Education

Art Is for Everyone

The MFAH is founded on one simple belief: Art is for everyone. The mission of the Education Department is to offer programs, tours, resources, and materials that teach and engage adults, children, educators, and students in the world of art. The goal is to create experiences that embrace the importance of art and the museum; to position art and the museum as a meaningful part of a well-rounded life; and to work with partners who support the community through shared values and interests.

To learn about specific offerings, visit:
Membership
Patron Groups
Programs for Adults
Programs for Families
Programs for Educators and School Groups
Programs for Colleges and Universities
Programs for Visitors with Disabilities

History

Since 1900, when the MFAH opened as an art education project in the public schools, the institution has maintained its mission of bringing art to people wherever they live, play, and learn. This commitment has established the MFAH as A Place for All People, an initiative that began in the 1990s with the support of the Wallace Foundation. A Place for All People includes a range of community partnerships (outlined two sections down), audience development, and research projects. Contact outreach@mfah.org to learn more.

Kinder Foundation Education Center

The Kinder Foundation Education Center (KFEC)  is the central source of information on art for visitors of all ages at MFAH. A physical space within the MFAH campus, a hub of resources and materials, and curriculum support for educators, KFEC is the heart of the education department and the driving force that helps the museum achieve its mission of being A Place for All People.

 

Traveling Library Exhibition

A Passion for Glass Arrives at Harris County Libraries

Visiting Exhibition Showcases 12 Works from MFAH Collection of Lalique Glass

Houston—September 2011—The MFAH and Harris County Public Library (HCPL) system announce A Passion for Glass, featuring 12 works of art from the MFAH collection by René Lalique, the renowned Parisian glassmaker whose innovative designs defined the pinnacle of style in the early decades of the 20th century.

After opening at the Barbara Bush Library in Cypress Creek on September 12, 2011, A Passion for Glass travels counterclockwise around Harris County to seven additional HCPL branches over the next two years: Tomball Library (November 21, 2011–January 30, 2012); Northwest Library in Cypress (January 30–April 9, 2012); Katherine Tyra Library in Bear Creek (April 9–June 18, 2012); Katy Library (July 16–September 24, 2012); Freeman Library in Clear Lake City (September 24–December 3, 2012); North Channel Library (December 3, 2012–February 4, 2013); and Kingwood Library (February 4–April 15, 2013).

A Passion for Glass will be on display at Harris County libraries accompanied by a variety of interpretive materials that tell the story of the works’ artistic style and surprising historic context. Two styles are represented: Art Nouveau and Art Deco. The patterns and motifs of Art Nouveau were inspired primarily by the free-flowing lines and uncontrollable power of nature, whereas the Art Deco style is characterized by a machine-age aesthetic of clean lines, geometric patterns and symmetry. Themes range from Classical Greek mythology to traditional symbols of French culture and references to Asia.

For example, the exhibition includes two exquisite perfume bottles Lalique designed in the 1920s for the perfumeries Roger & Gallet, and Forvil. Advertising and package design, like these perfume bottles, were new industries in the early 1900s. Lalique’s delicate perfume flasks were meant to attract customers in crowded department stores. His designs were so successful at selling product, that he was commissioned to create more than 250 unique perfume bottle designs.

The objects in the exhibition highlight different functions for art glass. Vases and a bowl were decorative objects for the home. Two perfume bottles were part of the newly-developing strategy of product marketing in the department stores of 1920s and 1930s Paris. An ashtray, with a small-scale female figure adapted from a monumental fountain by Lalique, served both as advertising for Lalique and a souvenir of the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) in Paris at which the fountain appeared.

Anticipating the exhibition’s library setting, the interpretive labels provide literary links to writers contemporary with Lalique, such as authors Émile Zola and Ernest Hemingway, and poet Robert Desnos.

Everyone will find something of interest and a wealth of information at each library hosting A Passion for Glass. Spanish-speaking visitors can enjoy the exhibition with the colorful Spanish translation of the exhibition label descriptions. Art Cards, designed specifically for classroom teachers, take an in-depth look at 2 works in the exhibition—a perfume bottle and a spiral vase—and offer discussion questions and classroom ideas for teachers. Visitors of all ages can take the Art Detective Challenge on the interactive Family Guide, or have fun creating a cinquain (a 5-line poem) inspired by the exhibition.

The MFAH traveling exhibitions extend the experience of original works of art beyond the museum’s walls. The MFAH offers one of the most unique learning environments in our city—a crossroad of cultures across time and around the world that mirror the capacity of the human spirit to invent, to create, and to dream. This capacity transcends nationalities, cultures, language, and time itself, making the MFAH A Place for All People. In 2010, the MFAH inaugurated the A Place for All People annual awards in recognition of partners whose mission, goals, and work reflect and complement those of the MFAH. “Like the MFAH, HCPL values lifelong learning and embraces the uniqueness of informal education settings throughout the community that position art as the portal for meaningful, interesting experiences that connect the visual arts to peoples’ lives,” said Dr. Victoria Ramirez, W.T. and Louise J. Moran Education Director at the MFAH.

Literacy—whether visual or reading—lies at the heart of the partnership between the MFAH and HCPL. The traveling library exhibitions offer a taste of the visual treasures that await library patrons at the MFAH. To encourage library patrons to visit the museum, the MFAH offers free admission on weekends to any student 18 years of age or younger with a HCPL Power Card, or any library card. And, the MFAH has and continues to provide buses to bring library patrons to the museum for a wide variety of activities—summer art camps, introductory tours, and special exhibitions. HCPL branches are also strong supporters and patrons of the MFAH Book Club Tours, which links works of art in the MFAH collection to themes and characters in the featured book club selection.

About René Lalique
René Lalique was born in France in 1860 into a largely rural society, and his lifetime spanned the invention of electricity, telephones, automobiles, and airplanes. In 1900, he was hailed the greatest jewelry designer in France. By the 1920s, Lalique was also the most celebrated glassmaker in the world. He made his mark in history by applying modern industrial processes to glass production, making it possible for the first time to mass-produce luxury glass for a broader public. Although Lalique died in 1945, his name is still synonymous with luxury glass and his company continues to produce his designs and sell them through Lalique stores worldwide, including Houston’s Galleria. The 12 works of art in A Passion for Glass highlight the styles for which Lalique is best known, as well as the sources that inspired his passion for glass.

Community Partnerships/A Place for All People

A Place for All People

The A Place for All People initiative brings together schools and cultural, educational, civic, and social organizations that support and help the MFAH achieve its educational mission. The following partnership programs and projects connect the museum with the community by bringing art experiences to people who are new to art or unable to visit the MFAH. Contact outreach@mfah.org for more information on A Place for All People programs.

Library Exhibition Program
This program brings works of art from the MFAH to neighborhood public libraries throughout Houston and Harris County.

Picture Books: Summer Art Camps at the Library
Offered with select Harris County Public Libraries, these summer camps combine literature and art for children ages 6 to 12.

Developing a Creative Family Life
These workshops teach parents how to engage children with the world of art and the MFAH.

Art for All
These programs include Art Beyond Sight for visitors who are blind or have low vision; and Looking Together, designed for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their family members or care partners.

Where Will I Go Today? Art for the Mind and Spirit
This partnership with Texas Children’s Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children, and the Ronald McDonald House brings meaningful art experiences to patients, their families, and caregivers. Designed to provide comfort and healing, the initiative recognizes that engaging with art contributes to one’s health, well-being, and social inclusion.

Eye on Third Ward
Since 1995, the MFAH has partnered with Houston Independent School District’s Jack Yates High School to present an annual documentary photography exhibition of the students’ work at the museum.

Jake Yates High School Eye on Third Ward Exhibition at the MFAH, by CBS Sunday Morning from George Ramirez on Vimeo.

Impressions – A Program for Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
A collaboration with Houston Independent School District’s T.H. Rogers School, this artist residency offers students specially designed experiences to interpret art from the MFAH collections and make their own original work.

Community Festival Partner
The MFAH supports festivals throughout the community, including Bayou City Arts Festival.

Partnership with Beeville, Texas
Located 180 miles southwest of Houston, this partnership includes workshops for teachers, programs for students, and exhibitions and programs at the Beeville Independent School District, Beeville Art Museum, and the Beeville Library.

The Texas Sor Juana Festival
A multidisciplinary event that honors one of Mexico’s greatest writers and champions of education, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the festival also pays tribute to the accomplishments of women from Mexico and the United States. Organized by the National Museum of Mexican Art (Chicago), Museo Alameda, Arte Público Press, Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA), the Mexican American Cultural Center ( MACC), Talento Bilingüe de Houston (TBH) and various organizations throughout Texas.

Murals in the Parks
Launched in 1996, this collaboration between the MFAH and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department created murals at more than 50 Houston city parks. Inspired by art on view at the museum, these murals were designed and painted by local artists and children.

Join the Patron Group: Family Circle

The Family Circle is a group for families who want to foster a long-term appreciation of the visual arts in their children while supporting the MFAH. The museum hosts four events per year exclusively for Family Circle members: three programs that focus on the MFAH permanent collections and touring exhibitions, and one major benefit staged throughout the museum. Family Circle members have the opportunity to take exclusive behind-the-scenes tours designed to give children a personalized and interactive introduction to the world of art; attend seminars that share strategies for enhancing children’s visits to the museum; and participate in other fun programs that encourage a lifelong interest in the visual arts. Annual dues: $750 (includes a Family-level membership to the MFAH)