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WCMA's New Director of Education Plans Medieval Family Day
February 16, 2005
Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) is pleased to welcome the addition of Rebecca Hayes to the museum staff as the Director of Education. At WCMA, Rebecca is responsible for the training and management of the Museum Associates, a forty person team of Williams College undergraduates and community members who conduct tours at the museum, the development of workshops for educators, and the creation of education programs for the larger community.
“I am thrilled to be here as part of such a vibrant art museum and one that truly places education in the center of the museum’s mission,” Rebecca says. “The museum’s commitment to provide creative and refreshing public and private K-12 education and family programs is most important to me.”
“In her first months Rebecca has reached out to schools and families and has added a clear voice for education within the museum,” says Marion Goethals, WCMA’s interim director.
Prior to coming to Williams College, Rebecca was the Manager of School and Docent Programs at the American Folk Art Museum in New York. She earned her Masters in Education from the Bank Street College of Education and a B.A. in Art History from the University of South Carolina. Rebecca has also worked at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University in North Carolina, and the Addison Gallery of American Art in Massachusetts.
One of Rebecca’s first tasks at WCMA has been to plan activities around two new exhibitions: “The Book of Kings: Art, War, and the Morgan Library’s Medieval Picture Bible,” and “Beyond East and West: Seven Transnational Artists.”
The Education Department will be featuring both of these exhibitions in pre-tour packets that are provided to teachers of elementary, middle, and high school classes. These packets aide teachers in preparing for their visit to WCMA and provide innovative ways to connect WCMA’s exhibitions to class curricula. Activities for middle and high-school students include “Mapping a Personal History,” which encourages students to explore the boundaries between memory and experience. Packets for elementary school students include “Telling Time” and “Thrice Dice,” two activities that teach about life in Medieval Europe.
In April, the Education Department will be hosting “Family Days: Vive le Roi!” inconjunction with the exhibition, “The Book of Kings: Art, War, and the Morgan
Library’s Medieval Picture Bible.” The public is encouraged to bring their family to
experience the variety of activities that are planned throughout the museum. There will be musical performances, chain mail demonstrations, medieval garb, art projects, jugglers, and masked medieval performers. “These are fun activities,” says
Hayes, “that will really engage families and get them thinking about the period of
time in which the ‘Crusader Bible’ was produced. My colleague Julia Morgan–Leamon has been instrumental in helping translate our ideas into wonderfully creative projects for the entire family.” Family Days will be held Thursday, April 21 and Friday, April 22 from 10-12 and 1-3; Saturday, April 23 from 10-3.
A portion of the museum’s general operating funds for this fiscal year has been provided through the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. The Williams College Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free and the museum is wheelchair accessible.
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