area in the front lobby and an oversized chessboard as well as table top boards for families to play while observing the sculpture garden, deciding where to visit next in the museum. As we worked to wheel out and set up about 100 chairs and 20 tables, it became obvious the museum sees many families on Saturdays.

Specifically, my role was to aid in the family day activity, which took place in a classroom towards the main entrance. The activity was to have the children and parents record the history of their lives in small, accordion-style books created and provided by the museum. The idea of families recording their histories through words and drawings stemmed from a larger theme running throughout the museum--the celebration of Black History Month. This idea of connecting art and cultural history intrigued me, wondering how much work went into planning this lesson.

The accordion books encouraged self-reflection as well as an opportunity for children to discuss their family history with parents. The classroom ebbed and flowed with children and parents as the long, paper cover tables and buckets filled with markers, glue and beautiful papers sat on top. Helping children and parents choose materials and give instructions to get the most out of the activity was a fun experience. There was a blend of all sorts of families and ages from 2-12. Many of the children asked to make another history booklet because of the enjoyment they found drawing and writing on the miniature pages of the accordion style booklet. The museum intern I was working with encouraged them to make more stories as we had an abundance of books.

There was one young girl and her mother that stayed for about an hour before stepping outside of the classroom to venture further, working diligently on detailed life story. I asked to photograph her work and she was elated to share the story she created including her mom, dad, two younger sisters and their dog. I asked the girl if she enjoyed art and she enthusiastically nodded her head. Her mother chimed in saying that her daughter has enjoyed art since her youngest days and that her favorite teacher is her art teacher. Hearing this gave me great joy!

Noon came upon the museum quickly, and we began to clean up the classroom that at least 100 people visited that morning. After stacking up chairs and being excused by Sage, I took a few minutes to look around the museum. There was a warm energy that filled the space as children and parents spoke to one another about what they saw and were learning. Working in a museum setting with the public was rewarding, and I better understand the work that goes into planning educational work in museums.

Please feel free to look through the photos I collected during my morning volunteering at the Georgia Museum of Art.