How can art be used beyond the walls of the museum?
With the Arts in the Afternoon programme, the Montgomery Museum boosts the self-confidence and personal growth among young adult men in detention.
Together with a local youth service, The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts developed an on-site educational programme for young men in detention. The aims of the programme is to ensure that the personal development of these men does not need to stop while they are in prison. Art participation therefore helps with problems surrounding self-confidence and self-image.
With Art in the Afternoon, museum teachers go to detention centres. They give weekly workshops over a seven-week period. During these workshops they discuss a theme based on the museum’s collection. Participants see and discuss reproductions of works of art and carry out assignments together. They are taught composition and techniques, and create art together. They present their work to each other and give each other feedback.
The programme encourages young men to work on themselves while in detention, by continuing to learn, expressing themselves creatively, working together and developing critical thinking skills.
The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts shows that art is a powerful tool for personal development that is beneficial to everyone, regardless of their individual situation. Moreover, the programme proves that art doesn’t only have to be experienced in the museum’s galleries: its impact can also be felt beyond the museum’s walls.
For more information, please contact Laura Bocquin, Outreach Coordinator at l.bocquin@mmfa.org, or call the Education Department at 334 625 4365.