This presentation is a case study in the education department at the Memphis Brooks Museum with a group of fourth-grade students from Brewster Elementary School in Memphis, TN.

1. Memphis Brooks Museum
Education Department

2. Special Programs
In the Education department there are
different programs offered to fit the
needs of various types of groups.
These programs include:
● Teacher + Student
● Adults
● Families
● Communities
Each of these have events of their
own as well as lesson plans.

3. Teacher + Student Program
● Lesson plans that
coordinate with the
museum tours
● School Tours designed
for different age groups
● Homeschool Days held
six times a year
Shaping Materials
Tour for Homeschool
Groups

4. Adult Programs
Guided Tours and Talks:
● Led by volunteer docents
● Talks vary from artist talks to talks
by curator or academic specialist
Brooks Films: Has served the area for
about 65 years
Audio Tours: Enhances experience of
the permanent exhibit and special
shows
Tea and Tour for Seniors: Specific
Thursdays for $3 with reservations

5. Family Programs ● Inside Art: a Hands-on art
gallery for art literacy
● Homeschool Program:
overlaps
● Community Days at the
Museum: Free events that
engage the family fun,
exciting ways
● Wack Wednesday - Open
studios for day camps,

6. Case Study At the Museum
The Art Builds Creativity Program
(ABC) gives students in the
Memphis schools museum
experiences as well as hand-on
activities. The students learn to
write about and discuss art in their
school classroom and at the
museum.
These groups meet four different
times and the museum holds a
student exhibition at the end of the
school year.

7. Sculpture Tour
The visit began with a tour of a few of the
sculptures on exhibit at the museum.
The guide with the students discussed
reductive and additive methods for
creating sculpture. She questioned them
about what they saw in the pieces and
what they thought was happening.
The three sculptures to the right were the
first to be viewed.

8. Studying the Pan Torso
Students learned the differences
between relief sculpture and sculpture
in the round.
This is a view of the Pan Torso
studied in the round by the boys and
girls while their guide asked them
questions related to it.

9. Bronze Sculpture
Greyhounds Playing
and Compression
Worker were the next
images for the group
to see.
Here, positive and
neggative space was
discussed.

10. Objective and Non-objective Art
Here the students made
suggestions of whether or not art
has to represent something in
particular or be left to the
imagination.
The Chakaia Booker tire sculpture
was the subject of students
discussions before coming to the
museum.

11. This was a great group
of fourth grade boys
and girls from Brewster
Elementary School in
Memphis. They
listened intently as
instructions were given
and a demonstration
was conducted with the
art materials.

12. The Hand-On Workshop
Following the sculpture tour, it was
time for the art making fun.
A worksheet containing three
questions was reviewed and
answers written down.
In the classroom at the museum,
materials were passed out. These
included two black foam sheets,
scissors, brads, zip ties, and a
stapler.

13. The Creation Process
Students cut and twisted the
foam sheets into 3-D shapes,
securing each piece with
brads, staples or the zip ties.
The goal was for the sculpture
to stand up when it was
complete.

14. One young girl in the group
saw even interested in the
shadows that hit the white
display paper when she held
up her work for me to see.
She is holding her little
sculpture between her
fingers.

15. Resulting Sculptures

16. Every student left the museum happy with what had been
made. One child even had her sculpture on her head as she
waited with the others for the bus to take them back to
school.

17. My Sculptural Tree
As the first group of students
worked to create their sculptures,
I made this funky looking tree so I
could show the students how to
work with the material.
I think I did a pretty good job!

18. Interview with Kate Renner
After the students left to go back to school I spoke with Renner about some
of the other programs at the museum.
According to her calculations, there are approximately 300 different schools
that visit the museum for tours and projects. Class size averages 25 to 30
students.
On Homeschooling Days, Renner said that about 400 visitors who tour the
exhibits. There are ten homeschooling groups who come on a regular
basis.

19. Funding for the Museum and Education
Department
Renner informed me that the Brooks
Museum is backed by federal and
private funds from many different
large corporations and independent
individuals and families.
The Donor’s Wall is located in the
rotunda behind the information desk.
Two of the largest companies that
invest in the museum are the Target
and FedEx Corporations.

20. References
Adults-education. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Retrieved from:
http://www.brooksmuseum.org/adults-education. Accessed Sept. 19, 2017.
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Students + teachers. Retrieved from:
http://www.brooksmuseum.org/students--teachers. Accessed Sept. 19, 2017.
Dumlao, K. Art builds creativity, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Retrieved from:
http://brooksmuseum2015.sitewrench.com/art-builds-creativity. Accessed Sept.
19, 2017.
Lesson plans. Brooks Museum. Retrieved from:
http://www.brooksmuseum.org/lesson-plans. Accessed Sept. 19, 2017.