Petrucci Family Foundation launches Paterson art teaching residency

The Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art is launching a teaching artist residency in Paterson public schools starting in January 2027, with support from the Morris Museum and Paterson Public Schools. The program will end with a spring 2027 student exhibition at the Morris Museum, aiming to connect African American art history with classroom learning and student-made work.

Why it matters: - The residency brings African American art history into Paterson classrooms through direct work with practicing artists. - The program is designed to strengthen visual literacy, critical thinking, communication and creative problem-solving. - A public museum exhibition gives students a platform for their work and connects school-based artmaking with a broader audience.

What happened: - The Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art announced a teaching artist residency for middle and high school students in Paterson, New Jersey. - The initiative was developed with the Morris Museum and Paterson Public Schools. - A Trustee of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation made a $40,000 discretionary grant that supports the program. - The residency begins in January 2027. - The program is expected to reach six schools across the Paterson Public School District. - The residency will conclude with a public exhibition at the Morris Museum in spring 2027.

The details: - The residency runs in four-week cycles. - Participating artists will work with classroom educators to build lessons across visual arts, history, social studies and literature. - Students will take part in artist-led demonstrations, workshops, group discussions and critical reflection. - The program will emphasize hands-on artmaking, critical analysis, cultural storytelling and creative expression. - Students will develop technical skills and visual literacy while examining the historical and cultural context of artistic expression. - The residency builds on the foundation’s African American Art History Curriculum. - The program focuses on art as a way to tell stories, express identity and understand how artists document, challenge and reimagine the world. - The exhibition will feature student artwork alongside works from the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection. - The display is meant to put student responses in conversation with work by established artists.

Between the lines: - The residency pushes the foundation’s mission beyond exhibitions and loans into direct classroom education. - The Morris Museum is positioning itself as a bridge between the foundation and Paterson schools. - The program reflects a broader effort to expand access to African American art history outside traditional museum settings. - The collaboration also signals a focus on mentorship, not just display, by pairing students with working artists. - Since 2012, the foundation has collected work by Black artists as part of a larger effort to deepen understanding of American history through African American art.

What's next: - Additional details about participating artists, schools and the spring 2027 exhibition will be announced in the coming months. - Paterson students will begin classroom residencies in January 2027. - The Morris Museum will host the culminating exhibition in spring 2027.

The bottom line: - The partnership turns a private art collection into a classroom resource and a public exhibition for Paterson students.