Young Artists Exhibition
Prism.K12 in Action: Storytelling through The Migration Series
In the fall of 2016, the Phillips collaborated with a cohort of 10 local best practice educators who used the museum’s Prism.K12 methodology to develop and implement art-integrated lessons inspired by Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series. Prism.K12 provides teachers with strategies to spark arts integration lesson ideas for the classroom. Prism.K12 was developed and tested by a national team of K–12 teachers and The Phillips Collection.
The Prism.K12 Jacob Lawrence Teacher Cohort is comprised of teaching teams from four of the museum’s partner schools: Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School, which serves the local adult immigrant population; Turner Elementary, a DC public school in Ward 8; Vansville Elementary, a Prince George’s County public school; and Washington School for Girls, a tuition-free private school in Ward 8.
Throughout the fall, the cohort focused on integrating playwriting and storytelling with themes from the special exhibition People on the Move: Beauty and Struggle in Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series. Teachers explored The Migration Series with their students in the museum galleries and in the classroom. Teachers shared their use of the Prism.K12 strategies when designing and implementing lessons at a regional educator workshop and online through the Prism.K12 teacher website, Twitter, and a Lawrence-themed Pinterest board. At the end of the semester, students showcased their work through performances at The Phillips Collections and their schools. This cohort and exhibition represent the latest efforts in the Phillips’s longstanding dedication to The Migration Series and arts integration.