What's/Who's New in the Education Department

You may have noticed that the contact details on the education page of the Addison Gallery’s website now invite you to contact Jamie Kaplowitz. Before I tell you what I’m looking forward to as the new Education Fellow, let me tell you a little about me. I have always felt at home in museums, ever since I stood underneath the 94-foot-long blue whale model at the American Museum of Natural History in New York when I was very young. I am now almost finished with my Masters Degree in Museum Education at Tufts University. I’m working towards bringing together my years of designing and managing artist-in-residency programs in New York City schools, my experience in Visitor Services at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park and, of course, my studies at Tufts.

This truly is an opportune time to be starting here in the Education Department, as we’re really providing museum education without a physical museum! Sounds troublesome but it’s actually a perfect opportunity to be creative about ways in which we can still interact with our community of schools and develop diverse programming stemming from the needs of preK-12th grade teachers and students. Please check our education webpages for teacher and school programs and resources. And don’t forget that you can browse the collection online any time that you want to see some of your favorite Addison artworks.

On Saturday I dove headfirst into my first program with the Addison at Phillips Academy’s annual Non Sibi Day, a day of service to honor the tradition of Andover’s non sibi motto, which translates from Latin as “not for self.” Members of the Phillips Academy community – students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents – participate in various community activities in the immediate area and in various locations across the world.

Fifteen Phillips Academy students collaborated with fifteen Lawrence High School students during a daylong photography project at the Essex Art Center in Lawrence. We looked at and reflected on the photographs of teens by artist Dawoud Bey and used these insights to create our own portraits of each other. Connections were made, both artistic and interpersonal, that I hope will continue long beyond Non Sibi Day.

If the successes of Saturday’s program are any indication of the road ahead, I’m happy to say that I can look forward to a rewarding and exciting year here at the Addison!


Jamie Kaplowitz
Education Fellow