As the lights go out in the MAP students’ summer homeroom for the last time, I’m once again left with that mix of emotions that comes at end of a summer when a new group of teens have left their imprint on the program and on me. It never gets old to see the transformation in how students begin the program quiet, reserved and unsure, but leave confident, bonded and lamenting the program’s end.

As with every year, the program takes on a slightly different feel. This summer, the MAP students’ objective was to welcome and encourage 100 Acres visitors to interact with the Park’s natural environments, and its installations through games and activities which they facilitated. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Art and Nature Park, Education

The IMA MAP employs high school sophomores and juniors during the spring and summer to explore what’s happening behind the scenes of the IMA, while working on projects alongside Museum staff. This year, the MAP teens are learning about 100 Acres, its inaugural artists and planning creative experiences that will encourage Park visitors to engage with nature, art and with one another.

Hello, my name is Donte. My thoughts about the museum are just all positive. It is a beautiful and resourceful place to be. It is way more than a museum to me and I’m sure it is to others.

My MAP experience thus far has been great. Just simply art informational and filled with opportunities. As an artist, I always look forward to being or working at the IMA.

In this experience I look forward to coming out of here with way more art knowledge than I had, overcoming mental obstacles, understanding more about nature, and getting the experience to work with a group.

Filed under: Education, Guest Bloggers

The IMA MAP employs high school sophomores and juniors during the spring and summer to explore what’s happening behind the scenes of the IMA, while working on projects alongside Museum staff. This year, the MAP teens are learning about 100 Acres, its inaugural artists and planning creative experiences that will encourage Park visitors to engage with nature, art and with one another.

Hi, my name is Kazeerat, I’m 15 years old and a junior at Northwest High School. I work at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the job is very awesome. I get to work with great people and I have fun everyday. I love the art.

The art [in 100 Acres] is so huge and beautiful. Anyone who sees it is going to love it. We also have some famous artists coming to the Museum [for the 100 Acres Opening] so it’s your time to see them. I urge you to come.

You have no idea how fun all this is because as soon as you see [the art] you just fall in live with it. I think the Museum is like no other one.

Filed under: Education, Guest Bloggers

The IMA MAP employs high school sophomores and juniors during the spring and summer to explore what’s happening behind the scenes of the IMA, while working on projects alongside Museum staff. This year, the MAP teens are learning about 100 Acres, its inaugural artists and planning creative experiences that will encourage Park visitors to engage with nature, art and with one another.

Hi, my name is Alberto Argueta and I am one of six people in the IMA MAP Program. I’m Mexican American and from Chicago, Illinois and now live in Indiana. Being a part of the MAP Program at the Museum has been fun and I hope to get and give a lot to the program.

Art has always been something I’ve liked to do and see, so this is a big opportunity for me. One of the projects we were given was to partner up and go to the 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, and basically find a spot and do whatever you were inspired to do.

Jakob and I made a small map and built this small house out of sticks and leaves. We took nature and embraced it. I had a lot of fun and hope there will be more where that came from. PEACE.

Filed under: Art and Nature Park, Education

What I would have given for the opportunity to work in an art museum as a teenager—to have had access to such beautiful settings and stimulating interactions. Rather, like a lot of young first time job seekers; I wound up in the slippery kitchen of the fast food industry.

But this blog is not about me. Instead, I’d like to introduce to you the teens of the 2010 IMA Museum Apprentice Program (MAP). The IMA MAP employs high school sophomores and juniors during the spring and summer to explore what’s happening behind the scenes of the IMA, while working on projects alongside Museum staff.

This year, the MAP teens are learning about 100 Acres and planning creative experiences that will encourage Park visitors to engage with nature, art and with one another.

Check back as the MAP teens will be blogging about their experiences with art, nature and other things that catch their interest.

Hello, I’m Jakob, a junior at Herron High School and a member of the IMA Apprenticeship Program. This is my inaugural blog post, the first of what I hope to be many this summer. We’re still in training, but all signs are pointing to this summer being outstanding, and I’m really enjoying the atmosphere of the museum and its staff. I’ve always had fun at the museum, but now that I have the time to really take a look at things around here in detail, I’m finding more and more to admire.

It’s a great place for me considering how often I think about aesthetics anyways (I’m planning on going to art school), and I’m very happy to work at a place where everything I look at, from what’s on the walls to the design of the building and its grounds, is instructive and worth studying.

I’ll leave with an example of what I mean:

Filed under: Education