Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden

The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum and Garden will implement a cultural arts pilot program featuring museum visits and classroom workshops for culturally underserved students from grades 4-6 in an economically depressed section of the Bronx, New York. The project will address the lack of arts teachers in local schools, the development of visual literacy, critical thinking skills, and historical empathy through the arts. The focal point of the project will be an intensive school-museum program serving an estimated 360 children. Museum staff, volunteers, and classroom teachers will participate in training prior to beginning the program. A culminating family day for parents, caregivers, and the students will provide an opportunity for students to display their art work produced during the project. An evaluation consultant will use surveys, interviews with teachers, and other tools to measure the project's success in achieving outcomes for students.