hang@MFAH
The Museum’s teen leadership group, hang@MFAH (Houston Art New Generation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston) is offered as an out-of-school program for area high school students. Throughout the year, hang@MFAH members meet weekly with a mentor artist in the galleries to discuss the role of museums in the 21st century and the confluence of digital culture.
Providing a unique opportunity for high school students to transition from teacher-directed projects to a pursuit of personal intellectual growth based on their own interests, hang@MFAH demonstrates the interconnectedness between in-school and out-of-school learning by keeping students active, thinking, and socially engaged outside of school, empowering teens to connect their passions to new skills and knowledge.
This program supports participants in the transition from teacher-directed projects to a pursuit of personal growth based on their own interests. Members of hang@MFAH ask questions, discover what they want to pursue, and then make it happen in a collective environment that transcends traditional educational settings. hang@MFAH combines best practices in the fields of museum and technology education, while helping teens discover that pursuing their own talents can be relevant to real-life academic and/or career choices. Participation in hang@MFAH is by application only.
• Read the hang@MFAH manifesto.
hang@MFAH Applications
hang@MFAH (Houston Art New Generation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston) is the Museum’s teen leadership group and digital think tank for motivated high school teens interested in everything from talking about art to video-game hacking. Throughout the year, hang@MFAH members spend time with a mentor artist discussing objects in the MFAH collections and exploring concepts through analog and digital tools to develop creative and critical-thinking skills. For the 2022–2023 school year, hang@MFAH meets in person at the Museum.
► hang@MFAH accepts applications on a rolling basis. Questions? Email teens@mfah.org
• Submit an application for hang@MFAH
Qualifications & Guidelines
- Applicants must be current high school students.
- hang@MFAH meets once a week on Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. year-round.
- Members must attend 90% of all meetings.
- There are no requirements for technological or artistic skills. The MFAH invites students who prefer critical discourse and peer-based learning.
- Occasional Saturdays and event days are necessary beyond regular meeting times.
- hang@MFAH members are expected to follow the rules and guidelines of the program, participate in weekly meetings and occasional events, and fulfill solo and group responsibilities.
Benefits
- Learn from a variety of museum professionals.
- Gain insight into museum responsibilities and behind-the-scenes workings of the MFAH.
- Practice in multimedia communication.
- Interpret and explore original works of art through the lenses of art history, materiality, and artistic processes.
- Work collaboratively with teens sharing similar interests.
- Add experience to résumés and to college and job applications.
- Acquire skills for college preparedness with hands-on educational experiences.
More Opportunities for Teens
Garden Quest
Ready for a new quest? Need some time in nature? Grab your phone and test your sleuthing skills with Garden Quest III: The Legend of Stella.
Teens Take the MFAH
Make the Museum your own by exploring the galleries. Use these guides to find new ways of looking. From fashion icons to revolutionary artists, choose a theme or two—and be inspired.
• Beauty
• Change
• Energy
• Fashion
• Infinity
• Memory
• Music
• Revolution
• Surprises
• Travel
• Truth
Research on Teens & Museums
hang@MFAH was developed in collaboration with Houston-area teens and the YOUmedia Learning Labs Network. Explore the research here and here, or read more about the YOUmedia Learning Labs Network.
Interconnections: Bridging Teen Learning Ecosystems at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, MA-10-18-0297-18.
All Learning and Interpretation programs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, receive endowment funds provided by Louise Jarrett Moran Bequest; Caroline Wiess Law; Wind- gate Foundation; the William Randolph Hearst Foundation; Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff; the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Fondren Foundation; BMC Software, Inc.; the Wallace Foundation; the Neal Myers and Ken Black Children’s Art Fund; Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Ballard; Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Tate; the Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation; Virginia and Ira Jackson; the Favrot Fund; CFP Foundation; Neiman Marcus Youth Arts Education; gifts in memory of John Wynne; and gifts in honor of Beth Schneider.