Delaney George, programs assistant in NOMA’s Learning and Engagement department, safely prepares Mini Masters Activity Kits
Mini Masters is a collaborative arts integration program for pre-kindergarten students featuring works of art from the New Orleans Museum of Art. Mini Masters encourages students to develop higher order thinking skills, make observations, and engage in conversations through museum visits and classroom activities. The program is designed to build capacity of early childhood educators through professional development and lesson modeling that develops discussion routines, techniques for teaching the elements of art, and skills for creating art in the classroom.
Now in the program’s eighth year, Mini Masters has grown from 34 students in the first year to over 200 today. Many of the households of Mini Masters participants do not have access to the internet, and have been limited in their capability for learning and exploring digitally during the pandemic. To ensure participants are able to continue to receive the benefits of the Mini Masters program, NOMA has assembled Mini Masters Activity Kits. The kits contain art-making activities and materials, along with magnets to proudly display their artwork on the fridge will be delivered to the homes of each participant.
The kits also include a personal letter from “Ms. Chantell” Nabonne, NOMA’s Early Childhood Educator, who typically visits each classroom six to eight times per school year. An additional letter to adults explains how to share the activity kits with their young ones and why art activities are important at this time.
Read more about Mini Masters and watch videos at this link.
NOMA is committed to uniting, inspiring, and engaging diverse communities and cultures through the arts — now more than ever. You can support NOMA’s staff during these uncertain times as they work hard to produce virtual content to keep our community connected, care for our permanent collection during the museum’s closure, and prepare to reopen our doors.