The Hood Museum of Art's "Visiting with Children" page provides helpful information for families planning a visit. It highlights various activities and programs designed for young visitors, such as art-making workshops and community day events. The museum offers resources like Activity Guides, Gallery Go-Packs, and Sensory Bags to enhance the experience for children. Additionally, the page includes tips for making the visit enjoyable, such as planning shorter visits, taking breaks, and engaging children with questions and photography.  

The Activity Guide was something I created to make visits more engaging for children. It's a coloring book–style guide that invites kids to look closely at the art, sketch their own ideas, and play with concepts they see in the museum.

The Gallery Go-Packs were designed to keep children's hands and minds busy while they explore the galleries. These packs are filled with sketching materials and art activities, offering free, fun family activities during weekend hours.

I put together the Sensory Bags to support visitors who might need help with sensory stimulation. These bags, available at no cost from the Welcome Desk, include noise-reduction headphones, sunglasses, fidgets, and visual vocabularies to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable museum experience for everyone.

The touch table is an interactive and tactile didactic that allows visitors to explore the materials and sounds of Jeffrey Gibson's and Nick Cave’s sculptures, enhancing engagement while preserving the original artworks. 

Nurturing wonder and curiosity in students of all ages. Throughout the 2023-24 school year, over 3,500 K-12 students participated in the museum’s educational programs. Currently 24 classes from 12 New Hampshire and Vermont schools are participating in the ArtStart and Images programs.

(photo: Rob Strong)

“What Our Youngest Learners Can Teach Us”

—Katie Coggins, Winter 2024, p.12

https://shorturl.at/WE37V

Supported the development and culmination of this exhibit. This exhibition includes a multimedia installation, a programming series, and displays that weave together the work of traditional and contemporary Indigenous artists inspired by the local environment with narratives detailing the site’s cultural and natural histories.

https://rihumanities.org/calendar/unpolished-echos-explore-the-past-and-present-of-mashapaug-park/

Lighting the Way – Historic Women of the South Coast tells the stories of commitment, determination and perseverance of women from a wide range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. I assisted staff in the planning and installation of this powerful exhibit at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. https://historicwomensouthcoast.org/