The Petrucci Family Foundation (PFF) proudly announces the launch of its novel curriculum program designed to foster greater engagement and scholarly exploration of African American art. This initiative aims to bridge educational gaps and enhance cultural literacy by integrating the PFF Collection into university art history, museum studies, and Africana studies courses.
Overview
The curriculum initiative is modeled after student-curated exhibitions that PFF facilitated at Kutztown University, the University of Mary Washington, and Truman State University. Each institution employed a unique approach to integrating the PFF Collection into their educational frameworks:
Kutztown University integrated the collection into its Contemporary African-American Art course, allowing students to curate exhibitions and write catalog essays.
The University of Mary Washington focused on creating opportunities for BIPOC students to engage with curatorial practices, culminating in an exhibition titled “Healing Through the Preservation of Our Histories and Our Selves.”
Truman State University adopted a multi-semester approach, dividing the curation process across three courses and focusing on the theme “Mobility: African American Artists Abroad.”
These partnerships have demonstrated the curriculum’s flexibility and its capacity to inspire students across different academic settings. Learning from their approaches, we have designed an African American Art History course that can culminate in a student-curated exhibition on your campus.
Learning Objectives
Drawing from Dr. Daniel Haxall’s course for Kutztown University, the curriculum is designed to achieve the following outcomes:
- Develop knowledge of major African American artists, movements, and key exhibitions.
- Understand the historical and sociopolitical contexts influencing African American art.
- Cultivate skills in visual analysis, original research, and academic writing.
- Enhance communication skills through exhibition labels, catalog essays, and other didactic materials.
Program Benefits
Participating institutions will benefit from:
- Access to over 500 works of art by a range of African American artists, spanning from the 19th century to contemporary and emerging artists.
- No loan fees to borrow from the Collection.
- Flexible exhibition sizes and time frames.
- Support with programming & event coordination.
- Free virtual or in-person talks by the Curator/Director of the PFF Collection.
- Assistance with PR and marketing efforts.
For more information about the curriculum program or to inquire about participation, please contact Claudia Volpe at cvolpe@petruccifamilyfoundation.org.