By Southwester Staff
As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum opened the Hirshhorn Art School, a first-of-its-kind art education experience, on October 30.
Visitors are invited to “think like an artist’ in the new hub, which combines elements of a professional artist’s studio, museum galleries and clubhouse, to offer both structured programming and open-studio sessions guided by museum educators and teaching artists four days a week for visitors of all ages.
Designed for varying abilities and audiences including toddlers, kids, teens, lifelong learners, caregivers and teachers, “everyone is an artist” in this program designed so that each visit—in person or digital—is unique, accessible and transformational.
Hirshhorn Art School programs are organized into thematic, artist-focused semesters and will build on the work of Hirshhorn Kids and ARTLAB as well as public programs for adult audiences. The first semester, “Boundary Breakers,” will introduce the biographies, materials, techniques and philosophies of artists like Anni Albers, Mark Bradford and Barbara Hepworth, whose works are on view in the museum.
Hirshhorn Art School will offer programs Wednesdays–Saturdays. Upcoming programs include:
- Storytime Studio, Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Children ages up to 8 years will connect an artwork on view with a children’s book and engage in hands-on activities that develop self-expression and visual storytelling. Drop-ins welcome.
- Field Trips, Thursdays. An immersive, all-day “escape room” experience for District of Columbia Public School middle schoolers guided behind-the-scenes insights into how artists and museum experts work. These monthly sessions must be reserved.
- School Studio, Fridays. Guided by museum educators and teaching artists for students in grades 3-8 will explore the hows and whys of art-making, inspired by Hirshhorn collections and exhibitions. These weekly morning and afternoon sessions, lasting 60–120 minutes, must be reserved.
- Open Studio, Saturdays, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Guided by museum educators and teaching artists, visitors of all ages will respond to modern and contemporary art history with a focus on Hirshhorn exhibitions. Drop-ins welcome.
- Emerging Artists, Saturdays, 3:00–5:30 p.m. For teens ages 14–19 to collaboratively focus on the works of living artists. The debut season invites consideration of Bradford and his monumental work “Pickett’s Charge” (2017). This program builds upon ARTLAB, the Hirshhorn platform for teens founded in 2011, which served an average of 4,000 student artists. Pre-registration is required.