Ali Santana is an award-winning educator, receiving the award for ‘Innovation in Teaching Artistry’ from the Association of Teaching Artists in 2019. With more than 15 years of teaching experience, Santana enjoys collaborating with cultural institutions, museums and organizations including The Museum of Modern Art and Apple Inc.
Santana shares his artistic practice with students of all ages, and prioritizes accessibility, creative problem-solving and resourcefulness, emphasizing that anyone can use creativity as a tool for change.
MoMA Teens: In The Making (2019)
Altered Egos: Assuming New Identities through Costume and Performance
In this workshop participants expressed their creativity via masquerade, mask making and audio-visual art. Using found materials, their resourcefulness and creativity, students invented abstract personas and explored the world of costume design, experimental sound, video art and performance. This course met three times a week for six weeks and culminated in a Teen Art Show of participants’ work at MoMA PS1.
MoMA Teens: Digital Advisory Board (2013-2020)
The Digital Advisory Board challenged MoMA Teen Programs alumni to explore the things they had learned during their time at the museum, and use their experiences as catalysts for the creation of online educational materials for other teens from across the globe. The first online art course we created in collaboration with the DAB teens (titled Think OUTSIDE the Box) attracted participants from around the world—and won an American Association of Museums Din and Honneyset Award for Student Work.