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Teachers and their students may explore the Museum’s exhibitions either with a Museum guide or independently.

Appointments are required of all school groups visiting the Museum.

2020

Msanii Kijana (“young artist”) is an independent study project for high school students who are interested in art history and the visual arts. Each participant tours the National Museum of African Art’s collection, selects three works of art to research, creates three original artworks inspired by the pieces selected from the museum’s collection, and writes brief narratives about his or her artworks.

Msanii Kijana offers students an opportunity to investigate works of art through specific questions or themes of their choosing, build their portfolios, and gain experience to highlight on college applications and scholarships. The young artists’ original artworks will also be featured on the National Museum of African Art’s website.

Assad Manjakaze Mahdi Jenkins

2020

I have been drawn to art ever since I can remember. Nurtured during frequent trips to the Smithsonian Institution where my older sister participated in many Culture at Home field trips, I always had a sketch book and crayons to keep myself busy during these homeschool outings I was too young to participate in. This lifestyle exposed me—a homeschooled teen raised in Silver Spring, Md.—to various forms of art and culture, and I developed a love for many art forms such as sculpting, coloring, drawing, and painting. I still have drawings I did when I was a toddler and I have not stopped creating. One thing about me is that I have a very active imagination and can stay in my head for hours (even days) if life lets me.

I started venturing into all things art when I taught myself how to sculpt action figures with craft pipe cleaners. Who knew adult conversations and being “forced” to play upstairs in my aunt’s room would lead to a boredom that sparked creative genius. As my sculpting skills grew, I was able to sell some of my mini-action figures to neighborhood kids and, in 2016, was invited to a youth entrepreneur showcase where I made over $500 selling out of my figures and dragons. Soon after, a mother who had been unable to purchase one of my figures commissioned me to make a Stephen Curry action figure as a birthday present for her son.

My talent and skill set continued to grow as I challenged myself with new mediums. I was 13 or 14 when I started drawing more. My inspiration went crazy when my father showed me a picture of a pirate character he had drawn. I liked it so much I spent a week trying to copy it, even tracing it a few times until I got the exact line work right. I moved from pipe cleaner sculpting to drawing cartoon, Marvel, Anime, and my own imagined characters. The more I worked on and practiced my craft, the better I became. Over the years, I have entered my artwork in various contests, including the annual 4-H Montgomery County Agricultural Fair where I won first place and champion ribbons.

My discipline to draw several hours every day has helped me to become a stronger visual artist and I am determined to keep improving. This tenacity to become better helped spark the idea of launching my business, AJ Art, LLC. I also started to expand my ideas and share my talent via social media where I have amassed a 500+ subscriber base and a 3,000+ follower base on my You Tube and Instagram platforms respectively. As a youth apprentice artist since 2019 with Montgomery County’s Arts on the Block (AOB), a “creative workforce development program that transforms talented teens into apprentice artists,” I have been consulting with an array of clients to design projects, manage budgets, create and install profession mosaic and three-dimensional artworks, and evaluate the process.

When asked about my artistic ability, my response is, “Art is my peace.”

Asha Sanaa Jenkins

2020

Hello, my name is Asha Sanaa Jenkins. I am 13 years old and homeschooled. As long as I can remember, I have always been an artist. Whenever anyone asks me what I want to be when I grow up, I never hesitate to say, “I am an Artist.” I love color, particularly the way colors can be blended together. Whenever my mother took me to the Smithsonian museums or the National Gallery of Art, any painting that had many colors always made me want to move closer and touch it.

My biggest inspiration to create is my older brother, Assad. He is an amazing artist, and I have always tried to draw just like him. He was my first art teacher. I often begged him to teach me how to draw the action figures he loved, like Spiderman or Anime. Growing up watching Assad become better and better inspired me to draw every day. This helped me to build my skills and, at the age of nine, I won a blue ribbon at the 4-H Montgomery County Agricultural Fair for a color drawing of a group of women. It was on display for thousands of people to see the entire nine days of the fair and this made me feel amazing.

Msanii Kijana (“young artist”) is an independent study project for high school students who are interested in art history and the visual arts. Each participant tours the National Museum of African Art’s collection, selects three works of art to research, creates three original artworks inspired by the pieces selected from the museum’s collection, and writes brief narratives about his or her artworks.

Msanii Kijana offers students an opportunity to investigate works of art through specific questions or themes of their choosing, build their portfolios, and gain experience to highlight on college applications and scholarships. The young artists’ original artworks will also be featured on the National Museum of African Art’s website.

Asha Sanaa Jenkins

2020

Hello, my name is Asha Sanaa Jenkins. I am 13 years old and homeschooled. As long as I can remember, I have always been an artist. Whenever anyone asks me what I want to be when I grow up, I never hesitate to say, “I am an Artist.” I love color, particularly the way colors can be blended together. Whenever my mother took me to the Smithsonian museums or the National Gallery of Art, any painting that had many colors always made me want to move closer and touch it.

My biggest inspiration to create is my older brother, Assad. He is an amazing artist, and I have always tried to draw just like him. He was my first art teacher. I often begged him to teach me how to draw the action figures he loved, like Spiderman or Anime. Growing up watching Assad become better and better inspired me to draw every day. This helped me to build my skills and, at the age of nine, I won a blue ribbon at the 4-H Montgomery County Agricultural Fair for a color drawing of a group of women. It was on display for thousands of people to see the entire nine days of the fair and this made me feel amazing.

Get acquainted with the museum’s collection with the online object database.

Questions? Contact us at StokesD@si.edu or 202.633.4632.

Art Carts

Variable schedule

Visit the museum’s art carts! Stationed in the museum’s pavilion and throughout its galleries, carts are staffed by trained museum docents or educators and provide hands-on experiences with objects and more.

Art Carts made possible by a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.

Curricular Connections

By appointment
Please contact StokesD@si.edu or 202.633.4632.

Learn how to include African art in your curriculum through consultations with museum staff about themes, STEM-to-STEAM methods, and strategies for museum and school partnerships. Activities developed in collaboration to align with local SOL and CCSS.

See our Online resources for more in-classroom ideas.

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Discovery Room

Open regular museum hours

Visit our Discovery Room anytime for self-guided, hands-on activities!

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives

Tuesday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. by appointment
Contact 202.633.4690 or ElisofonArchives@si.edu

The museum’s houses the largest public archives devoted exclusively to visual materials on Africa. This unique collection of photographs and other visual material can be researched through the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS). Digital access and requests for reproductions provides educators an opportunity to enhance object-centered learning with cultural context, a vital resource tool to supplement educational programming and tours when facilitating dialogue and meaning-making with the museum’s many diverse audiences.

Click here for more information and to request permissions to reproduce images.

Museum Store

Open regular museum hours
Contact 202.633.0030

Our museum store has award-winning children’s books, musical instruments, and other teaching aides to enhance learning in your classroom.

School Tours

Guided School Tours

Monday–Friday at 10:20 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 1:20 p.m., or 2:45 p.m.
1 hour
Kindergarten–high school
Please submit your request at least 3 weeks in advance using the online form.

Trained docents lead tours of the museum’s exhibitions and permanent collection designed to complement and enhance classroom learning through close looking and open-ended discussions. Docents encourage asking questions and sharing discoveries, helping students to develop individual understanding while valuing all voices to create memorable and meaningful experiences.

Thematic tours are available to suit the needs of specific grades and ages and that focus on current exhibitions. For a complete list of exhibitions upcoming and on view, visit africa.si.edu/exhibitions.

Jambo!

1 hour
Maximum 40 participants per docent

Discover the National Museum of African Art with us! Bring your students to tour one of our exciting exhibitions and learn about the museum’s unique architecture—the museum is 96% underground! Examine objects and ideas through a variety of age-appropriate activities. Our guides use imaginative strategies to help students learn focused looking and tailor tours to the needs of specific themes, grades, and ages. Touchable objects available upon request.

Imagine Form and Function

1 hour
Maximum 40 participants per docent

Learn about design and the form and function of objects in the permanent collection by exploring the exhibition African Mosaic and drawing in the gallery with your students. Drawing materials available upon request.

Self-guided School Tours

Kindergarten–high school
Please preregister your group at 3 weeks in advance using the online form here.

Lead your students on their own exploration of our galleries! Free downloadable teaching materials to help you plan and implement your self-guided visits can be found here.

One adult chaperone (over 21 years old) must accompany every 15 high school students and every 10 elementary through middle school students. Failure to provide sufficient chaperones or to maintain order may result in the group being asked to leave the museum.

Admission to the museum is free and groups are welcome in any of our open galleries, but we request that all self-guided groups make an advance registration to give museum staff and security notice of large visiting groups. Book your visit today.

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Studio Art Workshops

Monday–Friday by appointment
1–2 hours
Elementary–high school
Please submit your request at least 3 weeks in advance to StokesD@si.edu or 202.633.4600.

Inspired by the museum’s permanent collection, exhibitions, and diverse African art traditions, students learn new skills and engage with a variety of materials and techniques. Workshops are developed to incorporate art into STEM learning—turn STEM into STEAM! Topics offered include pottery, textile-making methods and design, book art fundamentals, beadwork, masks and their meanings, and dolls of South Africa. Recycled materials play a significant role in the studio. All materials supplied.

The Big Draw

Monday–Friday by appointment
1–1 1/2 hour
Middle–high school
Please submit your request at least 3 weeks in advance to StokesD@si.edu or 202.633.4600

In this workshop developed specifically for older students, students engage directly with original works in the museum’s galleries through focused looking. Then, sketching those works allows exploration of art and design elements. Led by teaching artists and educators, groups are encouraged to experiment with individual drawing styles and methods. Group reflection brings student voices into a process of collaboration and critical thinking. All materials supplied.

Student Gallery

This gallery displays student artworks (K–12) created in the classroom or the museum in response to virtual field trips, gallery visits, and in-class docent visits—or simply inspired by African art!

Click on a school or workshop to view student masterpieces.

The Big Draw, National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C., summer 2016

This 2016 summer, budding artists joined us every third Wednesday to beat the heat and engage with art! After with a brief introduction to African art and a few drawing fundamentals, we set up our drawing boards in the African Mosaic exhibition to get inspired by original works of art and to sketch our own masterpieces.

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Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, Rockville, MD, Mrs. Bergel’s 2nd Grade Art Class, Winter 2016

Second graders at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School studied the cultural significance and creation of masks in African cultures. To kick off the unit, students viewed and held real African masks loaned from the museum’s education curator, Deborah Stokes. They compared and contrasted African masks to masks from other countries.

Students then created their own masks in the style of African masks by incorporating 4 commonly seen characteristics: symmetry, geometric patterning, earth-tone colors, and simplified and enlarged facial features. As part of the creative process, students sketched at least 2 different mask designs and selected 1 to make into a paper mask. Each mask also had at least 1 three-dimensional design element created by sculpting paper.

Deborah Stokes was invited to the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, Maryland, to talk with 2nd grade students about meaning-making and African masks. Art teacher Shari Bergel works with African art in her classroom to teach ideas of symmetry, pattern, color, and two- and three-dimensional shapes. The students were also introduced to modernist Amedeo Modigliani and viewed some of his work inspired by some African masks.

Duke Ellington High School, Washington, D.C., Printmaking Class, Fall 2014

Students in the Duke Ellington High School’s printmaking class of fall 2014 created works inspired by African masks.

Student artists, after watching short tutorials from okessays.com, studied a subtractive technique using scratchboard materials. Each signature composition incorporated important elements of art and principles of design: line, balance, contrast, and value, while featuring the added components of personal identity.

Ideal Academy Public Charter School, Washington, D.C., 2010

DEAL Academy Public Charter School, was chartered by the DC Board of Education in 1999. The school has a population of 480 students ranging in age from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. For their new home, Shinberg.Levinas architects converted a 37,000 square foot warehouse/office space into a lively, open school. A large central space provides a focal point and multi-use gathering space for students outside of the classroom setting. Within this interior space is a 70 foot wall where the NMAfA’s Education Department has agreed to facilitate a mural project over the next year. We are working with the students and teachers, as well as creating curriculum connections for this initiative to ensure high-quality aesthetic, social and academic benefits.

Wade King Elementary School, Bellingham, WA, K–5, 2012

Every year, students at Wade King Elementary School learn about a different region of the world through their World Tour program.

To kick off 2015’s unit on Africa, 4 of Africa’s 54 nations were highlighted to increase understanding of the world’s cultural and artistic traditions and represent the great diversity of the continent. Students were presented with an introduction to these arts of Africa by the museum’s curator for education, Deborah Stokes. During a week of art activities integrated into their curriculum, Stokes guided students through a variety of art workshops that included Moroccan mosaics, Akan adinkra symbols, West African masks, and Ndebele wall painting designs.

This video was made possible by the work of 5th graders Mimi Baydek and Diane Park, who interviewed students responding to what they liked best about their work during the week of art workshops. Hear their thoughts about lines, colors, shapes, symmetry, abstraction, and patterns!

Stories That Take Us Places!

Monday–Friday at 10:30 a.m.
1/2 hour
Preschool–kindergarten
1–1 1/2 hour
Elementary–middle school
Please submit your request at least 3 weeks in advance to StokesD@si.edu or 202.633.4600.

Interactive storytelling uses student participation to inspire the joy of books and reading. Stories told by leading D.C.-area performance artists and certified educators feature award-winning books that emphasize honesty, kindness, and overcoming obstacles. Themes of diversity and commonality are at the heart of all the stories we share.

The ABC Africa Book Club provides the materials to continue these lessons in your classroom. All materials, including a book for every student, supplied upon request.

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Teacher Development Workshops

By appointment
Minimum 10–maximum 25 participants
Please contact StokesD@si.edu or 202.633.4600.

Get introduced to the museum’s collections and educational resources! Workshops feature a variety of strategies customized to meet your staff-development needs and schedules. All include an introduction to African art and content materials for arts integration across multidisciplinary curricula. The participating organization is responsible for organizing and registering teachers.

Warren M. Robbins Library

Monday–Friday, 8:45 a.m.–5:15 p.m. by appointment
Contact 202.633.4680

The Warren M. Robbins Library at the museum is the major resource center in the United States for the research and study of the visual arts of Africa. Its collection of more than 32,000 volumes covers all aspects of African visual arts. It also has small collections of videos, posters, maps, and a significant collection of children’s books, many of them winners of the Children’s Africana Book Award.

Click here for more information, and here to search the Smithsonian Libraries’ catalog.