It's that time of year again...

The Addison Education Department gears up for its busiest season of the year

On the bright, brisk morning of April 10th, fifty pairs of feet belonging to the inquisitive first grade students from Melrose's Lincoln Elementary School marched up the museum's steps and paraded into this spring's special exhibition, William Wegman: Funney/Strange, the first school group to tour this season which promises to attract extraordinary numbers of visitors.

Upon entering the galleries, spontaneous "woah!"'s and laughter erupted as the young students spied the artist's fanciful paintings and clever Polaroids of weimaraners assuming their human personae in classic Wegman fashion. Addison Education Assistant Regan Doody gathered the class before a photograph of the artist's beloved model Man Ray and soon what started as instantaneous giggles evolved into a thoughtful discussion as the students recognized the humor, imagination, and irony crafted in Wegman's works.

While April traditionally marks the start of the museum's busiest season for school group visits, the Addison Education Department works with classes like those from the Lincoln School every day throughout the year, engaging K-12 and college students from both public and private schools from as close as Andover and Lawrence, to as far as Boston and New Hampshire. Over 6,000 students tour the Addison through the Education Department each year, composing nearly one quarter of the museum's annual visitorship.




Since the formalization of the Education Department in 1993,
the Addison has offered free museum tours, classroom presentations, and professional development to area teachers and students. Through student-oriented group discussions around art works, the museum's educators aim to encourage visual and critical thinking in all learners, as well as encourage fellow educators and adminstrators to integrate art into all curriculum areas, especially language arts, history, social studies, science, and math.


If you or someone you know is interested in visiting the Addison with your students this season or in the future, please contact us! See the Education page on this website for more information.