Studio Practice as a Tool for Cross-Curricular Critical Thinking
In this one-week in-person Summer Institute for Teachers, educators from all subject areas and grade levels gather at The Phillips Collection to explore how art can serve as a tool for inquiry across disciplines. Through close looking at artworks in the galleries, discussion, and hands-on studio practices, participants examine how we make meaning from what we see, how assumptions and experiences shape interpretation, and how attention, context, and perspective inform critical thinking. The program cycles through observation, questioning, interpretation, and reflection, using art as a vehicle for thinking while supporting social-emotional learning and cross-curricular critical thinking. All supplies are provided free of charge.
Name: Studio Practice as a Tool for Cross-Curricular Critical Thinking
Venue: Phillips Collection
When: Monday, July 20 through Friday, July 24, 2026, daily from 10:15 am to 1:00 pm
Format: The 15-hour course comprises 14 hours of in-person instructional workshops (including gallery looking, inquiry-driven discussion, studio-based learning, and drawing from observation) plus 1 hour of independent work time (reading journal articles and completing pre- and post-course surveys)
Tickets: Free; sign-ups are first-come, first-served; make a reservation via the Phillips Collection website
Audience: Open to educators who teach all subject areas and grade levels
Credit: Participants may elect to receive professional development credit (DC: 15 PLU; Virginia: 15 points for Professional Development activities, subject to pre-approval; Maryland: 1 CPD credit; other states on a case-by-case basis) or graduate-level credit through Trinity Washington University at a cost of $125; the course may also be taken not-for-credit
Note: This Summer Institute is offered in partnership between The Phillips Collection and the University of Maryland, integrating the Prism.K12 arts integration strategies; for questions, contact Director of Teaching & Learning Hilary Katz at hkatz@phillipscollection.org