Brooklyn Museum

Housed in a 560,000-square-foot Beaux-Arts building, the Brooklyn Museum maintains a permanent collection of more than one million objects that represent a wide range of cultures and time periods. The museum's Luce Center for American Art includes the permanent exhibition American Identities: A New Look, which features art and objects ranging from the possessions of Anglo-Dutch colonists to Federal-era items owned by affluent Brooklyn residents and the New York photography of Alfred Stieglitz.

On-site programs: Selected tours of special and permanent exhibits incorporate works of art portraying New York City, such as the Cityscape/Landscape program, which contrasts representations of urban and natural scenes. The Drawing and Writing and Artists' Choices programs can feature New York City artwork by request. Collection objects are examined as reflections of a culture or time period and are designed to develop critical and visual thinking skills. Teachers may also guide their classes themselves. Previsit materials are available. (Grades K–12; $)

Classroom materials: Teachers may purchase resource packets that contain contextual information on works of art, suggested activities, and slides or reproductions of artwork. The Picturing a Nation: Teaching With American Art and Material Culture packet includes a unit on slavery in Brooklyn. The American Paintings: A Slide Packet for Educators includes objects depicting New York City's past such as Francis Guy's circa 1820 A Winter Scene in Brooklyn and George Bellow's 1909 painting Pennsylvania Station Excavation. (Grades K–12; $)

Professional development: Workshops introduce teachers to the museum's permanent and special exhibitions, offer techniques for integrating the study of art into the classroom, and help teachers from all subject areas find connections with the collections. Workshops may examine the changing New York environment through looking at paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts. Themes of immigration, industrialization, or urbanization in American and New York City history can be examined. Workshops can be customized for principals, parent coordinators, or specific curricular needs. (For teachers of Grades K–12; $)

Additional resources: The Learning Center contains educational resources related to the museum's collections, including lessons that museum educators teach in the galleries. Teacher resource packets, including Picturing a Nation: Teaching with American Art and Material Culture, providing contextual information, activities, and slides are available in the Learning Center. (For teachers of Grades K–12; free with suggested admission fee)

General information: Address: 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11238; Phone: (718) 501-6230; Web: www.brooklynmuseum.org.

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