Big Yellow Bus

School is officially back in session. As the big, yellow buses begin to pull up on Harwood Street later this month, a flurry of young feet will file out, pass by a large fountain, and ultimately find themselves standing before the likes of Jackson Pollock’s Cathedral, Frederic Church’s The Icebergs, or a huge sculpture of the Mixtec rain god Tlaloc. These works of art and thousands of others become the stuff museum memories are made of for over 60,000 students in grades K-12 who visit the Dallas Museum of Art each year. Another 17,000 students annually experience the Museum’s treasures through our Go van Gogh® classroom outreach programs and through an after-school program created in partnership with Thriving Minds and managed by the nonprofit Big Thought.

During the 2010-2011 school year, hundreds of teachers will participate in professional development sessions, visit the Educator Blog, access online resources, and partner with DMA museum educators to create unique, in-depth experiences for their students.

And our galleries will soon fill with the buzz of young minds and voices actively learning. This is how my colleagues and I who work in the Department of Teaching Programs and Partnerships like it. We are a passionate team of seven staff memers, two interns, and nearly two hundred volunteers, and we welcome students and teachers with the belief that art is essential to all of our lives. The Dallas Museum of Art is a place to imagine, to explore, and to form personal connections with works of art from around the world and throughout time.

Nicole Stutzman is the Director of Teaching Programs and Partnerships.