Art Action

Call 215.340.9800 ext 126 or email randerson@michenerartmuseum.org with questions about our Art Action program.

	Students living in the Milford Square Transitional Housing Shelter in Upper Bucks County develop a variety of artistic skills during their weekly after school art program sponsored by the Michener Museum.

It is easy to forget what a luxury it is to wander in a museum, paint a picture, and laugh with your children. Art Action works with children from the Milford Square Transitional Housing Shelter to create dynamic and original works of art in a variety of media. Art Action also brings children and their parents from the Shelter to the Museum to learn, create, and spend quality time together. The Museum is currently working to expand this program to other shelters in Bucks County.

Michener Museum Supports Art Action

The Michener Museum supports Art Action, an after school creative arts program for families living in the Milford Square Transitional Housing Shelter in Upper Bucks County, PA. This program was initiated in 2001 through the generosity of the Neusch Foundation, and continues to this day supported by the Mellon Foundation.

Every year, in the shelter's modest art studio, children ages 2 - 18 work in the areas of painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, and sculpture during the program. Children also create sketchbooks, and keep these books as personal journals throughout the year. Children write poetry during some of the Art Action sessions. Children have their artwork displayed in the Children's Gallery in the month of June, and attend the children's reception in their honor as well. On this day children also have an opportunity to tour the Museum. Their favorite works include the Moon Goddess in the Sculpture Garden, the Garber mural, Over and Above by Clarence Carter and the Nakashima Room.

Through the Art Action program, the participants learn a lot about studio art, develop new skills and work with a variety of art materials. Most importantly, however, their work in the arts on a weekly basis touches their spirits. The experience is an inspiration to do well, to take pride in the appearance of a creation, to be willing to explore and experiment without the threat of failure. They build relationships, confidence, and an interest in a venue far removed from the challenges they face in their daily lives. They open up their eyes to a different world view, and learn that even personal interests like wrestling and dance and rap music and poetry can work their way into the visual arts.

This program is an incredible experience for all shelter families, and above all begins to break down unspoken barriers that exist as a result of the cultural contrast between formal institutions such as the Michener Art Museum and social assistance services such at the Milford Square Transitional Housing Shelter.

Herbert Read once said, "The purpose of art education is not to make more art and better artists; instead, it is to make better people and better communities." This is the goal of the Michener Art Museum, the Milford Square Shelter, generous local supporters, and other arts and social organizations in Bucks County and the Lehigh Valley as they continue to explore community outreach and diversity arts programs at the James A. Michener Art Museum.