+ Agnes Gund TTC '61
 | Currently: Founder and Trustee of Studio in a School, a nonprofit that pairs professional artists with underserved public schools in New York City. Impact: Studio in a School has reached over 1 million students in New York City since its inception 43 years ago. It also partners with the NYC school system in development of age-appropriate standards for art instruction and offers professional development for classroom teachers in visual-arts instruction and integration of the arts into overall curricula. |
Back in 1960 when I enrolled in the TTC, I never dreamed how that foundation would serve me. For the next two years, I taught at Shady Hill, mentored by the wonderful Jane Prescott. My circuitous path over the following decade landed me back in New York in 1977, where I founded Studio in a School, a nonprofit addressing the cuts to arts education in NYC public schools. It pairs professional artists with underserved public schools and has been going strong for 43 years.
Currently, we reach 32,000 NYC public school students a year, across all boroughs. This adds up to over 1 million students since Studio in a School‘s inception. Our model stresses long-term partnerships between the artists and the schools to which they are assigned; artists make commitments ranging from six weeks to several years. Studio in a School has also become a partner to the NYC school system, collaborating to develop age-appropriate standards for art instruction. And last but far from least, we offer professional development for classroom teachers in visual-arts instruction and integration of the arts into overall curricula. This teacher training component reaches well beyond the NYC public system; we have been invited to collaborate in cities across the country and internationally.
My 25 years on the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) Board, including 11 years as its president, are what many people know me for. But to be honest, I am at least as proud of my work with Studio in a School. Teaching children how to think like an artist—to observe closely, solve problems, and reflect on their process—is profoundly important to their prospects as students and to their lives outside school. I never tire of seeing young people unleash their curiosity, persist through challenges, and discover they can surpass their own expectations. You might well say, “How very Shady Hill!”
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