The Children's Museum of the Arts

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Mission
The mission of the Children’s Museum of the Arts is to extend the benefits of the arts to all children and their communities and to secure the future of the arts by inspiring and championing the next generation of artists and art lovers. We work to fulfill our mission by providing authentic hands-on art experiences for children with artists, both in our art-filled interactive museum, in the community, and by collecting and exhibiting children’s art. We are committed to celebrating the artist in every child and promoting access to the arts for all children regardless of ability or socioeconomic status because we believe the arts are critical to child and youth development and to strong and vibrant communities.

Philosophy
At CMA, we give all children and families access to the creative tools that promote self-expression and esteem through the visual and performing arts. We honor the artist in every child through hands-on art programs taught by trained, working artists; through our on-going collection and exhibition of children's art; and through partnerships with diverse community organizations that celebrate life and the arts in New York City.

History
Founded in October 1988 by Kathleen Schneider, the Children's Museum of the Arts is one of the oldest children's art museums in the world. The Museum has been located in the Manhattan neighborhood of SoHo since its inception. The Museum employs an artist-in-residence format whereby teaching artists work directly with children and their families. CMA is a nonprofit institution.