Acknowledgements

In March 2019, when COVID-19 impacted how individuals would engage with art and museums, the Art Bridges foundation quickly responded with generous “Bridge Ahead” grants to help museums reach their audiences, often through digital means. Art Bridges provided funds needed to upgrade the database at the Binghamton University Art Museum and to acquire new software which allows the public to view online nearly 4,000 objects from the permanent collection. The “Bridge Ahead” grant also enabled the Binghamton University Art Museum to partner with the Roberson Museum and Science Center on the project “Exploring America through Art” in order to reach middle- and high-school teachers and their students.

The resulting project owes much to the creative and critical thinking of Tom McDonough, Professor of Art History at Binghamton University; Michelle Gardner, Senior Director of Foundation Relations and Campaign Gift Strategies at Binghamton University; and Claire Kovacs, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at Binghamton University. I am grateful for the thorough research and engaging writing undertaken by the scholars on the project, Tom McDonough and Chelsea C. Gibson. Dr. McDonough’s most recent book is Boredom, an anthology in the series "Documents in Contemporary Art" published by the Whitechapel Gallery and MIT Press. Dr. Gibson is Visiting Assistant Professor of History at Binghamton University. Her research explores the American reception of Russian terrorist women in the US between the 1880s and 1920s. 

We enjoy the good fortune to have two master teachers write sample lesson plans for each of the units: Maryterese Pasquale and Lissa Connelly. Maryterese taught at Ithaca High School for over thirty years and is the recipient of several teaching awards. She currently works in the Education Department of the Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University. Lissa is formerly a Binghamton City School District Challenge-Enrichment Specialist and Teacher, currently a Roberson Museum and Science Center Educator, and a lifelong learner.

Diane Butler, Director
Binghamton University Art Museum