With the opening of the Wachovia Education Resource Center in the Perelman Building, area teachers and students now have a resource unlike any other. They may find in the center an unprecedented richness of information to help them make connections between their curricular areas, the visual arts and the Philadelphia Museum of Art's collections.

Equipped as a high-tech research site and resource lending library, the Resource Center houses materials selected specifically to help make these cross-curricular connections: from online research sites, art-reference texts, and exhibition catalogues to teaching materials prepared by the Museum's Education staff, including teaching poster sets and teaching kits containing slides, DVDs, videos, and image cards. Thanks to an innovative partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, teaching materials from the National Gallery of Art are also available to educators at the Resource Center. In addition, teachers have access to ARTstor, a digital database presenting high-quality images of art and historical documents from museums and cultural centers around the world, enabling them to create their own personally tailored lessons.

Created with the conviction that the visual arts can enhance learning and create rich connections between all areas of curriculum, the Resource Center offers a variety of workshops and clinics to help teachers of all subject areas explore how art and technology can be a rich resource for their teaching. The Division of Education staff and a corps of teacher volunteers are on hand to work with educators. Their goal is to identify resources and strategies that enhance lessons by incorporating the visual arts. In addition to on-site resources, the Museum's Division of Education now publishes an e-newsletter with lesson plans and information designed to help teachers make these connections. A new on-line teacher forum allows teachers from around the region to pose questions, get answers and share successful lessons.

Educators are always seeking new and creative ways to teach diverse student bodies. The Wachovia Education Resource Center provides materials and support for visual learning and cross-curricular planning and helps teachers engage students across the region in high-level thinking skills.

Discover more exciting resources and amenities available to educators and visitors alike in the new Perelman Galleries and Study Centers.

For more information, please contact Education: School & Teacher Programs by phone at (215) 684-7585, by fax at (215) 236-4063, or by e-mail at .