Georgia O’Keeffe is known as the mother of American modernism; an individual who forged her own path in both American and art history. O’Keeffe was influenced by so many parts of the country, but it was the last 40 years of her life that she spent in the American Southwest that many people remember her for. She exemplified the independent spirit of the West, and she created art that helped others identify with that as well.
But many people don’t know that O’Keeffe was also an educator in her early career, with a passion for giving back to her community. She gave money to the Abiquiu Elementary School to build their gym, to build their classrooms. That’s why the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Sante Fe, New Mexico, provides free educational programs and outreach to youth free of charge — and they’re doing some spectacular things both in their programs and in the museum.
To learn more about this amazing work, Annalies sits down with Katrina Stacy, the Curator of Education and Interpretation at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.
We unbox:
Georgia O’Keeffe’s role in both American history and art history
What makes the collection at the Georgia O’Keeffe museum unique
The education, outreach and engagement work that the museum does
The variety of programming at the museum
Getting kids out of school and into the museum
What the museum is doing out in the community
What educators can learn from the museum’s 22-year-old art and leadership program
The value of immersing children in safe, collaborative environments (even if they’re not already super passionate about the subject)
The unexpected-but-meaningful lessons that Katrina has learned over the years of working with students
Resources:
Learn more at okeeffemuseum.org
Twitter: twitter.com/ktnmunchkin