"Are we alone in the universe?  Do aliens exist?  Or are we, ourselves, the strangers in our own worlds?"  Douglas Fogle, curator of Life on Mars, the 55th Carnegie International, asks of us these three, deceptively quixotic questions as we prepare to experience the contemporary art exhibition for the first time this spring.

Debates over the existence of Martians aside, we can all certainly identify with feeling like one from time to time.  Alienation--from others, oneself or one's experiences--is a most basic aspect of the human experience. As teachers, each new day you blaze trails through uncharted territory, grappling with the myriad, unforeseen joys and challenges of working with rooms full of young and unpredictable minds.

In fact, confronting the unknown is something we all deal with--even within the confines of our daily routines. Whether it's meeting a new colleague at work, shopping for this season's fashions at our favorite store, or hearing a just-released song on iTunes, we constantly come in contact with and are forced to make sense of the unfamiliar.

This is exactly the task with which we and our students are charged as we visit Life on Mars this year. Looking at cutting-edge art from diverse cultures in a museum setting can be daunting.  Coming face to face with artworks that challenge the traditional categories of painting and sculpture and break down the boundaries between object and viewer requires patience and an open mind from even seasoned museum-goers. Yet no matter the academic discipline to which we pledge allegiance, we know how exciting and rewarding the contemporary art experience can be for students of all ages and abilities when they are equipped with the right tools and guidelines.

Each day at the museum I watch young people's eyes light up and minds open as they make sense of history and find personal meaning in exhibitions and installations across our galleries with the help of our docents and museum educators. The time has come to begin planning for your fall 2008 field trips to Carnegie Museum of Art. Please join me for a teachers-only tour of Life on Mars on the evening of May 14, our spring teacher open house, so that we can begin shaping together the type of museum experience best suited to your students.

Please share your thoughts and ideas here with the local teaching community, or feel free to contact me via email. I look forward to working with you!

            
            Jordan Crosby
            School and Teacher Programs Specialist
            Department of Education
            Carnegie Museum of Art