Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka launches Term 3 of ‘MMCA Afterschool’

The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka has announced the launch of the Term 3 of its popular ‘MMCA Afterschool’.

MMCA Sri Lanka launched MMCA Afterschool in October 2022 as an initiative that provides children aged 6-10 with stimulating, fun, and collaborative learning experiences in the context of the country’s first museum of modern and contemporary art.

The program has successfully completed two terms, with the participation of 20 children in Term 1 (October-December 2022), and 30 children in Term 2 (January-February 2023).

MMCA Afterschool is a program led by the Education Department of MMCA Sri Lanka and delivered with the support of the Visitor Educators (VEs) of the museum. Speaking on the conceptualisation and planning that led to the program, Curator of Learning and Training Sanuja Goonetilleke said: “The MMCA Afterschool program began with the question ‘how can a modern and contemporary art museum based in Colombo cater to a child?’,” adding that, “Observing how children in Sri Lanka typically experience syllabi and assessment-based ‘cramming’ in schools, we felt that opportunities which make space for children to develop their overall life skills in formal educational settings are sporadic at best. MMCA Afterschool is hence offered as an educational, yet fun program that contributes to a child’s overall development and learning needs in Sri Lanka.”

The Visitor Educators of the MMCA Sri Lanka guide the children through all the activities that span across four two-hour sessions. Goonetilleke reflected on the learning and training opportunities that the programme opens for the VEs, noting that, “To keep things novel and interesting for children, no two sessions of MMCA Afterschool are exactly the same. This means that behind the scenes, our VEs research, create, tweak, deliver, and evaluate activities on a weekly basis. I am incredibly proud of how our VEs–some who have prior teaching experience and some who have none–have taken on these responsibilities and new roles.” These sessions engage the children in conversations, tours, discussions, creative writing, object/art-making, movement-based activities, treasure hunts, and much more.

Speaking on the enthusiasm shown by the children and their parents/guardians/caregivers alike towards the program, Assistant Curator of Education and Public Programs Pramodha Weerasekera said: “The reception from parents has been wonderful. Many of them are excited about the creative freedom with guidance that the program provides. The programme is also an opportunity for children to gather and socialise after almost three years of reduced social interaction.” The MMCA Sri Lanka is an education-led initiative that aims to establish a public museum dedicated to the display, research, collection, and conservation of modern and contemporary art for the benefit and enjoyment of the general public, schools, and tourists. As a space that facilitates learning experiences at the intersections of education, entertainment, and creative engagement, the MMCA Sri Lanka is an ideal context for children to engage in learning through interaction with Sri Lankan modern and contemporary art. Parents/guardians/caregivers are invited to visit the museum with their children, at the Ground floor of Crescat Boulevard, Colombo 3, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Parents interested to learn more about MMCA Afterschool may email [email protected].