This spring, the Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) invites educators and families to connect with art, architecture, and local history in the distance-learning adapted HMA Student Docent program: See, Think, Wonder: Bridgeport!
Available to download, free of charge, See, Think, Wonder: Bridgeport includes four 25-minute video episodes and a printable Teacher Toolkit. Throughout the series, students examine maps, seals and symbols, artifacts, and architecture - all within walking distance of the Housatonic Museum of Art, located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport, on the Housatonic Community College campus.
“The Museum creates learning experiences to inspire students,” says Museum Director Robbin Zella. “This experience provides an opportunity to explore our arts and cultural heritage while developing visual and analytical skills.”
Since 2000, the HMA Student Docent program has welcomed hundreds of Bridgeport students and teachers to investigate art and architecture up-close and in-person. As a virtual offering, the HMA Student Docent program: See, Think, Wonder: Bridgeport encourages even more students to engage with their local history and meet community leaders.
Collaboration between the Housatonic Museum of Art and the Mary and Eliza Freeman Center for History and Community runs especially deep. The Museum currently hosts the exhibition Restoration and Reunion: Reimagining Bridgeport’s Little Liberia, and has recently unveiled street banners inspired by the history of Little Liberia, developed by HMA Student Docent program students and Artist-in-Residence Paula Frisch.
The HMA Student Docent program is made possible through support from the Werth Family Foundation and the Housatonic Community College Foundation. To learn more about exhibitions, education programs, and planning your visit to the Housatonic Museum of Art, please visit the Museum website at https://museum.housatonic.edu/.
The Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) is located on the Housatonic Community College campus, located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport. It is home to one of the premier college art collections in the United States. The museum’s collection offers the opportunity to view works that span the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary and is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
Caption For Photo Above: In an architectural walking tour of downtown Bridgeport, students become “experts” about several iconic buildings.
Caption For Photo Right: Through engaging artifacts, students learn about Little Liberia, a community of free people of color living in Bridgeport, 1821-1855.
Caption For Photo Right: Street banners to celebrate the legacy of Little Liberia were developed by students in the HMA Student Docent program together with Artist-in-Residence Paula Frisch.