Silvermine’s Art Partners program places professional teaching artists in the classrooms of area schools to offer hands-on workshops. Critical thinking, team teaching and integrated learning using many senses are the hallmarks of Art Partners. The program was launched in 1992 at K.T. Murphy Elementary School in Stamford with 65 first grade students participating. Today the program extends to three elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school having reached 700 students last year. During the past 15 years, more than 10,000 Norwalk and Stamford students between the ages of six and eighteen have benefited from participation in the Art Partners program.   

We have devised art-infused projects where visual art and language complement one another. Participation in the arts encourages critical thinking, analysis and judgment.

Upcoming projects for spring '08 include:

• An illustration project for fifth grade students at Brookside Elementary School offered by children's book illustrator Lizzy Rockwell.
• Cartooning workshops on the topic of health and fitness at the Ponus Ridge Middle School led by cartoonist Jerry Craft.
• A variety of workshops at Silvermine's printmaking studio under the direction of artist C,J. Guerin. for Briggs High School students

The following projects took place this fall:

·        Marta Kot offered an art workshop to first grade students from Norwalk’s Columbus Magnet School following their visit to New Pond Farm.

·        Thomas Mezzanotte conducted a pinhole photography workshop at Silvermine for students from Norwalk’s Briggs High School.

·        C.J. Guerin is offering a 24 week afterschool art workshop for students at Norwalk’s Nathan Hale Middle School in partnership with the Norwalk Afterschool Alliance. This program is funded by the Fairfield County Community Foundation.

·        Writer Deborah Batterman conducted Haiku writing workshops for fifth grade students followed by the design and painting of a mural at the Silvermine Elementary School led by Marta Kot. 

Contact Carol Nordgren at 203 966-9700, ext. 22 or prog [at] silvermineart.org for more information.

Art Partners is a recipient of funding from the NewAlliance Foundation, the Bank of America Foundation,  Fairfield County Bank, and People's United Community Foundation.