Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

School and Youth Communities programming engages educators and students in the investigation and creation of vibrant learning environments. Through contemporary art, agency, and advocacy, youth alongside artists, and teachers partner with the MCA to develop, design, and ignite pathways to positive social change.

MCA Learning provides teacher professional development in 3 specific ways. 

• All are specific to a reference contemporary visual art at the core.
• All offerings are in-person at the MCA.
• Instructional approaches are a combination of presentation and workshop components. 

Our Teacher Institute is the museum’s most immersive professional development program where exceptional K-12 teachers come together for one year to explore what it means to critically engage students with the art and ideas of our time. 

Educator Workshops are our quarterly professional development drop-in series curated to address the whole of Chicagoland educators. Providing timely high value resources to ideate and create engaging curriculum and foster responsive youth and personal development in the classroom.

We additionally are focused on sharing resources and providing workshops led by artists, cultural leaders, activists, and wellness practitioners that give teachers toolkits to manage their personal development, mental health, and capacity. 

The Learning Series are one day intensive professional development opportunities that connect teachers to artists, educators and arts leaders working within Chicago’s cultural landscape. These events are built to support trends in education, responsively address skill and interest gaps by providing access to content professionals, as well as major themes from the MCA’s exhibitions.