Newark Museum Association

THE NEWARK MUSEUM OF ART OPERATES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC AS A MUSEUM OF SERVICE.

EXHIBITIONS AND FACILITIES:CARLOS VILLA: WORLDS IN COLLISIONCARLOS VILLA: WORLDS IN COLLISION WAS ON VIEW FEBRUARY 17 - MAY 8 AND PRESENTED THE FIRST MAJOR MUSEUM RETROSPECTIVE DEDICATED TO THE WORK OF A FILIPINO AMERICAN ARTIST, CELEBRATING THE GROUNDBREAKING CAREER OF CARLOS VILLA (1936-2013). VILLA'S PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, SCULPTURES, SELF-PORTRAITS, AND PERFORMANCE ART ARE FILLED WITH IMAGERY INSPIRED BY HIS STUDY OF NON-WESTERN ART AND CULTURE, INCLUDING ETHNOGRAPHIC OBJECTS HE OBSERVED IN MUSEUM COLLECTIONS. IN HIS MIXED MEDIA WORKS FROM THE LATE 1960S ONWARD, VILLA CREATED FEATHERED ASSEMBLAGES ON UNSTRETCHED CANVAS, EVOKING SHAMANIC CAPES, THE ROBES OF HAWAIIAN NOBILITY, AND THE CATHOLIC VESTMENTS OF HIS ALTAR-BOY YOUTH. IN LATER WORKS HE CREATED BODY PRINTS AND BODY CASTINGS TO CENTER HIS OWN BROWN BODY IN CONTEMPORARY ART. SHOWCASING THIRTY-SIX WORKS CREATED BETWEEN 1959 AND 2011, CARLOS VILLA: WORLDS IN COLLISION INTRODUCED A REMARKABLE CONTEMPORARY ARTIST TO NEW AUDIENCES, ILLUMINATING THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ROOTS, AS WELL AS THE GLOBAL IMPORTANCE, OF VILLA'S ART.JAZZ GREATS: CLASSIC PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE BANK OF AMERICA COLLECTION & BILLIE HOLIDAY AT SUGAR HILLON VIEW JUNE 9 - AUGUST 21, JAZZ GREATS: CLASSIC PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE BANK OF AMERICA COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTED PHOTOGRAPHS OF JAZZ MUSICIANS CAPTURED BY PHOTOGRAPHERS AS DYNAMIC AS THEIR SUBJECTS. THESE PHOTOGRAPHS PORTRAYED JAZZ MUSIC AS HONEST, SENSUAL, AND IMPROVISATIONAL GENRE HISTORICALLY AT THE FOREFRONT OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC.ALSO ON VIEW JUNE 9 - AUGUST 21, THE BILLIE HOLIDAY AT SUGAR HILL: PHOTOGRAPHS BY JERRY DANTZIC EXHIBITION FEATUREED PHOTOGRAPHS BY PHOTOJOURNALIST JERRY DANTZIC WHO RECEIVED SPECIAL ACCESS TO BILLIE HOLIDAY'S PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIFE DURING A WEEK-LONG RESIDENCY AT THE SUGAR HILL NIGHTCLUB IN NEWARK, NJ. DANTZIC'S PHOTOGRAPHY UNVEILED AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF HOLIDAY THAT HIGHLIGHTED HER DIGNITY AND HUMANITY AND SERVED TO CHALLENGE THE NARRATIVE THAT FREQUENTLY DEFINES HER. SIXTY YEARS AFTER HER PASSING, BILLIE HOLIDAY'S PASSION AND ORIGINALITY COME THROUGH IN EACH OF HER SONGS AND IS FOREVER IMMORTALIZED IN THESE UNIQUE PHOTOGRAPHS.ENDANGERED! WHAT THREATS DO ANIMALS FACE IN AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD? THIS EXHIBIT, WHICH WAS ON VIEW NOVEMBER 21, 2021 - APRIL 24, 2022, EXPLORED THE STORIES BEHIND SOME EXTINCT, THREATENED AND LOWER RISK SPECIES, AS WELL AS HOW HUMAN BEHAVIOR AFFECTS ANIMALS.VISITORS WERE INVITED TO MAKE A PROMISE TO HELP SAVE VARIOUS ANIMALS WORLDWIDE.ANIMAL KINGDOMON SEPTEMBER 23, 2022, THE MUSEUM LAUNCHED ITS LATEST EXHIBITION ANIMAL KINGDOM IN THE RENOVATED 5,000 SQUARE FOOT VICTORIA ART+SCIENCE+TECH GALLERIES. THIS RE-IMAGINED INSTALLATION HAS TRANSFORMED AND REJUVENATED THE SPACE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER TWENTY YEARS INTO INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCES THAT COMBINE ART, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN NEW JERSEY. WITH THE LAUNCH OF ANIMAL KINGDOM, NMOA IS LEANING INTO TECHNOLOGY AND RECOMMITTING TO BEING A FIRST-CLASS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE FOR NEW JERSEY STUDENTS AND FAMILIES AND TO MEET NJ CORE CURRICULUM AND CONTENT STANDARDS. UNEXPECTED COLOR: A JOURNEY THROUGH GLASSTHIS EXHIBITION, WHICH OPENED ON MAY 1, 2019 AND IS ON VIEW THROUGH 2024 SHOWCASES MORE THAN 130 WORKS IN GLASS FROM THE COLLECTION OF MUSEUM DIRECTOR THOMAS N. ARMSTRONG III MADE BY STEUBEN GLASS WORKS CO-FOUNDER AND DESIGNER FREDERICK CARDER. CARDER EXPERIMENTED WITH GLASSBLOWING TECHNIQUES TO CREATE VIBRANT JEWEL-TONED COLORS. VISITORS CAN FOLLOW THAT GLASS THROUGH MULTIPLE SETTINGS THAT ARMSTRONG COLLECTED AND USED IN HIS HOMES. CARDER'S DESIGNS WERE INSPIRED BY ANCIENT ROMAN, CHINESE, AND ART NOUVEAU GLASS, EXAMPLES OF WHICH CAN BE FOUND THROUGHOUT THE NEWARK MUSEUM OF ART GALLERIES, PROVIDING A HISTORICAL AND GLOBAL CONTEXT FOR UNEXPECTED COLOR.SAYA WOOLFALK: FIELD NOTES FROM THE EMPATHIC UNIVERSETHIS EXHIBITION WAS ON VIEW OCTOBER 21 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2022 AND WAS THE THIRD ITERATION OF NMOA'S GLOBAL CONTEMPORARY PROGRAM, WHICH SHOWCASED NEW WORK BY LIVING ARTISTS IN DIALOGUE WITH THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTIONS. THE EXHIBITION, WHICH WELCOMED VISITORS INTO WOOLFALK'S KALEIDOSCOPIC AND CULTURALLY HYBRID WORLDS, FEATURED AN IMMERSIVE VIDEO INSTALLATION EXPLORING PORTRAITURE AND A SERIES OF NEW MIXED MEDIA COLLAGES, ALL ACCESSED THROUGH THE NORTH WING ELEVATOR, TRANSFORMED BY WOOLFALK'S DIGITALLY COLLAGED MURALS. KNOWN FOR HER SITE-SPECIFIC MULTIMEDIA WORKS THAT INVESTIGATE GLOBAL TRADITIONS AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCE, WOOLFALK IS THE CREATOR OF THE EMPATHICS - FICTIONAL FUTURISTIC BEINGS WHO TIME-TRAVEL AND SHAPE-SHIFT ACROSS THE MULTIVERSE. FOR THIS EXHIBITION WOOLFALK STUDIED THE MUSEUM'S HERBARIA (PLANT SPECIMENS) AND LANDSCAPE PAINTING COLLECTIONS, REINTERPRETING THESE ARTIFACTS - AND THEIR RELATION TO AMERICAN IDENTITY - FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE EMPATHICS.SAYA WOOLFALK: TUMBLING INTO LANDSCAPEA COMPANION AND LONGER-TERM EXHIBITION TITLED SAYA WOOLFALK: TUMBLING INTO LANDSCAPE IN THE HISTORIC AMERICAN GALLERIES SEEING AMERICA: 18TH AND 19TH CENTURIES, OPENED ON OCTOBER 7, 2021 AND IS ON VIEW THROUGH SUMMER 2023. AS ARTIST IN RESIDENCE SINCE 2019, WOOLFALK IMMERSED HERSELF IN THE MUSEUM'S AMERICAN ART AND NATURAL SCIENCE COLLECTIONS. WITH SAYA WOOLFALK: TUMBLING INTO LANDSCAPE THE ARTIST HAS CREATED AN INTERVENTION EXPLORING QUESTIONS OF IDENTITY AND BELONGING IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE LAND AND MULTIPLE HISTORIES OF THE UNITED STATES. DRAWING ATTENTION TO WHAT IS REPRESENTED - AND MORE OFTEN NOT REPRESENTED - IN THESE LUMINOUS, EDEN-LIKE PAINTINGS, TUMBLING INTO LANDSCAPE FEATURES A NEW SELF-PORTRAIT BY WOOLFALK WITH A SELECTION OF THE MUSEUM'S HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL PAINTINGS, INCLUDING SIX RECENTLY CONSERVED WORKS ON VIEW FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DECADES.WORLDS IN COLLISION: SELECTIONS FROM THE ASIAN PACIFIC COLLECTIONORGANIZED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TRAVELING EXHIBITION CARLOS VILLA: WORLDS IN COLLISION, THIS INSTALLATION SHOWCASES WORKS FROM ACROSS THE MUSEUM'S ASIAN ART COLLECTION AND IS ON VIEW FROM FEBRUARY 17 THROUGH SPRING 2024. CARLOS VILLA: WORLDS IN COLLISION WAS ORGANIZED BY THE ASIAN ART MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO AND SAN FRANCISCO ART INSTITUTE, WHERE IT WAS ON VIEW JUNE 17, 2022 - OCTOBER 29, 2022.FILIPINO AMERICAN ARTIST CARLOS VILLA (1936-2013) WAS INSPIRED BY WORKS OF ART FROM NON-WESTERN CULTURES, LIKE THOSE ON VIEW IN THIS GALLERY, THAT SHARED A COLONIAL HISTORY WITH THE PHILIPPINES.THREE HALF LOZENGES BY PHILLIP K. SMITH IIINMOA DEBUTED THE LATEST PERMANENT ART INSTALLATION BY RENOWNED LIGHT ARTIST PHILLIP K. SMITH III DURING THE EVENING OF SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2021, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NEWARK ARTS FESTIVAL. THREE HALF LOZENGES ILLUMINATES THE MAIN FACADE OF THE MUSEUM, STANDING AS A BEACON FOR THE CITY OF NEWARK AND ACTIVATING THE DOWNTOWN ARTS DISTRICT. THE INSTALLATION IS SMITH'S FIRST MAJOR, SITE-SPECIFIC ARTWORK ON THE EAST COAST. LOCATED WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF DOWNTOWN NEWARK AND ITS DEVELOPING ARTS DISTRICT, THE INSTALLATION IS UNIQUELY COLOR CHOREOGRAPHED BY SMITH AS A PRECISELY PACED, FULL-SPECTRUM WORK EXPERIENCED FROM THE STREETS AND THE SURROUNDING WASHINGTON PARK. SHIFTING FROM FULL FIELDS OF COLOR TO GRADATING LINES AND CURVES, THE THREE HALF-LOZENGE SHAPED WINDOWS OPERATE AS A MONUMENTAL LIGHT-BASED TRIPTYCH AT THE SCALE OF ARCHITECTURE. DURING THE DAY, THE FACADE REMAINS ITS TRUE, HISTORICAL SELF. AT SUNSET, THE WINDOWS SLOWLY EMERGE AS FULL COLOR, RECONFIGURING ONE'S EXPERIENCE OF THE NEWARK MUSEUM OF ART, WASHINGTON PARK, AND THE CITY ITSELF.BALLANTINE HOUSE OVER AN 11-MONTH PERIOD IN 2022, THE MUSEUM UNDERTOOK A COMPREHENSION EXTERIOR RESTORATION OF THE HISTORIC 1885 BALLANTINE HOUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NEARLY 30 YEARS. ENGAGING AN EXPERT PRESERVATION ARCHITECTURAL FIRM AND A RANGE OF PERIOD-ACCURATE ARTISAN CONTRACTORS, THIS MASSIVE PROJECT RETURNED THE HOUSE TO ITS ORIGINAL APPEARANCE. THIS REQUIRED THE FABRICATIONS OF 1,324 CAST CONCRETE COPIES TO REPLACE THE CRUMBLING SANDSTONE; THE REMOVAL, RESTORATION, AND REPAINTING OF 73 WINDOWS; AND THE COMPLETE REBUILDING OF THE FAILING PORTICO. IN ADDITION, THE METAL CORNICE AND ROOFS REQUIRED INTENSIVE TREATMENT.

REGISTRAR AND CURATORIAL:THE NEWARK MUSEUM OF ART'S VAST AND DIVERSE COLLECTIONS OF MORE THAN 300,000 OBJECTS, RANKS, IN TERMS OF ITS HOLDINGS, AMONG THE TOP 12 MUSEUMS NATIONALLY.THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION COMPRISES ARTWORK IN THE DEPARTMENTS OF AMERICAN ART, ARTS OF THE AMERICAS, ARTS OF THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN, ARTS OF GLOBAL AFRICA, ARTS OF GLOBAL ASIA, DECORATIVE ARTS, NUMISMATICS, AND A NATURAL SCIENCE COLLECTION. THE MUSEUM IS ALSO THE HOME OF THE HISTORIC BALLANTINE HOUSE.11 PURCHASES, 0 GIFTS, AND 3 TRANSFERS WERE ACCESSIONED INTO THE PERMANENT COLLECTION; 32 OBJECTS WERE DEACCESSIONED FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION.

EDUCATION AND PUBLIC PROGRAM:FROM A CHILD'S FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH A MUSEUM THROUGH TO HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION AND BEYOND, THE NEWARK MUSEUM OF ART CENTERS THE LEARNER IN ALL ITS SCHOOL AND FAMILY PROGRAMS. HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES SUPPORT THE EDUCATIONAL, SOCIAL, AND CULTURAL NEEDS OF ITS AUDIENCE, PROVIDING INNOVATIVE AND ENGAGING SCHOOL AND FAMILY PROGRAMMING FOR VISITORS OF ALL AGES TO TAKE PART IN LIFELONG LEARNING. THESE PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED TO ATTRACT DIVERSE AUDIENCES AND TO ADDRESS THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF LOCAL, STATEWIDE, AND EVEN NATIONAL COMMUNITIES. NMOA OFFERS ONSITE, IN-PERSON EXPERIENCES FOR CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND ADULTS WHILE CONTINUING TO OFFER VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS AND ONLINE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES THAT THEY WOULD OTHERWISE BE UNABLE TO EXPERIENCE.THE MUSEUM'S LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT TEAM CONTINUES TO BE A CULTURAL ANCHOR AND ADVOCATE FOR ARTS PARTNERS OF ALL SIZES, WORKING WITH OVER 60 LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS IN 2022. NMOA WORKS WITH NEWARK-BASED VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTISTS, BOTH ESTABLISHED AND UNDER-RECOGNIZED, TO DRAW INSPIRATION FROM THE COLLECTION AND THE COMMUNITY TO ENLIVEN THE DIVERSE CULTURAL TRADITIONS AND HISTORIES OF THE GREATER NEWARK AREA THROUGH EVENTS SUCH AS COMMUNITY DAYS, ART AFTER DARK, CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS, AND SCHOOL RESIDENCIES. THESE EFFORTS ARE SUPPORTED BY THE MUSEUM'S COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WHICH COMPRISES LEADERS FROM CULTURAL, SOCIAL, AND EDUCATIONAL SECTORS IN NEWARK AND ESSEX COUNTY, WHO BRING ADDED VALUE AND IMPORTANT VOICES TO NMOA'S EXHIBITIONS AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS.CURRICULUM-ALIGNED PROGRAMMING FOR K - 12TH STUDENTS AND TEACHERSTHE MUSEUM SERVED 25,926 NEW JERSEY STUDENTS IN GRADES PRE-K THROUGH 12 THROUGH ITS EXTENSIVE OFFERINGS OF IN PERSON AND VIRTUAL SCHOOL PROGRAMS. THESE PROGRAMS, WHICH UTILIZE AN INTERDISCIPLINARY, ARTS INTEGRATION APPROACH TO LEARNING, RANGE FROM SINGLE-VISIT PROGRAMS TO MULTI-SESSION, IN-DEPTH RESIDENCIES THAT PROVIDE SEQUENTIAL LEARNING. ALL THE MUSEUM'S SCHOOL PROGRAMS ALIGN WITH NEW JERSEY STATE CURRICULUM CONTENT STANDARDS FOR ART, SOCIAL STUDIES, AND SCIENCE, AND ENRICH STUDENT LEARNING BY DRAWING UPON THE MUSEUM'S ART AND SCIENCE COLLECTIONS. THE MUSEUM WORKS CLOSELY WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS, ESPECIALLY THE NEWARK PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, TO DEVELOP AND PRESENT PROGRAMS THAT MEET THE NEEDS OF NEW JERSEY'S STUDENTS. CREATIVE PLAY, AN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR FAMILIESCREATIVE PLAY WEEKEND PROGRAMS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD AUDIENCES AND THEIR FAMILIES CONTINUED TO SERVE THE YOUNGEST OF LEARNERS THROUGH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL FORMATS. IN THESE WEEKLY SESSIONS, 883 CHILDREN AGES 3-5 AND THEIR CAREGIVERS EXPLORED THE MUSEUM'S ART AND SCIENCE COLLECTIONS THROUGH STORYTELLING, SONG, PLAYFUL ACTIVITIES, AND AN ART-MAKING PROJECT. A SELECTION OF 2022 AND 2023 SESSIONS INCLUDE SEED MAGIC, SPLISH SPLASH, COLOR MANIA, SUN PRINTS, ETC.FAMILY DROP-INS & IMAGINATION STATIONFAMILY DROP-IN IN THE COURT AND IMAGINATION STATION PROGRAMS IN THE MAKERSPACE ENGAGED YOUTH AND FAMILIES DURING THE YEAR, FOR A TOTAL OF OVER 4,629 PARTICIPANTS. PROJECTS MADE USE OF HOUSEHOLD MATERIALS TO DESIGN, BUILD AND TEST AS CHILDREN EXPLORED THEIR CREATIVITY AND LEARNED NEW TECHNIQUES AND CONCEPTS IN ART, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. PROGRAMS INCLUDED SESSIONS FOR YOUTH AGES 5-10+ EXPLORING ENJOY MOVEMENT, ARTMAKING, SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS AND STORYTELLING SESSIONS. CAMP NMOAIN 2022, CAMP NMOA RAN FOR SIX WEEKS, FROM JULY 11 - AUGUST 19, 2022. A TOTAL OF 364 NEWARK-AREA CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 3 AND 14 PARTICIPATED IN A VARIETY OF EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES THAT EXPLORED THE MUSEUM'S ART AND SCIENCE COLLECTIONS. CAMP ACTIVITIES INCLUDED: ART MAKING; HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS IN THE MAKERSPACE; SCIENCE LABS; OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES; AND A WEEKLY SHOWCASE INCLUDING DANCE, THEATER AND SPOKEN WORD PERFORMANCES BY CAMPERS. EXPLORERS PROGRAMTHE NEWARK MUSEUM OF ART'S (NMOA) EXPLORERS PROGRAM, A COLLEGE, CAREER, AND LIFE READINESS PROGRAM, ENABLES NEWARK-AREA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO BUILD ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND SELF-CONFIDENCE THROUGH A CURRICULUM THAT DRAWS UPON THE MUSEUM'S UNIQUE COLLECTIONS, RESOURCES, AND STAFF. OVER THE PAST YEAR, THE EXPLORERS PROGRAM FULFILLED ITS COMMITMENT TO ITS 39 STUDENTS THROUGH VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS, VISITS, AND TRAININGS, CULMINATING WITH THE EXPLORERS GRADUATION AND NMOA ART BALL.IN JULY 2022, THE EXPLORERS KICKED OFF THE 2022-2023-YEAR. THIS COMMUNITY OF STUDENTS MET WEEKLY EITHER AS A GROUP OR INDIVIDUALLY WITH MUSEUM STAFF FOR UP TO 15 HOURS A WEEK OF PAID WORK STUDY IN JULY AND AUGUST, AND UP TO 7-10 HOURS PER WEEK OF INDEPENDENT RESEARCH AND PAID WORK STUDY DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR. STARTING FROM OCTOBER 2022, EXPLORERS WERE BACK IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM AND ALSO TOOK PART AND STAFFED NEWLY RETURNED ONSITE COMMUNITY DAYS, PUBLIC PROGRAMS, AND FUNDRAISING EVENTS LIKE THE ANNUAL ART BALL. EACH STUDENT DEDICATED AROUND 50 HOURS OF PUBLIC PROGRAM WORK OVER THE YEAR. EXPLORERS ALSO PARTICIPATED IN FOCUS GROUPS THAT RESPONDED TO THE ELEMENTS OF ENDANGERED! AND ANIMAL KINGDOM, NEW IMMERSIVE MUSEUM EXPERIENCES. IN THIS WAY, THEIR PERSPECTIVE AS TEENS AND MUSEUMGOERS HELPED TO INFORM AND ENHANCE THE MUSEUM'S PROGRAMMING AND OUTREACH. BEGINNING IN THE FALL, EACH EXPLORER SPENT APPROXIMATELY 40 HOURS PARTICIPATING IN WORKSHOP SESSIONS ON A VARIETY OF TOPICS. THESE CLASSES RANGED IN FOCUS FROM MUSEUM-SPECIFIC TRAINING ON HOW TO LOOK AT AND INTERPRET ART TO REAL-WORLD INSTRUCTION ON EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND CAREER BUILDING SKILLS. MUSEUM STAFF AND NMOA PARTNERS WORKED WITH THE EXPLORERS ON: - ART AND MUSEUM WORKSHOPS: FRESHMAN THOUGH SENIOR EXPLORERS TOOK PART IN ART-INTERPRETATION AND PRESENTATION WORKSHOPS WITH MUSEUM STAFF WHICH COVERED TOPICS ON VISUAL THINKING STRATEGIES (VTS) TO ENGAGE ART-VIEWERS OF ALL AGES, TOUR WRITING AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT TRAININGS WHICH WERE USED TO INSPIRE EXPLORER-LED TOURS AND EXPLORER-DESIGNED PUBLIC PROGRAMS, AND ARTIST PERSPECTIVE AND IDENTITY COURSES TO DISCUSS AND UNDERSTAND MULTIVALENT PERSPECTIVES. IN ADDITION, THE EXPLORERS PARTICIPATED IN 5 VISITS TO SCIENCE & ART INSTITUTIONS TO BROADEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF ART AND SCIENCE EDUCATION. THESE INSTITUTIONS INCLUDED AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, FRANKLIN INSTITUTE, SPYSCAPE MUSEUM, AND THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM.- CAREER READINESS WORKSHOPS: EXPLORERS HONED THEIR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS BY TAKING WORKSHOPS AND COMPLETING TRAININGS IN TIME MANAGEMENT AND PROFESSIONAL WORK ETIQUETTE TO PREPARE THEM FOR THEIR FUTURE CAREERS, AS WELL AS JOB APPLICATION TRAINING AND ASSISTANCE WITH MOCK INTERVIEWS AND RESUME BUILDING COURSES TO ASSIST THEM IN PROCURING PART TIME WORK AS HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS, AND TO GIVE THEM A LEG UP FOR JOINING THE WORKFORCE UPON GRADUATION. - LIFE SKILL WORKSHOPS: IN ORDER TO COMPLEMENT THE EXPLORERS TRAININGS ON EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, THEY ALSO TOOK PART IN LIFE SKILLS WORKSHOPS. PUBLIC SPEAKING AND TEAM BUILDING CLASSES ALLOWED THE EXPLORERS TO DEVELOP THEIR CONFIDENCE AND ELOQUENCE, WHILE FINANCIAL LITERACY, BUDGETING, CREDIT AND LOAN AND INVESTING CLASSES GAVE THE EXPLORERS A JUMP START IN PREPARING FOR LIFE AS INDEPENDENT ADULTS. EXPLORERS ATTENDED SAT TRAINING AS APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR GRADE LEVEL. MUSEUM STAFF PARTNERED WITH CERTIFIED TRAINERS FROM THE PRINCETON REVIEW TO PROVIDE GROUP TRAINING SESSIONS ON TESTING AND STUDY TECHNIQUES. IN ADDITION, EXPLORERS TOOK 12-15 HOURS OF PRACTICE TESTS AND PREPARATION WORKSHOPS. THEY ALSO HAD UNLIMITED ACCESS TO ONLINE TOOLS AND MATERIALS FROM THE PRINCETON REVIEW FOR A FULL 12-MONTH PERIOD. AS A RESULT, THIS YEAR THE EXPLORERS REPORTED A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN SCORES OF 200-300 POINTS ON AVERAGE.EVALUATION AND IMPACTTHE NMOA'S PUBLIC AND SCHOOL PROGRAMS IMPACTED ITS COMMUNITY NEEDS IN NUMEROUS WAYS. IN 2022 THE MUSEUM WITNESSED AN INCREASE OF ATTENDANCE TO BOTH PUBLIC AND SCHOOL PROGRAMS. IN 2022, PUBLIC PROGRAMS ENGAGED OVER 30,000 VISITORS SURPASSING PRE-PANDEMIC NUMBERS, WHILE SCHOOL PROGRAMS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (17,000) COMPARED TO 2021. PUBLIC PROGRAM SURVEYS RESPONSES IN 2022 INDICATED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF 30% IN DIVERSITY AMONGST OUR ATTENDEES, WHO WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY YOUNGER (+32% UNDER 45 AND +19% UNDER 18) COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS YEAR. SATISFACTION WITH PUBLIC PROGRAMS REMAINS HIGH (4.74 OUT OF 5 IN 2023 SO FAR AND 4.76 IN 2022). PUBLIC PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS BENEFITTED FROM PROGRAM ATTENDANCE IN MANY WAYS. 79% HAD A FUN AND ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE, 63% FELT WELCOME, 62% SPENT QUALITY TIME WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY, 52% FELT A SENSE OF CONNECTION WITH THE COMMUNITY, 50% LEARNT SOMETHING NEW, AND 49% FELT RELAXED AND INCREASED THEIR SENSE OF WELL-BEING.