Bethel Woods on Main

In partnership with the library in Eldred, New York, Bethel Woods on Main programming was developed for their 2019 library lecture series. Museum education teaching artists and staff hosted a lively discussion with residents that touched on the town's history and experiences in the 1960s and during the Woodstock festival. Utilizing the creative brainstorming and storytelling element of mind mapping, guests created a shared mind map routing their personal experiences at Woodstock and then worked on a story of their own. 

Museum education teaching artists and staff conducted an outreach-style art-making activity at the Student S.T.E.A.M. day of the Rochester MakerFair engaging with the educators and students in far-reaching northern counties like Monroe, Genesee, and Wayne - all areas that have a difficult time traveling to the museum and festival site for field trip experiences. This program enables us to bring the mission into new communities and engage in creative activities that speak to young people about counterculture, movements, ways of self-expression, and how current young people can relate to and learn from the 1960s. 

Partnership with the Alzheimer's Association of the Hudson Valley via our Creative Arts Therapy program was a natural step towards making our art and music programs more accessible for the aging population. Something for Alz is a grant-funded group program produced by the Alzheimer's Association of the Hudson Valley, wherein persons with dementia and their caregivers are provided with opportunities for active memory-making, engagement in new activities, and socialization with others traveling the same journey. 

Bethel Woods was asked to host a six-week creative arts therapy program for this group that would be open to members of the association. Lead Teaching Artist and Creative Arts Therapist, Candace Rivela, developed a six-week virtual program, held on Tuesday mornings, that used Bethel Woods' historic grounds, exhibitions, and music as inspiration for shared group discussion and expressive art making. 

In 2020, we began offering professional development workshops for educators, as school administrators increasingly sought to create opportunities for their staff to engage in wellness and self-care activities to reduce stress. These one-hour trainings, part of our Traveling Teaching Artists program, include an informative presentation highlighting the uses and benefits of Creative Arts Therapy followed by mindful art-making activities that educators can use as wellness tools both in and outside of the workplace. 

2018 and 2019 SUNY Sullivan & Liberty Partnerships Program, the SUNY Sullivan Brighter Futures LPP, a New York State Education Department (NYSED) plan for Higher Education as part of its strategy to maximize the successful transition of middle and high school into higher education and employment market. Bethel Woods on Main provided a template to allow local teens to explore different creative outlets and career pathways. Teaching artists led after-school workshops in bronze casting and media content development.