DeCordova Museum School Summer Program to Focus on West Africa

LINCOLN, MA —The DeCordova Museum School will pitch tents in the Sculpture Park this summer to explore the polyrhythmic nature of life and art in West Africa. A region known for its oil, gold, timber, cocoa, and cola nut exports, it is also known for its magnificently varied wildlife and the richness of myth, tradition, and arts.

Create art inspired by many different peoples—Asante to Yoruba, rich in tradition and significance, where the arts are a part of everyday life. Through textiles, masks, power objects, writing systems, and sculptures, the West Africa Summer Program will delve into projects that reveal the lives and beliefs of the West African people. Pat terns on cloth can teach lessons about life; pictures and symbols can record history and impart wisdom for future generations. Discover a world that dwells in functional objects we call art.

The Museum School will run two separate sessions and one combined session of the West Africa Summer Program, which meets Monday through Friday from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Children aged 5 (if they have completed kindergarten) through 14 are invited to enroll.

Course 600A:	July 5 – 15	Members $415/Non-Members $460
Course 600B:	July 18 – 29	Members $470/ Non-Members $495
Course 600C:	July 5 – 29	Members $750/ Non-Members $795

The Museum School will offer another noteworthy program this summer as well: Teen Artisans’ Institute. This three-week intensive program is for teens with an artistic vision. Week one is dedicated to the art of printmaking and ceramics. In week two, the students head to Diablo Glass Studio in Jamaica Plain to learn the rudiments of glassblowing, fusing, and flameworking. Week three is all about the basics of stone sculpture, with afternoons dedicated to painting and collage. This program offers a chance of a lifetime to learn about materials, methods, and each student’s ability to grow as an artist. Students must provide a letter of recommendation from their school art teacher to be considered for this program. All materials, fees, and transportation included.

Teen Artisans’ Institute is intended for teens 15 and older. It meets Monday through Friday over the course of three weeks at the following times:

July 11 – 15	9:30 am – 4:30 pm
July 18 – 22	9 am – 5 pm
July 25 – 29	9:30 am – 4:30 pm

Course 700:

July 11 – 29

Members $1,595/Non-Members $1,695

For further details about either of the above programs, visit www.decordova.org or call the Education Department at 781/259-0505.

About the DeCordova Museum School

Located on the campus of DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, the DeCordova Museum School offers the largest non-degree granting art program in Massachusetts for students of all ages. In excess of 4,200 registrations are processed annually for over 400 classes and workshops in many disciplines, including book arts, ceramics, drawing, fiber arts, furniture, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and silversmithing. In recent years, the School has added new workshops that expand the media and focus of program offerings to include knitting, paste papers, glassblowing, felt making, sculptural papermaking, solarplate etching, and marketing skills for artists.

General Information

DeCordova Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm and on selected Monday holidays. General admission during Museum hours is $9 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, students, and youth ages 6–12. Children age 5 and under, Lincoln residents, and Active Duty Military Personnel and their dependents are admitted free. The Sculpture Park is open year round during daylight hours. The Store @ DeCordova and the School Gallery are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, Friday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday 11:30 am to 5:30 pm. T he Café @ DeCordova is open Tuesday from noon to 3 pm, and Wednesday through Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm. Free guided public tours of the Museum's main galleries take place every Thursday at 1 and Sunday at 2 pm. Free tours of the Sculpture Park are given on Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm from May to October. Visit www.decordova.org or call 781/259-8355 for further information.

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