About Community Partnerships

The Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block (TMA) partners with several local organizations to developed collaborative arts programming consisting of gallery conversations and art-making to foster confidence, empathy, and creativity as well as support life and interpersonal skills. These community partnerships build long-term relationships that extend beyond a field trip or single visit to the museum. Through these programs TMA opens itself up to imaginative opportunities that encourage audiences to engage with the museum’s collections, exhibitions, and programs as well as their own artistic expression.

Museum as Sanctuary

TMA’s Museum as Sanctuary program focuses on community collaborations that highlight the benefits of creative expression and language acquisition through artmaking and in-gallery activities. Since 2010, TMA has worked with organizations serving immigrant and refugee audiences in Tucson. This program began with a single partner, Owl & Panther, with the purpose of developing a series of expressive arts workshops. In 2016, with the support of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, TMA expanded its network of partners.

School partnerships

Students visit TMA weekly for both hands-on and gallery-based learning opportunities. One of these partnerships is with Davis Bilingual Elementary, which began in 2009. These students visit every Wednesday afternoon throughout the school year. Since 2012, students from Imago Dei Middle School enjoy arts activities on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and periodic Saturdays.

471638967_10160871622427703_1984182786857648593_n

Photo by Rod Mikinski.

The Art of Memory

TMA’s education department has been partnering with the Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest Chapter since 2007 for the museum’s Art of Memory. This program is designed for people with early to mid-stages of dementia and their care givers. In-gallery conversations and hands-on artmaking take place on Friday mornings during the academic school year.

This program is funded by:

VA’s Southwestern Blind Rehabilitation Center

TMA’s Southwestern Blind Rehabilitation Center’s (SWBRC) program’s mission is to provide blinded Veterans with skills necessary to achieving greater independence in their everyday lives. This program takes place on a quarterly basis and consists of two-hour, educator led gallery “touch tours” along with visual description of the artworks.

About Community Partnerships

Museum as Sanctuary

School partnerships

The Art of Memory

VA’s Southwestern Blind Rehabilitation Center

Hours

Information

Newsletter

Contact

Connect