Field Trips

Tour the MFTA Reuse Facility!

A field trip to MFTA gives your students the opportunity to visit NYC’s premier reuse facility and learn about the intersection of art and sustainability: Creative Reuse. Our field trip program features a tour of our 35,000 square foot warehouse, including a peek into our MFTA Gallery and Artist-in-Residence and Designer-in-Residence studios. Afterwards, our teaching artists lead students and educators through an art-making project using a wide variety of reusable materials. CD cases, file folders, food wrappers — these are just some of the unconventional materials that students turn from trash to treasure. These hands-on activities are designed to be integrated with your classroom curriculum and encourage Creative Reuse at your school. An invaluable resource for both students and teachers alike, our field trip program has something to offer for everyone who walks through our doors!

Offered weekly, field trips are two hours long, starting at 10:30am or 1:30pm.

Field trips are $175/class. We have a limited amount of funding for free field trips. Free trips are first-come, first-served, and limited to 4 classes per school.

Update – 2024-25 Field Trips
We have received a high volume of field trip requests, and our calendar is now full for the 2024-25 school year. You can submit your information below, and we will notify you if there is any availability. Otherwise, we will notify you when trips are available next school year.

Professional Development

Take your educational career to the next level with our hands-on Professional Development courses. Our studio-style classes provide educators with the insight and tools to integrate the arts across their curriculum while centering Creative Reuse practices. Learn new techniques in art making and upcycling to develop your teaching practice.

NYC Public Schools teachers will earn CTLE credits, and +30 credits towards the ASPDP salary differential.

To earn career building P-Credits:

1. Click through to the ASPDP website, to pay the P-Credit fee.*
2. Then pay for a Creative Reuse educational course on the MFTA website.

*If you do not need P-Credits, you are not required to register on the ASPDP website. Simply sign up for the course on the MFTA website. All classes are automatically applied toward CTLE hours; no additional fee or registration required.

Sustainability Curriculum Guide

Dive into our Sustainability Curriculum Guide, a transformative educational material designed for K-12 educators eager to nurture the next generation of eco-conscious leaders. From captivating real-world narratives to age-appropriate resources and alternative media, this guide illuminates the path toward a more sustainable future. Prepare to ignite young minds with curiosity, compassion, and a passion for championing a better, greener world.

In-School Programs

In-School Residencies

With skilled teaching artists leading the way, MFTA’s Creative Reuse programming is brought to life with art-making projects and hands-on learning that integrate our mission into participating school’s curriculum. MFTA teaching artists encourage the reuse and repurposing of materials and show school staff how simple changes can result in more materials to support classroom programming. Teaching Artists train staff and together they lead classes with hands-on activities that inspire students to look differently at materials, resources, and their everyday environment.

In-school residencies involve a multi-week program where a teaching artist will instruct up to four classrooms in a day. All in-school residency programs can be structured to meet the needs of the students, the staff and the school community. To learn more, please submit a residency request, and we will contact you to discuss options.

Community Workshops and Family Engagement

Look for MFTA’s art-making table at citywide public events, where adults and children roll up their sleeves and get creative with a variety of reusable materials! If you are interested in hosting an event at your community organization, contact us to customize a program for your group.

Organized art presentations and workshops are executed by an MFTA teaching artist and include an activity, materials, and reusable lesson plans. Prices for 2-hour workshops and art booths are $400 for up to 30 participants, or $600 for up to 100 participants (costs may vary).

Third Thursday Programming

Once a month, MFTA opens its doors for a variety of community events, including performances, artist workshops, discussions, and gallery openings for its free Third Thursday programming. Engage with the MFTA team and Artists-in-Residence while enjoying and participating in creative activities!

MFTA Gallery

Experience the art of Creative Reuse

In 2012, MFTA’s nonprofit partner organization Friends of Materials for the Arts (FOMA) funded the creation of the MFTA gallery. Formerly a hallway, MFTA’s gallery is now a dynamic exhibition space inspiring guests to see howartists integrate a wide variety of materials into their work and bring Creative Reuse to life.

Aside from our Artist-in-Residence exhibitions, the MFTA Gallery also offers occasional group shows, monthly artist showcases, performances, culminating in about five gallery shows per year.

MFTA’s gallery space is free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 4:30pm.

Summer 2024 Artist-in-Residence

Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya

Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya is a transdisciplinary artist, educator, and community builder based in Brooklyn, New York.

Through defiant storytelling, her work brings forth colors, patterns, textures, histories, and rituals to amplify marginalized voices. Amanda has investigated how to create liminal spaces that can serve as conduits for healing and transformation.

Her work has been shown at the Cooper Union, Times Square, Lincoln Center, and recognized by The New York Times, Harpers Bazaar, and the Guardian. She has received support from the Sloan Foundation, the Café Cultural Foundation, and the Jerome Foundation. Her work is held in permanent collections at the Museum of the City of New York, the Goldwell Open Air Museum, the Library of Congress, the Museum of Chinese in America, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

In 2023, she was appointed to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities where she advises the President on how art can foster community well-being.