School Partnerships

School partnerships reflect the Studio Museum’s deep commitment to schools in Harlem and across New York City. Since its founding in 1968, the Museum has prioritized in-school partnerships that focus on connecting artists with the whole school community, including students, parents, educators, and administrators.

School partnerships engage students in K—12th grade, with transitional learning, alternative education, and continuing education programs. We work closely with educators of all disciplines, families, school counselors, afterschool programs, and school leadership to connect to the school ecosystem. Each partnership is uniquely built in collaboration with the Museum’s Education staff, Artist Educators, and teachers. Partnerships are informed by the diverse creative practices of the Studio Museum’s innovative group of practicing Artist Educators* who facilitate each partnership.

Ongoing School Partnerships

Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School

Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School is a District 5 public school in Harlem that serves students from Kindergarten to 5th grade. TMALS, one of the Studio Museum’s longest-running partners, focuses on holistic learning experiences through social emotional learning, cultural responsiveness, and belonging. TMALS values student agency and voice while fostering parent and community partnerships. Each year we work across grade levels with general education teachers to connect curriculum to community and art.

P.S. 036 Margaret Douglas School

P.S. 036 is a District 5 public school in Harlem that serves students from 3K to 5th grade and is one of the Studio Museum’s oldest school partners. The school focuses on making connections through

P.S. 036 is a District 5 public school in Harlem that serves students from 3K to 5th grade and is one of the Studio Museum’s oldest school partners. The school focuses on making connections through sensory experiences, community-building, literacy, and storytelling. Collaborating with families and caregivers is a central part of our partnership at P.S. 36.

P.S. M079 Horan School

P.S. M079 is a District 5 public school in Harlem that serves students ages eight to twenty-one with a range of intellectual and physical abilities. The school celebrates diversity and uses creativity to connect across curriculums and build communication and life skills. In a partnership spanning more than nine years, we provide art engagement for students in collaboration with the school’s art teacher.

Community Health Academy of the Heights

Community Health Academy of the Heights is a District 6 public school in Washington Heights that serves students from 6th through 12th grade. CHAH forges strong relationships with community

Community Health Academy of the Heights is a District 6 public school in Washington Heights that serves students from 6th through 12th grade. CHAH forges strong relationships with community organizations to offer students unique opportunities to think critically and act as meaningful change agents. The Studio Museum works with English Language Learning students in this bilingual partnership.

Park East High School

Park East High School is a District 4 public school in Harlem that serves students from 9th through 12th grade. Their mission is to educate all students on becoming complex problem solvers. Students

Park East High School is a District 4 public school in Harlem that serves students from 9th through 12th grade. Their mission is to educate all students on becoming complex problem solvers. Students develop individual and social responsibility and are a part of an inclusive, fun-loving, and respectful community that helps them to realize ambitious goals. This afterschool partnership connects students to artists and art resources in east Harlem.

ReStart Academy Euphrasian Residence

ReStart Academy Euphrasian Residence is a District 79 school and short-term residence in Gramercy Park for teens from all five boroughs who have been referred by the New York City Administration for

ReStart Academy Euphrasian Residence is a District 79 school and short-term residence in Gramercy Park for teens from all five boroughs who have been referred by the New York City Administration for Children’s Services. Our partnership focuses on using art to tell stories and reimagine negative narratives by learning about the artistic process and visiting artist studios.

Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change

Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change is a District 5 school that serves students from 6th through 12th grade. This afterschool partnership focuses on developing an individual art

Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change is a District 5 school that serves students from 6th through 12th grade. This afterschool partnership focuses on developing an individual art practice and connecting to art and cultural organizations in central Harlem.

P.S. M811 Mickey Mantle School

P.S. M811 is a District 75 special education school that serves students from four to fourteen years old. The school focuses on specially designed instruction based on students’ unique physical and

P.S. M811 is a District 75 special education school that serves students from four to fourteen years old. The school focuses on specially designed instruction based on students’ unique physical and socio-emotional needs and strengths, as well as student-directed learning with an emphasis on communication. Our work together challenges students through collaborative art-making and includes visits to experience art in Harlem.

Partnership Programs

Artist Visits

The Studio Museum offers the opportunity to invite an artist into your organization for a one-time visit. Artist visits engage community members in conversation with living artists of African descent, exploring artwork through inquiry-based discussions, experimenting with art-making techniques through workshops and artist-led demonstrations and providing opportunities to learn about careers in the arts.

Find Art Here

How can artwork in The Studio Museum in Harlem’s permanent collection invite us to connect to our communities and investigate the world around us?

Find Art Here is an initiative designed to bring the Museum’s permanent collection to schools, libraries, service centers, and other community spaces throughout Harlem. The first wave of the program began in late September 2018 with partner institutions in Harlem. The institutions received high-quality reproductions of artwork, chosen in collaboration with the Studio Museum. The works, dating from 1954 through 2016, were made by a multigenerational roster of artists closely associated with The Museum throughout its history, including: Derrick Adams, Benny Andrews, Jordan Casteel, Elizabeth Catlett, LeRoy Clarke, Glenn Ligon, Mickalene Thomas, and Stephanie Weaver.

In addition to providing partner institutions with reproductions of artworks, Find Art Here encompasses various public programs and education initiatives. Activities and resources include collection-based curriculum materials anchored in art education, visual literacy, interactive sessions rooted in inquiry-based discussions, and hands-on art-making sessions. While each organization explores and investigates the works in different ways, the Museum’s goal is to ensure that the Harlem community is connected by the experience of living and interacting with art.

Mission

The Museum’s school partnerships focus on inquiry-based discussions about art, open dialogue with practicing artists, and hands-on art-making projects connected to works of art in the museum’s permanent collection, exhibitions, and inHarlem projects. Partnerships are designed to foster inclusive creative spaces and inquiry-driven critical dialogue in support of social justice through centering the work of artists of African descent. The programs complement classroom curricula, school goals, encourage student involvement in designing the interdisciplinary experiences, and challenge students to think critically and creatively about their communities in Harlem and beyond.