FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2018
Press Contact: Geeda Searfoorce
Marketing and Communications Manager
802-985-0881 (direct line)
gsearfoorce@shelburnemuseum.org

(Shelburne, Vermont)  On May 4, Shelburne Museum will offer two events featuring members of the iconic Sesame Street team: a FREE professional development seminar for educators, entitled Sesame Street in Communities: Building Literacy Skills and Beyond, and special evening lecture by Annie Evans, Sesame Street writer, and Martin P. Robinson, Muppet Captain and creative performer, which is open to the public. The May 4 seminar and lecture will be held in the Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education at Shelburne Museum.

Professional Development Seminar: Sesame Street in Communities: Building Literacy Skills and Beyond

The educator workshop, entitled Sesame Street in Communities: Building Literacy Skills and Beyond, gives participants an inside look at the creation of Sesame Street in Communities, a brand new educational model and resource center that uses research-based strategies and materials to guide and support healthy habits in young children, while also engaging the important adults in their lives.

Sesame Street in Communities provides educators and service providers with a wealth of free resources designed to engage families in everyday activities to help all children become smarter, stronger, and kinder. In this session, workshop-goers will explore these and other Sesame Street resources that will enhance their work with children and families, particularly around language and literacy.

Tara Wright, Professional Development Manager in the U.S. Social Impact department at Sesame Workshop, will explore how to use Sesame Street to promote literacy in both the home and the classroom. Wright is responsible for creating multimedia training and implementation experiences for various Sesame Workshop initiatives—sharing best practices and equipping providers across the nation with tools and resources to better serve families and children. Prior to joining Sesame Workshop, she was on the Public Affairs team at the University of Oklahoma, and previously worked as a graphic designer.

Wright holds a bachelor of Advertising from the Gaylord College of Journalism at the University of Oklahoma. She is a talented artist and owns a small business, Frameworthy Designs, where she occasionally teaches creative workshops.

This is a FREE, 3-credit hour professional development seminar. Participants can register by emailing mtrow@shelburnemuseum.org.

Public Lecture: Sesame Street: The Longest Street in the World

At 6 p.m. on May 4, the public is invited to an artist lecture entitled Sesame Street: The Longest Street in the World, featuring Annie Evans, Sesame Street writer, and Martin P. Robinson, Muppet Captain and creative performer of the characters Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus, and Slimey. Evans and Robinson, who also wrote a Sesame Workshop parenting blog called Sesame Family Robinson, will share details about the imaginative and creative work they do for Sesame Street. The husband and wife team offer a look at the nuts and bolts of creating the 49-year-old iconic domestic television show and the artistry behind the creation of its many international incarnations.

$10 general admission. $5 children ages 5-17. FREE for museum members, Vermont educators, and children ages 5 and under. Registration is online at sesamestreet_shelburne_museum.eventbrite.com.

 

Sponsorship for May 4 events by Vermont PBS
The educational workshop and public lecture are supported in part by Vermont PBS. Vermont PBS is Vermont’s statewide public media provider and visual storyteller, connecting neighbors through stories that change lives. To learn more or watch Vermont PBS programs, visit vermontpbs.org.

Bonus! Walkaround Elmo on May 13
Fans of Sesame Street will have an unprecedented opportunity to meet one of its beloved characters on May 13, as part of Springtime at Shelburne Museum. Walkaround Elmo will be on the Circus Lawn to meet families and take photos throughout this special Mother’s Day event, which includes live music, tours with curator Kory Rogers of the new exhibition, In the Garden, art activities with featured artist Crystal Cawley, a plant sale, delicious nibbles, and a meditation session with Charlie Nardozzi.

ABOUT SHELBURNE MUSEUM
Founded in 1947 by sugar heiress and pioneering folk art collector Electra Havemeyer Webb (1888–1960), Shelburne Museum is the largest art and history museum in northern New England and Vermont’s foremost public resource for visual art and material culture. The museum is now open year-round, with the Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education and Webb Gallery featuring important American paintings by Andrew Wyeth, Winslow Homer, Grandma Moses, John Singleton Copley, and many more. For more information, please visit shelburnemuseum.org.
Shelburne Museum
6000 Shelburne Road or PO Box 10
Shelburne, VT 05482
802-985-3346
www.shelburnemuseum.org
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