An article has been published in the summer edition of New England Museum Association’s newsletter, Museums Now. The piece was co-authored by CHSC Art Director Tina Menchetti; Jennifer Kowitt, Assistant Professor of Special Education at the University of Saint Joseph and former museum educator at the Yale Center for British Art; Linda Friedlaender, Head of Education at the museum; and Berclee Cameron, docent at the museum.
You can read the article and view a video about the collaboration here
Read more about Chapel Haven’s outstanding art program here
View the video here
The article recounts how Tina’s trips with students at the YCBA caught the attention of Friedlaender and led to a collaboration that is a national model for serving special needs audiences. The authors have presented nationally about the collaboration, and in this article, share lessons learned that can be helpful to other arts organizations. Here is an excerpt:
“As CHSC’s Art Director, Tina Menchetti sought to offer a more expansive world to her students, taking them into the broader community as much as possible. She took trips to local galleries and museums, which were often stressful; students’ needs and desires to process and interact with the art were not always compatible with museum expectations. In 2009, Menchetti brought a small group of students to the Yale Center for British Art (YCBA), a university art museum that is free and open to all. When Linda Friedlaender, YCBA Head of Education, saw Menchetti and her students in the galleries, she recognized the potential for a program that could benefit the CHSC community, museum staff, and the broader public. This was the genesis of our Out to Art program. Up until the COVID-19 shutdown, we met weekly for a 1.5-hour, interactive experience in the galleries with follow-up hands-on activities. During the shutdown, classes took place over Zoom and today have resumed in a hybrid fashion with weekly Zoom classes and monthly visits to the museum. Classes are led by Menchetti, museum educators, and volunteer docents.’
Chapel Haven Schleifer Center joined with the Yale Center for British Art (YCBA) in an exhibit May 1 -15 that celebrates Out to Art, the 12-year collaboration between CHSC and the renowned Yale museum. This display of paintings from the collection were curated by adults from CHSC under the leadership of Tina Menchetti, Chapel Haven’s Art Director, and Linda Friedlaender, Head of Education at the YCBA. Linda and Tina work together with museum docents, led by Berclee Cameron, to provide this valuable program. The works chosen by the students range from landscapes to portraits created from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries. A video about the history of the Out to Art program will accompany the installation.
