The Science of Art program will be back in full swing starting on January 14 under the new leadership of Claire Yuckert. The students will be attending January 14 - 16, 21 - 23, February 4 - 6, 18 - 20, 25 - 27, and March 4 - 6. On a special note: high school students will be coming during the week of Lino Tagliapietra’s residency, February 4 - 6.

This year’s program will have several changes from previous years. “The program is a consortium, meaning we track the progress of six specific schools through the years to help better organize and implement Science of Art. These focus groups helped us greatly last year, when we discovered that many of the high school students felt too confined, and were led through the program at much the same rate/pace as the elementary school students. So this year we decided to give them back that sense of agency,” stated Yuckert. The high school students will no longer be rotating every 45 minutes. This year they will be able to view the galleries, hot shop, studio, and theater at their own speed.

“They will begin in the theater with a brief lecture outlining the purpose of their trip to the museum: the artist in the Hot Shop, the Galleries, Studio and studio artist, as well as a brief history of glass, the process, and the artists that work with light as one of their driving forces to create glass art. After the lecture they will be headed in all directions with sketch pads and pencils in their hands, so they may take notes, draw, ask questions and make connections,” said Yuckert.

“I felt that setting aside the Lino residency date for the high school students was important, because I wanted them to see a great master at work, a man who has been dedicated to his craft since the age of 11. Lino is the perfect example of a man who has been driven by pure passion, skill and craft, and look at the amazing accomplishments he has made,” stated Yuckert.

The elementary and middle school students will stick to a similar schedule from previous years. They will start in the Hot Shop and rotate through the different parts of the museum every 45 minutes.

Yuckert is enjoying her new position as the Science of Art Coordinator and is anxious to see this year’s program begin. “It is an amazing thing to be able to teach young children and teenagers something as in-depth, and ‘scary’ as science along with something as free as art,” said Yuckert.