Education To Exhibitions: Summer At The Heckscher
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By Lauren Peller
info@longislandergroup.com
Each day, Heckscher Museum provides visitors with interesting educational programming and varied exhibitions to explore. Keep reading below for an inside look at some of the offerings the museum will have this summer.
Education
The education department at Heckscher has packed the summer schedule full of interesting and varied classes for community members to indulge in.
The “Drop In & Paint” program is open for kids, ages 5-10, each Wednesday, 10:30-11:30 a.m. The program, held outdoors in Heckscher Park, will showcase different painting skills, and offer individualized attention from museum educators. There will also be a “Drop In & Draw” program held throughout August.
Joy Weiner, director of education at the museum, wants to encourage students to sign up for the “Drop In” art programs this summer.
“A great way to start your summer day is to experiment with art. The weekly ‘Drop In’ programs this summer allow young artists to be inspired by the artwork at the museum in addition to learning drawing and painting techniques.”
On July 18, the museum is hosting “Be a Friend, Bring a Friend,” a program allowing visitors to bring a friend to the museum for free.
The museum offers special docent tours Wednesday-Sunday, 2-5 p.m.
Additionally, each “Sunday Sketching” will be open to students each Sunday through Aug. 27.
“Students will pull up a chair in the museum and become inspired by the artwork,” Weiner said.
For the monthly Senior Second Wednesday program, through which visitors ages 62 and up are admitted for free 1:30-5 p.m., renowned musicians Michelle Laporte and Gerry Saulter will perform as Serenade Duo. The performance is set for 2 p.m. on Aug. 9. Admission will also be half-price for the general public that day.
For the third summer, Heckscher has partnered with Dix Hills-based Park Shore Day Camp for the Extreme STEAM program, which offers classes that combine art projects with various topics in science.
Weiner said, “This program is awesome for students who are eager to learn. Students get hands on experience with art. They even have the opportunity to attend a field trip to the museum to see art exhibits in person.”
The various educational programs are all run by trained museum educators.
“There’s no experience required. Bring a desire to have fun and an open mind,” Weiner said.
Exhibitions
Heckscher Museum’s current exhibits reflect water, nature, narratives and more.
The exhibit “Thaddeus Holownia Walden Revisited” will be on view in the museum until July 30. It pays homage to American writer Henry David Thoreau, whose experiment with simple living occurred at Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. “The monumental photographs that cover the walls of the museum detail nature and trees. These are enveloping images that make an impression on the viewer,” Jill Rowen, marketing director at Heckscher, said.
Another exhibit that focuses on the reflection of nature is “Earth Muse: Art and the Environment,” which will be in the museum until July 30. The exhibit highlights arial images of Long Island waters reflecting the beauty and diversity of nature.
A continuing exhibit that is currently in the museum is “The Art of Narrative.”
Rowen added, “Everyone can relate to his exhibition which makes it so unique. Each artwork tells its own story.”
The exhibit is comprised of sculpture, photography, prints and paintings dating from the 16th- through 20th- centuries.
Joy Weiner said, “One artwork that kids in our education programs typically gravitate towards from “The Art of Narrative” collection is the Subway Series by Gary Erbe.” Through his paintings, Erbe creates the illusion that the objects in his paintings are real by painting each item life size, in addition to using shadow and texture techniques.
Heckscher Museum will be closed July 31-Aug. 4 due to exhibition changes.
“Ebb & Flow” will be the new exhibit to see in August and it is perfect for the summer season. Featuring over 55 paintings, prints and photographs, Ebb & Flow depicts images featuring the Long Island shores. This exhibit highlights many local Long Island artists and is the “first time the museum has dedicated an entire exhibit to seascapes from its permanent collection,” Weiner stated.
