2013 Museum-School Partnership Opportunity

The Textile Museum seeks school partners from District of Columbia Public and Public Charter Schools for a unique student textile art project tied to Out of Southeast Asia: Art that Sustains (April 12 through October 13, 2013).

"This partnership is truly thoughtful and generous. I was very impressed with the visits to Textile Museum and on campus, transportation accommodations and now these beautiful certificates. The students will greatly appreciate the recognition of their work in the Visual Arts!" -Paige P. Byrne, Participating Teacher in the 2010 Museum-School Partnership, Horace Mann Elementary, Washington, D.C.

• Description of Project
• Project Goals
• Project Details
• How to Apply (due Friday, February 8, 2013)

Partnership with The Textile Museum includes:

• Introductory meeting at The Textile Museum on Tuesday, February 26, 4-6 p.m.
• An interactive tour of the exhibition Out of Southeast Asia: Art that Sustains for students after April 16, 2013
• A Textile Museum docent(s) to assist with understanding gallery content and brainstorming ideas for a textile art project. A museum docent will coordinate 3 to 6 visits to the participating schools in March, April and May.
• Funds for project supplies and bus to visit the museum for a student tour and during Celebration of Textiles
• Display of artwork in The Textile Museum’s Myers Room for the entire month of June 2013
• School’s name and class project description in promotional materials for the Celebration of Textiles on June 1 and 2, 2013 (attended by over 2,000 people in 2012)
• A certificate for each student at recognition ceremony during Celebration of Textiles, June 1 at 12:30 pm

Left: Students involved in the Museum-School Partnership learn about the origins of fiber during a tour led by a museum docent. Right: Students on a school tour dress up in examples of cultural costume after visiting an exhibition of Uzbek ikat robes.

Description of Project:

The Textile Museum invites all classes in the District of Columbia Public and Charter Schools to apply for participation in the 9th annual Museum-School Partnership program. Students will visit the museum to learn about the current exhibition, Out of Southeast Asia: Art that Sustains, then choose an aspect to represent in their artwork. Collaborating with their teacher and museum docents for several months, students design and create an original piece of textile art. The final project will be installed in an exhibition space adjacent to the museum's lobby for the month of June 2013, and will be presented to the public during the annual Celebration of Textiles, June 1 - 2, 2013.

No previous textile experience is necessary. This partnership program relates to four strands of the Visual Art Standards, including; artistic perception, production and creative expression, historical and cultural context and aesthetics, valuing and perspectives of art. Applications are reviewed by a committee of the museum's education and curatorial departments, and up to three classes, with maximum of 30 students each, are selected. The Textile Museum matches each partnership school with museum docents who will work with the teacher and students from February to May toward project completion.

Students from Thomson Elementary School (Ward 2) pose with their classroom’s textile art project made through the Museum-School Partnership

Project Goals:

• Educate students about the textile arts and the cultures that produce textiles.
• Provide an opportunity for local schools to partner with The Textile Museum.
• Provide an opportunity for students to create and display textile art.

Project Details:

The classroom teachers will:

• Attend an introductory meeting on Tuesday, February 26, 4-6 p.m.
• Work with students and a museum docents to design and create unique textile art inspired by the exhibition.
• Deliver artwork to the Museum on May 17, 2013.
• Attend the recognition ceremony with their classes at Celebration of Textiles (transportation provided by museum).
• Meet project specifications and deadlines.
• Dedicate sufficient time to completion of project.

The Textile Museum will:

• Assign a docent to work with each class.
• Provide funds for project supplies.
• Provide a specialized tour for students.
• Document the project through photographs.
• Display class artwork in June at the Museum.

How to Apply:

Download an application (pdf)

The application period for the 2013 Museum-School Partnership is open through COB Friday, February 8, 2013.

For additional information, call (202) 667-0441, ext. 76.