/ Modified sep 20, 2016 11 a.m.

Tucson Museum of Art Wins $93K Grant for Refugees

Programs will focus on creative expression and English-language acquisition.

Tucson Museum of Art Biennial 2015
AZPM Staff

The Tucson Museum of Art has received a $92,500 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to develop programs for refugees and other immigrants in the community.

Exactly what those programs will look like is still to be determined, said Marianna Pegno, associate curator of education.

"We want to make sure that these programs are built with community input and with our collaborating organizations directly from the beginning," she said.

Plans will take shape at a community forum in December, but early ideas included an after-school program that brings kids into the museum to make art, explore and become part of their new community.

"The galleries and art-making can be a source of creative exploration and also language acquisition," she said.

Pegno said she hopes the program will help Tucson Museum of Art blaze new trails.

"There are not a lot of art museums engaging with refugee audiences in the United States," she said.

The money will also pay to train staff and volunteers to work with diverse visitors.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona