Mission and Program Overview

Mission Statement

The Danforth Museum of Art is dedicated to the celebration and creation of art. Established in 1975, the Museum is a non-profit, privately supported, public art museum whose primary purpose is to provide education in the visual arts for MetroWest through its collection of American art, exhibitions, Museum School and outreach programs in the community.

Museum Tour Programs

Tours and Group Visits
The Danforth Museum of Art offers tour programs for all ages that focus on the Museum's permanent collection of American Art, the Native American Collection, or on exciting temporary exhibitions. Led by trained Danforth Docents, these tours help to make art more accessible to all visitors. There are Public Tours, free with admission, and a number of programs funded by grant or corporate donations, including Art Tells a Story and the Native American Program. Our Teen Docents lead family tours and gallery activities on the First Sundays of each month.

Art Tells a Story
Art Tells A Story is a multi-visit museum program for preschool children enrolled in regional Head Start programs. This exciting program promotes visual and verbal literacy, and invites children to participate in a tour, hands-on art activities, stories, and games that relate to exhibitions - a wonderful introduction to the Museum.

Native American Program
Every third grade student in Framingham Public Schools visits the Museum for a tour of the Native American Collection, followed by related hands-on art activities in the Museum School. 650-750 students participate each year as part of an integrated arts and social studies curriculum that supports the public schools. At the end of their visit, all students receive a museum pass to return with their families at no cost.

Family Activities

First Sunday Drop into Art
On the first Sunday of each month, the Museum invites families to create art together in the Museum School. Hundreds of children and their families participate in this exciting program for free, creating paintings, drawings, and sculptures and other works of art inspired by Museum exhibitions.

First Sunday Gallery Activities with Teen Docents
On the first Sunday of each month, the Museum invites families to tour the Museum and participate in gallery activities. Teen Docents ask open-ended questions that encourage conversation and reflection about art and lead exiting gallery activities.

Family Fun
Family workshops are available for families to explore a variety of techniques and materials together. Current offerings include Clay Projects, Color Projects, and Papermaking for Families.

Studio Art Classes

Children’s Art Classes
Each year, thousands of children visit the museum and take drawing, painting, clay and many other classes in our Museum School. Museum exhibits, especially those in the new Children’s Gallery dedicated to the art of children’s book illustration provide exciting teaching tools for the hundreds of art classes and workshops that are offered yearly. Other creative opportunities include Girl Scout Workshops and Birthday Party Workshops. Scholarships provided by the The TJX Charitable Foundation and numerous others enable many to participate for free.

High School Portfolio Program
Each summer the Museum School offers week-long intensive art courses for teens considering art school. Taught by college art instructors, these classes help students prepare portfolios required for college application. High school students can also take additional Portfolio or adult studio classes throughout the year.

Adult Art Classes
Art classes for adults include many levels of drawing, painting, watercolor, printmaking, mixed media, weaving and ceramics. From absolute beginners to established artists with advanced degrees, students find the opportunity to learn from professional artists as well as from their fellow students in a supportive art community. The Danforth Museum School Faculty consists of 50 part time teaching artists who are dedicated to the creative process.

SUMMER ARTS for Children
An alternative to summer camp for children in MetroWest, SUMMER ARTS offers creative summer experiences for children preschool through grade 8. Week-long summer art classes that teach young artists basic skills while encouraging invention and improvisation take place from June through early August.

School Vacation Workshops
Creative art workshops for children K-8 and intensive studio workshops for high school students are offered during the December, February and April school vacation breaks.

Professional Training

Professional Development for Teachers
The Danforth Museum of Art offers special professional development studio courses for teachers, with graduate credit available from Framingham State College. PDP’s are available for all adult studio classes at the Danforth Museum School.

Danforth Docent Program
Docents are dedicated volunteers who serve as tour guides and provide a valuable service to the Museum. The Danforth Docent Program offers training and weekly continuing education programs for the 35 docents who help our visitors interpret art in the Permanent Collection and Special Exhibitions.

Teen Docent Program
Beginning each summer, students take art classes and train with Museum professionals, which prepare them to lead interpretive family tours and assist with Drop into Art and other programs. They get a behind-the-scenes perspective on how the museum functions by meeting staff members and notable guest speakers from the art world, and become mentors for children who take their tours. At the end of training, these talented young people receive stipends for their museum work, gaining valuable work experience before college.

College and High School Internship Program
Approximately 35 high school and college interns volunteer each year to directly explore museum professions at the Museum and Museum School. They receive hands-on experience assisting the museum with curatorial projects, office administration, children’s programming and art studio assistance. They work directly with staff and are a valuable component of the Museum community.

Museum School Galleries
There are two galleries in the Museum School where advanced students have an opportunity to exhibit their work and gain experience and develop as professional artists. Exhibits change monthly. Students also can participate in the Holiday Sale at the end of each year, developing their presentation and marketing skills.

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