Museums are committed to ensuring that students from diverse backgrounds have access to enriching, engaging, and high-quality educational experiences. The Amistad Center for Art & Culture is dedicated to providing a robust in-person and virtual experience for all students, complementing their classroom learning and deepening their understanding of history, social studies, world regional studies, visual arts, and the humanities.
We encourage students to think creatively and critically, allowing visual arts to inspire and influence them throughout their educational journey.
The Amistad Center for Art & Culture is proud to announce applications are now open for the SNAP! Photography Cohort 2026 — a paid summer residency experience for high school and early college students interested in photography, visual storytelling, and creative expression.
SNAP! is more than a photography class. It is an immersive artistic and professional development program designed to help young creatives strengthen their technical skills, build confidence, and explore the power of visual art as a tool for storytelling, identity, and community engagement.
Participants will work closely with professional photographers, artists, museum educators, and creative industry professionals while gaining hands-on experience both inside and outside the museum environment.
Made possible by SNAP! Photography and landSCAPE is made possible by funds provided by Lauren Allen-Jones and Gregory M. Jones and the Legacy Foundation of Hartford.
Participants in the SNAP! Photography Cohort will engage in:
Students will also learn how photography intersects with contemporary conversations around culture, identity, history, democracy, and social change.
SNAP! is open to:
No prior professional experience is required. Students of all backgrounds and skill levels are encouraged to apply.
At The Amistad Center for Art & Culture, we believe young people deserve access to transformative creative opportunities that support both artistic growth and personal wellbeing. SNAP! creates a collaborative learning environment where students can develop technical skills, explore their creativity, and imagine future careers in the arts, media, design, and STEAM fields.
Applications for the SNAP! Photography Cohort 2026 are now open!
Interested students should submit:
Application Deadline: MAY 24, 2026, 11:59 PM
For questions or additional information, please contact:
communications@amistadcenter.org
The Amistad Center for Art & Culture is seeking a creative and dependable Teaching Artist Assistant for the SNAP! Photography Cohort 2026 summer residency program. This paid opportunity includes approximately 80 hours over 6 weeks (5 hours per day, 4 days per week) at $31.25 per hour. Responsibilities include assisting with classroom setup, supporting students during photography activities and field trips, maintaining attendance, helping manage assignments and materials, and contributing to a positive, engaging learning environment for emerging young artists.
Follow the button below to apply for the teaching artist position.
Discover the stories of creativity, struggle, and jubilation in this new set of lesson plans and resources for K–12 educators featuring works of art from our collection that explore the richness and inspiration of artists of color. Each lesson plan encourages critical and historical thinking in students and strategies for social-emotional learning and cultural responsiveness.
• Introductory essays
• Downloadable high-resolution image
• Critical thinking questions for students
• Classroom activities
• Selected additional resources
The Amistad Center for Art & Culture believes in the power of connecting K-12 students to the rich history and legacy of African Americans and people of African descent through object-based and inquiry-based learning.
Works of art, objects, and artifacts in our collection demonstrate the creativity of the culture, highlight the dark past of segregation and disenfranchisement, and celebrate the talent of artists of color.
The collection extends beyond visual arts, uplifting the humanity, compassion, and joy of the human spirit to foster empathy in students toward all mankind.
© 2026 The Amistad Center for Art & Culture at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.
