Celebrate Women's History Month with the Alice Austin House in Your Classroom 📚

 

BRING US TO YOUR CLASSROOM CELEBRATE WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH WITH THE ALICE AUSTEN HOUSE Calling all educators 🗣️🗣️🗣️ This March, invite our Alice Austen House teaching artists to help your students celebrate Women’s History Month! Serving as a lifelong gateway to the arts, horticulture, and cultural history, our educational programs draw on Alice Austen’s life and work to inspire students to discover their potential. With Alice Austen as a role model, our workshops blend historic and contemporary photography with themes of women’s history, LGBTQ+ studies, and immigration. By bringing our workshops into your classroom or taking a field trip to our historic waterfront site, you’ll provide students with the opportunity to connect with history and see how they can be part of shaping it. As a cultural anchor for Staten Island and beyond, we are proud to serve K-12 students and their families. INQUIRE TODAY FOR: Immersive Photography Workshops Field Trips to Our Historic Site In-School Multi-Week Arts Residencies Visit our website or contact Zoë Tirado at educationdirector@aliceausten.org BOOK WITH US TODAY LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS Photo: E. Alice Austen, The Darned Club in a chair, October 29, 1891. Collection of Historic Richmond Town. Alice Austen (1866–1952) was a revolutionary American photographer and one of the first women to work outside of the studio. Carrying up to fifty pounds of equipment on her bicycle, she documented a diverse and rapidly changing New York City at the turn of the century. Defying Victorian norms and societal expectations, Austen carved out a fiercely independent life that continues to resonate today. Today, the Alice Austen House—a nationally landmarked LGBTQ+ historic site situated on 15 acres of waterfront parkland—preserves her legacy as a home, museum, and vibrant community space, inspiring thousands of students each year. SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM Women's History and Alice Austen Through the lens of Alice’s photography, students explore women’s history and the ways Alice and the women in her life defied conventions in an era when society limited women’s choices. After analyzing her work, students have the opportunity to create their own class portrait, which is printed after the lesson. This program is available both in-school and at the Alice Austen House. Photo of Alice Austen. MULTI-WEEK ARTS RESIDENCIES My Portrait, My Message In this multi-week program, students will explore the power of photography and activism. Starting with a visit to the Alice Austen House—either virtually or in person—students will learn about the historical significance of Alice Austen's life and photography. Through an exploration of her self-portraits, they will discover the formal elements of photography while also understanding how art can serve as a tool for self-expression and social change. Over five classes, students will create mixed-media self-portraits that communicate personal messages about causes they care about. The program concludes with a celebratory exhibition where students present their final projects, sharing the artistic choices they made and the messages they wish to convey. Photo of Audre Lorde from the Alice Austen House exhibition, Powerful and Dangerous. Immigration and Migration through Photography   Designed to fill a specific need for arts education, our Immigration and Migration through Photography program is a multi-week course that connects Alice Austen’s photographic legacy with NYC students' curriculum. Targeted at third and fourth graders studying Ellis Island and immigration in New York City, this program offers students a chance to bridge a complex and politically charged topic to their local community while receiving hands-on experience as photographers. While analyzing Austen’s Street Types of New York, a series that documents the immigrant labor of New York, students research and present Austen’s photographs to their peers before composing their own portraits with cameras provided by AAH. Photo from PS 19 3rd Grade Student (2023) SEE MORE PROGRAMS IN OUR EDUCATION BROCHURE FIELD TRIPS TO THE HOUSE Each of our in-museum experiences lasts 75 minutes and includes a guided tour with a photographic activity, including polaroid photo walks, found photo zine making, digital portraiture, and more. Seasonally, visiting classes have the opportunity to complete their program with a scenic picnic on our waterfront park overlooking the New York Narrows. Our programs are flexible and can be adapted to meet your curriculum standards. Photos from 2023 Field Trips

BECOME A MEMBER Join the Alice Austen House community to support education, history, and the arts on Staten Island. Enjoy complimentary admission, guest passes, discounts on programs, and invitations to exclusive events. LEARN MORE DONATE TO SUPPORT Your support provides meaningful exhibitions, programs, and resources to support emerging and established photographers, students, and families. Consider making a fully tax-deductible donation to help the house. DONATE ALICE AUSTEN HOUSE THANKS THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR SUPPORT: The Bay and Paul Foundations The Hillman Family Foundations Historic House Trust of New York City Humanities New York Lily Auchincloss Foundation New York City Council Discretionary Funding Initiative New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council New York Preservation Archive Project New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation The Richmond County Savings Foundation Staten Island Borough President The Staten Island Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Teiger Foundation Ruth Foundation for the Arts  New York City Tourism Foundation  Joy of Giving Something National Trust for Historic Preservation