April 1, 2020 449 PM
MARFA – While the Chinati Foundation remains closed to the public due to orders from the City of Marfa and Presidio County over the coronavirus, the art institution’s education department is stepping up to help adults and children alike get through the self-isolating going on locally and across the country.
“Making Together” is a new, online education program that brings longform projects and daily art-making prompts to people in Marfa, the Big Bend and beyond. Each project is designed so that it can be made with materials already found at home. The foundation is utilizing Instagram to share the prompts each day and can be found at the handle @chinatieducation. Lesson plans and videos will be posted daily.
“If you are a student, your school is most likely closed right now and maybe you are missing your friends and instructors. If you are a parent or a caregiver you might be searching for ways to keep your child engaged and learning. Perhaps you are a teacher, seeking online learning tools for your classroom,” the account’s inaugural post reads.
The education department hopes users will share their creations on Instagram, and the account plans to repost photos of completed projects as they go. “We encourage your families, friends, children, and students to join us on this adventure,” wrote Education Director Michael Roch.
On Wednesday, the first longform project –– Monuments! –– was posted. According to Roch, “The longform projects will take our online visitors on a virtual tour of a specific work at Chinati and follow with an art making project.” Through longform and daily projects, Chinati is hoping to bring a little connection in a socially distanced world. “We believe that making and sharing art together will help us to feel connected,” the Instagram post reads. “Art allows us to play, to explore, to experiment and to look at the world in a new way. Art can change the way we think.”
