One of the most important skills children learn growing up is reading comprehension. This ability affects their reading, writing, critical thinking and even speaking skills as they approach adulthood. However, it is often difficult to engage children in reading books, which is why many platforms attempt to engage kids in more imaginative ways. The Zimmerli Art Museum is a perfect example of this.
On this episode of Caucus: New Jersey with Steve Adubato, show host Steve Adubato, PhD., chats with Amanda Potter, curator of Education & Interpretation for the Zimmerli Art Museum. Topics spoken about include how the museum is offering different ways to reach out to children to help fuel their creativity and enhance their learning experiences.
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The Zimmerli Art Museum in New Brunswick has been a part of Rutgers University for 50 years. It is home to one of the largest university art collections in the United States, with pieces ranging from American art to European art and even Soviet nonconformist art.
The museum, which is located on the Voorhees Mall of the campus, is open to the public six days a week, and although it is a comprehensive museum for patrons, it also works to accommodate students and many of their classes.
“A big part of our audience is the university―both faculty, students and staff,” Potter explained. “So we do see a lot of classes. We tailor to them. We have an academic programming curator that works specifically to find those deep connections.”
Students with art and art history majors and minors frequent the museum, as do students from media, general history, environmental sciences and even the medical disciplines. However, it is one of their longest-running programs that is the draw for countless families across the state: Preschool Adventures in Art and Storytelling.
“It is a program that we really enjoy doing,” said Potter. “Reaching children at that young age is one of the best indicators of them feeling comfortable in the museum later in their life.”
“It is very engaging, very interactive,” she added.
To learn more about the Zimmerli Art Museum and the Preschool Adventures in Art and Storytelling, check out this segment of Caucus: New Jersey with Steve Adubato.
For more stories that impact New Jersey residents, click over to our Hot Topics in NJ series.
