Impact

A group of children from The Boys & Girls Club during a tour of ArtsWestchester’s Give Us The Vote exhibition (pictured above with the curator Kathleen Reckling).

Stunning teachable moments take place every day at ArtsWestchester. First graders, many of them first-generation Americans, visit our exhibition, Give Us The Vote celebrating women’s suffrage. A child raises a hand and bravely asks, “How come there are no men in this picture?” Teachable moment!  An artist’s portrait of a Muslim woman in a red, white and blue hijab sparks a comment: “She’s not an American!” Teachable moment!  Most of the kids express confusion about who is an American and how one gets to be an American.

We are not a school, but we have many teachable moments that often help us understand how children perceive and interpret what they read or see in their daily lives. Our gallery is a creative place where arts exhibitions focus on issues like women’s suffrage, female identity, data in our contemporary culture, immigration…to name a few…where teachable moments happen all the time in a safe, non-judgmental, creative setting. Individuals, groups, and learners of all ages are welcome.