PS 3 Partnership School: Family Night
Jan 29, 2016

Education creates long-term, multi-year partnerships with a small group of New York City schools that focus on the whole school community: students, their families, teachers, and administrators. Before the Whitney’s new building opened in May 2015, School and Educator Programs established partnerships with ten schools in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn. Partnership school teachers work closely with Whitney Education staff to design customized programs that are tailored to the specific needs of students and map to school curricula. Programs include guided visits, hands-on art making, classroom visits, family programs, and professional development for teachers. Whenever possible, partnership school students participate in special workshops or presentations with exhibiting artists.

A goal of our School Partnership program is to build capacity within school communities by engaging students’ families. On January 26, students, teachers, and families from one of our Partnership Schools, PS 3, gathered at the Whitney for Family Night. PS 3 is within walking distance of the Museum, and the school community has welcomed this partnership with enthusiasm; over 150 kids, parents, and teachers attended the event.  In fall 2015, PS 3 students in eight classes across grades 2-5 participated in a three-part program that focused on an in-depth study of Frank Stella’s work. PS 3 teachers worked with artist and Museum Educator Rachel Farmer in the classroom and at the Museum. The Family Night reception included a display of student work, an artmaking activity, and a special opportunity to visit the Frank Stella: A Retrospective exhibition on a day when the Museum is closed to the public. This event was the first Family Night for PS 3 in the Laurie M. Tisch Education Center. Heather Maxson, Director of School, Youth, and Family Programs remarked: “We were so excited to welcome families from PS 3 to the Museum. We’ve had so much support from the PS 3 community and we’re looking forward to deepening the relationship and enriching classroom learning.” Check out more images of PS 3 Family Night. Photographs by Dina Helal.