The Currier Museum is committed to supporting our diverse community of learners through art by encouraging them to cultivate their artistic skills and broaden their imaginations within the setting of intimate and supportive learning situations.

Art and Wellness Programs

The Currier connects art with people. The museum creates impactful programs that serve those in greatest need in our community today. We believe art can inspire, bring people together, and create a better, more inclusive society.

For more information on these programs, email Corie Lyford at clyford@currier.org.

  • Expressions Through Art
    • Expressions Through Art provides a joyful and creative experience for people affected by cancer, in partnership with Elliot Hospital’s Solinsky Center for Cancer Care
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    • Staff from the Currier and the Elliot facilitate discussions about art in our galleries and guide art-making. The program uses art as a conduit for respite and connection. Light refreshments will be provided. No art experience necessary.
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    • This new wellness program will be held on the second Thursday of each month beginning in January 2023 from 4 pm to 5:30 pm.
  • Art of Hope
    • Art of Hope program provides art and mental health support for people whose family members suffer from substance-use disorder.
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    • Art of Hope engages participants in a welcoming, open-hearted setting through guided conversation in the galleries and a special art activity, using art as a conduit for generating understanding, awareness, and healing. Free and open to the public, Art of Hope requires no previous art experience.
  • Memory Café
    • The Currier Memory Café is a joyful and creative social experience for people with memory loss, and their caregivers.
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    • The program is held on the first Wednesday of each month from 1 to 2 pm; advanced registration is encouraged here.
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    • a group of older adults seated in a gallery looking at art

      Memory Cafe session in the American galleries

  • Art for Vets
    • Art for Vets is an art-focused program that offers unique and FREE opportunities for veterans, active service members, and their families to come together and experience the benefits of the creative experience.
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    • For more information about our Art for Vets programs please email artforvets@currier.org or call 603.518.4908
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    • Art for Vets is generously sponsored by Swim with a Mission

       
         

  • Making Art Accessible
    • The Currier Museum has worked with teens and adults with developmental disabilities for over a decade. Our signature program, Making Art Accessible is a multimedia studio art class designed for these deserving individuals. Working in a lively and fun studio setting, students make works of art inspired by the Currier’s collections and visit the Currier’s galleries.
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    • The goal of Making Art Accessible is to foster a sense of well-being in each student and to create a community of mutually supportive students who enjoy making art together. 
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    • The Currier regularly holds Making Art Accessible classes, a studio class that is open to the public. For more information or to register for Making Art Accessible please email CLyford@currier.org.  
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    • In addition, the Currier hosts programs focused on accessibility with several local organizations including the Moore Center, Siddharth Services, and the PLUS Company of Nashua. 
    • This program is sponsored by Fiduciary Trust.
    • A man and woman at a table cutting various colored paper with scissors.
  • Programming for Immigrant and Refugee Children
    • The Currier Museum works with many organizations who resettle and support immigrant and refugee families in Manchester.
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    • We provide after-school art instruction for children of these families during the school year and extend their learning into vacation weeks by offering free enrollment in our Vacation Art Camps. During our Art Camps the children are with us for 30 hours of instruction each week and are provided free breakfast and lunch each day.
    • This program is sponsored by Rise Private Wealth Management, AmeriHealth Caritas New Hampshire, Pamela Diamantis and Morey Goodman. 
    • Gorup of youth with backs to  viewer and arms out as they look at work of interactive  art.
  • Creative Connections for Teens at the Currier
    • Creative Connections for Teens supports students suffering with anxieties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and related societal harms that adversely impact our most vulnerable populations.  Each session provides students opportunities to connect through art-viewing, artmaking, and social time. Sessions are led by Currier educators and curators with the support of a school counselor, who emphasize personal creative development, respite, relationship building, and mindful awareness. 

    • Creative Connections for Teens is supported in part by a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

    • For more information or to register, contact Corie Lyford at CLyford@currier.org

Thank you to our many funders who make this programming possible, including: Northeast Delta Dental, People’s United Bank, Rise Private Wealth Management, Fiduciary Trust, The Brown Foundation of Houston, Inc., New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, Heineman Foundation, Dorson Family Fund, Chris Dwyer and Michael Huxtable in honor of Peg Gaillard’s service to the Currier, and Private Funders.
   

    

     

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for families

There’s lots to do with your family at the Currier Museum of Art. Join us for Creative Studio, enjoy an interactive activity in the galleries, take an art class, and discover Currier From Home.

All museum programs are free with museum admission unless otherwise indicated. Children 12 and under always enjoy free gallery admission.

Sound amplification is available for most programs. Plan your visit here.

  • Creative Studio
    • Join us on the second Saturday of each month from 10 am to 1 pm for a special artmaking activity for the whole family.  Designed to relate to an exhibition or the collection, creative sessions are complemented by a 20-30-minute interactive family tour devoted to the month’s theme. The program is offered on a drop-in basis; registration is not required. Click here for more information.
    • Free gallery admission is for New Hampshire residents.
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    • Sponsored by the Botnick Family Foundation and E&R Laundry and Dry Cleaning.
  • Art for Vets Family Days
    • Offered on the third Saturday of every month, this festive family day brings veterans, active military members, and their families together at the Currier. Free access to the galleries, fun art activities (September-May), and complimentary lunch are provided.
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    • For more information about our Art for Vets programs please email artforvets@currier.org or call 603-518-4946.
  • Storytime
  • Interactive activities + family guides
    • Interactive activities change with exhibitions and may include art kits, response areas, and contactless engagements. Family guides are also developed for some exhibitions and include prompts and activities to invite close looking and conversation.
  • Art classes
    • The Currier Museum Art Center offers a full schedule of studio art classes for children, adults, and families. See information about upcoming classes here.
  • Currier from Home
    • The museum provides free and accessible learning experiences online through Currier from Home. Connect with us anytime and be creative at home. Check back often as we are always adding new lessons and experiences.
  • Prepare to visit with your family
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    • Families are beloved members of the Currier community. Below are some suggestions for your visit.
    • Before coming, browse art online on the Currier collections or exhibitions tabs and/or explore activities at Currier from Home
    • While looking at the art together, engage children with prompts such as:
      – What do you see? What do you think might be happening in this scene?
      – Use your senses: what do you think you’d hear, smell, and feel if you were inside it?
      – Compare and contrast a couple works within a gallery.
      – Read the labels together.
      – Be playful. For example: invite kids to retitle a work. For an abstract work: how would this feel different if it were hung upside down?
    • Before your visit, review museum guidelines like not touching the art, using walking feet, not eating or drinking in the galleries, and only using pencil.  
    • Restrooms and Baby Changing
    • There are two family restrooms located in the main lobby, one of which (closest to the coat room) has a baby-changing station. Baby-changing stations are also available in the restrooms on the lower level near the classrooms and auditorium.
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    • Strollers
    • Soft-front baby carriers are allowed in all areas of the museum. Strollers are generally allowed in all areas of the museum, but there may be restrictions during periods of heavy attendance. The museum provides strollers on a first-come, first-served basis. They are sanitized between uses.
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    • Nursing
    • If you are breast or bottle-feeding your child you can do so in any area of the museum. Guards and Guest Services staff can show you to a more private area if desired. Toddler cups are not permitted in the galleries but can be used in the Winter Garden Café and Lobby.
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    • Bags
    • A free coat room is located behind the Guest Services desk at the main entrance. At this time, lockers are not available for use. Large bags or backpacks are not permitted.
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    • Museum guidelines
      -Please do not touch works of art, frames, pedestals, or walls
      -Please remain at least 18 inches away from the art.
      -Walk and move safely.
      -Photography is permitted, no flash or selfie sticks, please.
      -Sketching with pencils is permitted.
      -Food and drinks are not allowed the galleries.
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    • First aid
    • If you require first aid during your visit, please see a security officer. Any accident should also be reported to security.

Art Classes

The Currier Museum Art Center runs classes for children and adults throughout the year.

Visit our classes page to learn more and see upcoming classes. Tuition discounts available when registering.