Kids

Harwood Educational Programs

One of the Harwood Museum of Art's main goals is to introduce and to make accessible the collection and special exhibitions to our entire community, young and old. Since our reopening in 1997, the Harwood has introduced thousands of children to the Museum. We have also established a series of innovative, free, regular art programs for children and families, and have provided outreach into our local schools. We believe introducing children to art at an early age provides countless benefits - encouraging creativity, building links to our histories and cultures, while also allowing for fun and experimentation.

Current Kids’ Programs include:

Saturday Arts for Families - designed for children of all ages, this free one-and-a-half hour program examines different areas of the Museum's collection or special exhibitions with a fun focused tour followed by a hands-on art project. This class is taught by the Museum educator with special sessions by local artists. Please check the calendar for more details.

Family Play Date - a drop in studio art exploration for families, held every Sunday in the Fern Hogue Mitchell Education Center from 1-4pm. Different activities are presented which encourage family collaboration and are designed to keep the interest of all ages. This program is facilitated by a educator/artist and strives to use sustainable and recycled materials.

Museum Adventures in Art (MAIA) - a special Saturday program using local artists as instructors, this program focuses on monthly themes with classes designed for different age levels. Taking place during the School Year MAIA is  free program funded by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Art & Movement: Yoga Beginnings for Kids - a free Saturday program featuring a one hour kid-friendly yoga class in the Agnes Martin Gallery followed by an art project related to different themes. This class is taught by certified yoga instructor Jayne Schell along with the Museum educator. Please check the calendar for more details.

Home School @ The Harwood - The Harwood offers an art enrichment progras for home-school families monthly from September thru May. Homeschool Group I is designed for children ages 3-12 and held the last Monday of each month from 10-11:30. The program seek to make children comfortable with learning in the Museum environment and reinforces the belief that looking at and making art is a process of discovery. Please check calendar for more details.

Art Explorations Workshops - A series of multi-day workshops scheduled during June & July  introducing kids to different themes in art, often aligned to current museum exhibitions. Guest artist instructors as well as museum educators present 2-projects daily over a four day period from Tuesday through Friday 10-noon. One of the most popular Art Exploration Workshops is Create a Parade, where kids, parents and teachers work together to design, fabricate and then walk in the Arroyo Seco 4th of July Parade.

Art Explorations allow for more involved art-making, provide opportunities for friendships, and make children 100% comfortable in the Harwood Museum. The Fern Hogue Mitchell Education Center, the Harwood's Back-Yard Sculpture Garden as well as the Museum galleries are used in this program.

Art in Museums - a free preschool program developed in collaboration with the Museum Association of Taos (MAT) featuring a story and art activity. This program takes place on a rotating schedule at different MAT sites every Wednesday from 11-11:30am throughout the year.

Neighborhood Art Project - An outreach program of the Harwood Museum in collaboration with various local arts and service non-profit. Designed by artist/instructor Siena Sanderson NAP brings art activities directly into low-income communities. Taking place in the summer and fall months this program is run by volunteers. The goal of this program is to encourage fun, creativity, friendship and to bring the art making directly to the kids in their backyards.

Teen Art - The Harwood presents a free weekly afterschool program for teenagers on Fridays from 3:30 - 5:30. Led by local artist Beth Haidle the class explores fashion design, sewing, printmaking, drawing, painting and new in 2010 figure drawing at the start of each session. The Harwood also features special Saturday at programs designed for teens as part of the Museum Adventures in Art program. Click here more information on Teen Programs.

Harwood Art in the Schools is a free program which brings classes to the museum for a monthly visit. Integrating a visit to the Museum Galleries with an art activity in the Fern Hogue Mitchell Education Classroom. Monthly themes are developed to explore different art making methods and are aligned to the State Curriculum Standards. This is 2 hour monthly program offered to all local schools. Click here to Find out how to get your school involved. This program is currently funded by ARRA.