For Immediate Release:
Media Contact:
Sarah Story
Media Contact, Ogden Museum of Southern Art
925 Camp Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
504-539-9609
pr@ogdenmuseum.org

NEW ORLEANS - April 15, 2015

In 2008, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institute and New Beginnings Charter School Network, created an early enrichment program to enhance literacy, inspire a love of reading, and foster an appreciation of art in our youngest students. Today, approximately 300 Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First Grade students from Pierre A. Capdau, Gentilly Terrace, and Medard H. Nelson elementary schools participate in this outreach program.

During this program, students first read designated books with their teachers and discuss related works of art chosen from the Museum's collection, connecting themes from the book to the specially selected artwork. These connections are then reinforced during both fall and spring semester field trips and through hands-on art activities implemented in the Museum's galleries. Docents are trained to respond to students who are just beginning to discover the power of reading and how words relate to objects and concepts. During the next phase of the program, classrooms receive a visit from a teaching artist who leads them in art-making activities, reinforcing the concepts learned throughout the program.

The culmination of this project is the Early Childhood Program Exhibition. Installed in the Ogden Museum's Education Gallery, the exhibition is a celebration of student achievement and growth throughout the year-long program. On this special night, the Ogden Museum is thrilled to welcome families, parents, faculty, and administration to share in their students' accomplishments, providing an opportunity for students to view themselves as Southern artists in their own right, and to fully realize the wonders of learning to read.

More information about the Education Department's program can be found by visiting www.ogdenmuseum.org.

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Located in the vibrant Warehouse Arts District of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art holds the largest collection of Southern art and is recognized for its original exhibitions, public events, and educational programs which examine the development of visual art alongside Southern traditions of music, literature, and culinary heritage to provide a comprehensive story of the South. Established in 1999 and in Stephen Goldring Hall since 2003, the Museum welcomes over 50,000 visitors annually, and attracts diverse audiences through its broad range of programming including exhibitions, lectures, film screenings, and concerts which are all part of its mission to broaden the knowledge, understanding, interpretation, and appreciation of the visual arts and culture of the American South.

The Ogden Museum is open Wednesday through Monday from 10AM-5PM and also on Thursdays from 6-8PM for Ogden After Hours. Admission is free to Museum Members and $12.50 for adults, $10 to seniors 65 and older, $6.25 for children ages 5-17 and free for children under 5. The Ogden Museum is free to Louisiana Residents on Thursdays from 10AM-5PM courtesy of The Helis Foundation.

The Museum is closed Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and day following, Christmas Day and New Years Day.

The Museum is located at 925 Camp Street, New Orleans Louisiana 70130. For more information, visit ogdenmuseum.org or call 504-539-9650.