b'Students from Project Coach discussing a work of art in Black Refractionsto uplifting the work of people of color, but Black from nearby Springfield, Massachusettsessentially, Refractions came at a time when our community, andmentoring mentors who, in turn, work to support the country, is craving opportunities to better under- younger kids in their community through various stand the Black experience, and the positive responseactivities. With Black Refractions as the context, our to the exhibition affirmed that it resonated with oureducation team helped develop part of the Projectaudiences in all the ways we hoped it would. GivenCoach curriculum related to the value of critical that the run was cut short by COVID-19, it ended upthinking through discussion of imagery, also known as being a real virtue that we opened in mid-January,Visual Thinking Strategies. The students spent several which is earlier than usual for one of our winter/springweeks through the fall of 2019 building skills that they exhibitions. And because it was prior to the start ofthen brought to their roles as gallery interpreters on the second semester, Emma Chubb, Charlotte Fengthe exhibitions opening weekend (page 32). I will Ford 83 Curator of Contemporary Art and SCMAsnever forget the feeling of seeing these young people coordinating curator for Black Refractions, developedtake ownership over their museum experience and a popular interterm course exploring the artwork asshare it with the community with such confidence and well as the story of The Studio Museum (page 31). Thedepth of understanding. More than a few of the teens students loved it, and we loved being able to createexpressed just how transformative it was to see them-that kind of access and opportunity for them to see anselves represented in the work on these walls and to exhibition come into being.develop a meaningful relationship with SCMA, both We are grateful for a grant from Art Bridges thatthe people and the place.the making of a museumallowed us to partner with Project Coach, a Smith pro- It ties back to the making of a museumand, gram that cultivates leadership opportunities for teensimportantly, whose museum were making. This was8'