The Watermill Center’s diverse and evolving education initiatives cultivate curiosity, wonder and new methods of learning. Participants are provided with the opportunity to engage with our international Artists-in-Residence and local East End artists through multi-disciplinary workshops and studio visits. With an emphasis on the creative process, professionals in their fields lead interactive activities to inspire confidence through risk-taking and group activities within the local community. Programs are designed to meet the needs of participants of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, while lessons by New York state-certified teachers provide an aligned curriculum for schools and classroom connections.
The Watermill Center’s building, grounds and gardens provide a variety of unique locations for creative learning, while The Watermill Collection – over 8,000 objects ranging from antiquity to contemporary art – acts as a source of inspiration. Through partnerships with the community, participants of all ages, backgrounds and abilities are welcome to learn in this creative environment. Developed with teachers and artists, our programs are tailored for students to create unique and immersive experiences integrating the arts and humanities.
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EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
The Watermill Center’s international roster of Artists-in-Residence engage with students of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, inviting students to explore the creative process. Participants encounter new ways of experiencing the world around and within themselves through innovative workshops, relating to the projects our artists are developing while in residence. Past workshops have pulled techniques from theater, dance and movement, costumed performance, circus arts, animation and music as educational tools.
Student Residencies at The Watermill Center invite teachers and their students to use the unique environment and resources available on-site to develop theatre works, visual arts practices, and research projects.
The Hayground Residency | 2017 – 2018
Inaugurated in 2017, the Hayground Residency welcomes students from the Hayground School for a month-long residency at The Watermill Center. Students ages 11-13 spend time at Watermill developing original works of theatre, gathering material, choreographing scenes and rehearsing performances. The final work is staged for public performances onsite at The Watermill Center and at Peconic Landing in Greenport, NY.
Creative Retreats at The Watermill Center give teachers the use of our building and grounds to craft a fun-filled day of artistic workshops for their students.
Art Day at The Watermill Center | 2017
In the Spring of 2017, Springs School collaborated with The Watermill Center and The Anna Mirabai Lytton Foundation to bring the 6th grade students onsite for a creative retreat. The students rotated through several art workshops on The Watermill Center’s grounds. Workshops were led by a team of creative professionals and educators, and included lessons in photography, poetry, song-writing, drawing, weaving, sculpture, video and Maori poi dance, followed by a picnic lunch in our outdoor dining area. Click here to view a video from Art Day 2017.
The Watermill Center invites schools to participate in on and off-site visits. Our custom-designed programs meet the needs and goals of educators and students, and can include tours of the building and grounds, interactions with the collection and library, activities with our Artists-in-Residence and workshops crafted in collaboration with teachers.
The Watermill Center’s Education Roundtables bring together local and international education professionals for a dialogue on creative education initiatives.
During the academic year our Roundtables for East End Educators invite local administrators and teachers to The Watermill Center to view the educational resources in our collection, tour the building and grounds, and envision future programming together. We are committed to serving the needs of our community, and believe our schools know best how we can deepen their students’ education as creative partners.
Since 2014, Summer Education Roundtables function as a place to explore new possibilities in arts education, sharing resources and skills amongst our International Summer Program participants. Connecting colleagues locally and internationally, participants share viewpoints about innovative approaches to arts education from across the globe.
The Hamptons Arts Network (HAN) Education Roundtables bring together arts and cultural institutions from the Hamptons to share experiences and resources in a collaborative effort to complement our collective programming for the Hamptons community.
Professional Development Workshops offer educators the opportunity to learn from our international Artists-in-Residence, many of whom are experienced teaching artists. Our multi-disciplinary workshops are designed to benefit teachers of all age groups and subject areas, integrating the arts with other disciplines such as science, humanities, and language arts. These can be curriculum-based and experiential, and offer new tools for a fresh approach in the classroom.
Past workshops include:
Nesting: Learning Arts and Biology Through Ornithology – October 2017
Mexican visual artist Lua Rivera designed a program to encourage children to explore the natural world using artistic skills, scientific method and imagination.
Knowing and Dreaming: What we Remember – May 2017
American multimedia artist Stacey Goodman explored using the imagination to connect to the past through engaging with vernacular photography in historical public archives.
EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Initiated in the fall of 2013, the Young Artist Residency Program (YARP) is an education initiative at The Watermill Center giving students of The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreation Center, ages 8 – 12, the opportunity to experiment in art practices at The Watermill Center. YARP students engage weekly with international Artists-in- Residence, The Robert Wilson Archive, The Watermill Center Collection and Study Library, building and grounds. Drawing inspiration from The Watermill Center’s mission, YARP focuses on experience through artistic process, creating unique investigations and expanding students’ artistic awareness and developing the artistic self.
The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreation Center was born out of tragedy in 1949, when a house fire killed the untended children of migrant farm workers. The community rallied to find the first, community-based migrant childcare center in the country. The Center continues to serve the less fortunate on the East End and offers an After-School Enrichment Program, a low-cost summer camp, Youth Programs and Adult Development services, such as ESL and GED. It also hosts Head Start for preschoolers from as far away as Montauk and Westhampton.
ART + ACTIVISM: Voice in Focus
In partnership with the Hampton Bays Library.
Students will explore the intersection of Art and Social Justice Activism and work with teachers and artists to gain first-hand experience exploring change-making and becoming a Change Maker. The series will culminate in a final project of public works by the teens.
Students will delve into the art of phoneography, tapping into the incredible potential of smartphone cameras as a form of self-expression.
Participants will exhibit their work at The Watermill Center on November 1st, 2023.
October 4, 11, 18, 25, November 1st.
5:00 PM-6:30 PM
Community Service Hours Available
The Watermill Center’s free inclusion programming welcomes students and adults with disabilities to participate in collaborative art projects led by trained teaching artists.
Our new series of monthly Family Workshops welcome people of all ages to participate in workshops led by our international Artists-in-Residence. These events are open to the public, creating access to unique learning experiences available only at The Watermill Center.
Teaching artists are selected for an in-school residency culminating in an exhibition or performance at the Watermill Center. These STEAM -focused residencies expose students to the various art disciplines showcased at Watermill, as well as the extraordinary collection of artifacts and artworks on display.