Departments within the Fort Wayne Museum of Art are looking back at recent months. With new exhibits, community programs, and artists’ work on display, there’s always a good reason to reflect! Join this conversation with Director of Education, Alyssa Dumire, and find out what’s happening on her side of the museum.
Q: What department are you part of, and what is your role?
AD: I work in education, and I’m Director of Education. The department consists of Miranda Dyson, Children’s Education Associate; Kelsey Herber, School Programs Associate; and me; plus our wonderful volunteer docents and any interns we might have.
Q: What are primary goals within your department?
Most simply, our job is to help people connect with art in whatever way is most meaningful for them. Depending on the needs of a particular audience, that might mean imparting relevant information about art and artists. However, because so many of the people we work with (of any age) are new or infrequent museum visitors, our broader focus tends to be teaching the skills and confidence to interpret art for themselves. The museum’s educational mission includes the belief that art adds value to the lives of our audiences, so our programs are either designed with a specific group’s needs in mind, or purposely open-ended to help them find what that value is for themselves.
Q: What are some projects or programs you were proud of this quarter?
Summer is when we plan for the year ahead, but it is always busier than I expect it to be! We visited the Allen County Juvenile Center for summer programming, where we worked with the residents to create a large-scale fiber art installation to help beautify a hallway. Gallery on Wheels also visited libraries and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic’s String Camp.
Meet Me at FWMoA, our monthly program for people with memory loss and their care partners, welcomed some new faces. I am also working to introduce more hands-on artmaking back into these programs, even if that just means a little gallery sketching. In July, we made collaborative collages inspired by From Gesture to Geometry: American Abstract Artists.
We always plan for a programming refresh at the beginning of the school year. That means that Kelsey has been developing new Gallery on Wheels collections, and Miranda created the educator resources for this year’s Young Artists Exhibition. I develop a new offering for our Art + About off-site discussion series each fall and spring, often based on requests from the retirement communities I visit, and this fall’s debut is about American watercolor painting.
Finally, you might have heard in July that FWMoA was the fortunate recipient of a Lilly Endowment grant, and we have been planning some equipment purchases (one pictured above) and professional development using a portion of the funds.
Q: How is the Fort Wayne community impacted by your department?
If you visit the Learning Center, join us for a guided tour (maybe your kids have come for a field trip), have a student who wins a Scholastic Award, or read this blog, you’re impacted by the Education Department! We are frequently out of the building—in schools, retirement communities, libraries, and daycares—so even those unable to make it to the museum can access art. We are always looking to expand our reach within the community, which often means meeting people where they are, or ensuring that underserved groups feel welcomed through programs like English-Spanish Bilingual Tours and accessibility measures.
Q: Were there any surprising numbers from this year?
The Education Department saw over 18,000 people from July 2025-2026!
Q: Are there any special stories you’d like to share?
Earlier this summer, a tour for a camp group was happening while I was in a meeting in our Overlook conference room, so named because it looks down into the museum’s atrium. Around the time the group was set to leave, we could hear very distressed wailing sounds through the windows—one of our young visitors loved the museum so much, he didn’t want to leave! We hope you feel the same, but not enough that it drives you to tears. You can always come back!
The next time you’re at FWMoA, visit the Learning Center to create something yourself!