"Local Elementary Students Visit Pomona College Native American Study Center, Home to 6,000 Artifacts," by Cynthia Peters, Pomona College News
The Pomona College Museum of Art’s Native American Collection Study Center (NACSC) provides a portal into the rich resources of 6,000 artifacts of Native American art. “Awesome,” is how at least one third-grader described his trip through the Center’s storage and study spaces earlier today when all third-graders from Mountain View Elementary School got an up close look at intricately beaded moccasins and ceremonial shirts, a feather headdress, rugs and arrowheads, among other items.
The Study Center provides a unique opportunity for close examination without the barriers normally needed for public display, giving visitors – students, faculty and select members of the public – intimate contact with original works of art and artifacts. The space is both a storage area and classroom, with open table space and walls for short-term display of objects outside of traditional exhibition.
Over the past year and a half, NACSC staff have facilitated discussions and led presentations relating to the Center's collection for the local schools of the Claremont Unified School District (CUSD). The curriculum was developed with community stakeholders, teachers from four local schools (El Roble Intermediate School, Oakmont Outdoor School, Sycamore Elementary, and Vista del Valle Elementary) and museum education consultant Rich Neely.