Bruce Museum Receives Grant to Expand Education, Family Programs

The Bruce Museum has received a $110,000 grant from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation that will support and expand the museum’s arts education and family programs.

The grant will support some of the museum’s new initiatives including the Family Studio workshops, and existing programs such as the Neighborhood Collaborative program for at-risk youth, as well as the Lifetime of Looking program for visitors with memory loss.

“The Bruce Museum is grateful to the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation for its generous support. In addition to helping the Museum expand its award-winning programs, the grant also enables the Museum to reach new audiences and develop new programming, like early literacy Toddler Tours, and Stroller Tours for parents and their children,” Suzanne Lio, the museum’s Manager of Government, Foundation and Corporate Funding, said in a statement. Grant funds also will support the popular exhibition-themed Family Days, presentations by art historians and scholars, and the Youth@Bruce teen mentoring program.

“We are pleased to support the Bruce Museum’s programs that bring arts education and programming to families and young children,” said Alexandra Cohen, President of the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, and Greenwich resident. “We hope that expanding the Bruce Museum’s programs will help foster a love of the arts by the families in our community.”

The Bruce’s Executive Director, Peter C. Sutton, said in a statement, “We are delighted to have received such broad support for education from the Cohen Foundation.” Sutton added, “This funding supports our ongoing efforts to serve all of our constituencies – from the very young to the very old – and offer them world-class educational programming in the arts.”

The museum’s new initiatives include Stroller Tours and Toddler Tours, both of which have already begun. Stroller Tours, which take place two Wednesdays per month from 9 to 10 a.m., are open to new moms, dads, caregivers and their infants, offering free guided tours of the museum’s exhibitions. Toddler Tours, which are open and designed for children aged 3 to 5 and their families, are offered Tuesdays from 11 to 11:45 a.m., and are free with general admission. Participants do not need to preregister for either tour.

The Bruce Museum also offers Family Gallery Tours for children aged 6 to 10 and their families every Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The next Family Day, another initiative supported by the grant, will be in support of Native American Heritage Month, and held from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23.

For more information on the programs, visit https://brucemuseum.org/site/education_detail/new-youth-and-family-programs-at-the-bruce-museum.

Photo: New Sunday family gallery tours at the Bruce Museum. Photograph by Bruce Museum.

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