Parrish Art Museum Receives Grant To Serve Those With Special Needs

WATER MILL, NY — The Parrish Art Museum has received a $198,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Service to help art more accessible for all.

The funds, museum representatives said, will help staff to evaluate, improve, and expand "Access Parrish", an existing gallery experience and art-making program that serves individuals with special needs, including cognitive diverse individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, individuals on the autism spectrum, people with physical disabilities, and people who have experienced severe trauma.

Access Parrish empowers people through experiential learning opportunities that make the Parrish accessible to the "most underserved, under-invited, vulnerable, marginalized and isolated populations," Museum representatives said.

The program has reached more than 500 individuals to date and has expanded over time to include partnerships with incarcerated women and victims of domestic violence — both "highly overlooked populations," according to the Museum.

"We are thrilled to be the recipient of an IMLS grant,” said Monica Ramirez-Montagut, director of the Parrish Art Museum. "To date, we have not offered Access Parrish directly to the general public, as program participants currently come almost exclusively from our partner organizations. As the Museum continues to emerge successfully from three years of pandemic-based disruptions, the timing is right to turbocharge Access Parrish and serve a broader audience."

The Parrish will work with an external evaluator to develop a plan as well as a community advisory panel with members from the program’s target audiences and partnering human service Parrish educator, Wendy Gottlieb, in the galleries with participants from Stony Brook Southampton Hospital's Cancer Wellness Program agencies to guide the project. Program evaluation will support the development and expansion of future community-informed museum programming to serve a wider audience and will leverage lessons learned to improve the museum’s overall service to special audiences.

"As pillars of our communities, libraries and museums bring people together by providing important programs, services, and collections. These institutions are trusted spaces where people can learn, explore and grow," said IMLS Director Crosby Kemper. "IMLS is proud to support their initiatives through our grants as they educate and enhance their communities."