Briana Zavadil White

Briana Zavadil White oversees the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s education programs, which serves the museum’s access, teen, youth and family, and student and teacher audiences. Inquiry and object-based learning provide the foundation for education programs at the museum. The Portrait Gallery’s programs, gallery experiences, and workshops start with the premise that by reading portraiture, visitors can springboard into rich conversations about biography, history, and art. By modeling learning to look strategies, unique ways to engage in portraiture, the education team hopes visitors will slow down and look closely in order to spark meaning making. Briana holds a B.A. in psychology, with a minor in art history, from the University of Virginia and a M.A.T. with a concentration in museum education from George Washington University.

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The Smithsonian Summer Sessions: Inspiring Civic Engagement (edX)

Discover how museum objects can help learners explore the challenges and opportunities of living in a democracy and inspire civic action. How can educators of all disciplines prepare students to be active and informed participants in a democracy? Join us to explore this question through the lens of six [...]

Interdisciplinary Teaching with Museum Objects (edX)

Educators from four Smithsonian museums will explore connections among their collections and model teaching strategies that participants can implement with their students, whether online or in the classroom. Teachers, don't miss this special opportunity to learn with four Smithsonian museums from [...]