The Addison Gallery serves as an active center for inspiration, discussion, debate, and critical thinking for students, staff, faculty, and families on campus.
In addition to working closely with courses in all disciplines, the Addison collaborates with students and campus clubs and organizations to bring art, artists, and cultural dialogues into the lives of all members of the Phillips Academy community.
Education staff design and facilitate active, discussion-based museum visits that support the development of students’ visual literacy and critical thinking skills across disciplines and in all subject areas, including history, biology, physics, world languages, math, art, English, and more.
All classes must be scheduled in advance, although you do not need to have a fully formed idea to get started. Send the title of the book that you’re reading, theme or time period that you’re exploring, or skill that you’re practicing, and Education staff will plan a visit that uses artwork in the museum to help students reach curricular goals.
Phillips Academy, Lawrence High and Andover High students are invited each fall to apply to the Addison Community Ambassadors program, the Addison’s museum studies student group offered in partnership with the Office of Community Engagement. Through group discussion, hands-on activities, and meetings with all levels of museum staff, participating students learn about the Addison, the history of museums, and theories of teaching and learning. Ambassadors then design interactive programming to create community at the Addison, including Pop Up Talks presented at museum opening receptions, artmaking workshops and more.
Stay connected to the Addison through invitations to artist talks, curator tours, and workshops for students by students.
Have an idea for a workshop? Campus clubs and groups are invited to co-construct programs and projects with Education staff that support the needs and interests of the campus community.
Past collaborations include Black Arts Month photography workshops with the Community and Multicultural Development (CAMD) Office and the Afro-Latinx-American Society (AfLatAm), Earth Week cyanotype workshops with the Phillips Academy Sustainability Coalition (PASC), mindfulness sessions in the galleries with the Tang Institute at Andover, and more.