Above, volunteers from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston create art projects with homeless children at the annual Christmas in the City Winter Wonderland, a non-denominational holiday event for homeless families. More information is below.

Whether it's art therapy for Alzheimer's patients or veterans; specially tailored educational program for home schoolers; work with juveniles under court jurisdiction; or innovative public art that brings the art outside museum walls, art museums everywhere are hard at work sharing their collections with their publics and engaging with their communities in new and diverse ways. 

Following is our monthly roundup of news stories demonstrating the myriad ways different community and outreach programs at AAMD member museums.

Museum of Fine Arts Boston joins day of respite for homeless

In December, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston participated in the annual Christmas in the City Winter Wonderland event for homeless families by providing volunteers and art-making activities for children. The annual event seeks to provide a day of respite for homeless families; the event includes medical care, gifts, service animals, and art-making, among many other events. An image of the festivities is displayed above. 

Cedar Rapids Museum of Art partners to offer art classes for adults with disabilities 

The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is partnering with other local organizations on Art SpACE, which offers art classes and programming to adults with disabilities. Monthly art classes take place at The Arc, a non-profit that supports  the intellectually and developmentally disabled; a non-profit art school and local artists also participate. Sessions explore concepts such as color, line, shape and texture through a wide range of media, including pastels, ink, acrylic and watercolor paints, and clay. View images of an Art SpACE session and a CRMA museum tour for Art SpACE students at the museum's Facebook page. 

Warren County Career Center honors Taft Museum of Art 

From Cincinnati.com: The Warren County Career Center honored the Taft Museum of Art for their work on the WCCC Digital Media Arts satellite program at Kings High School. The Taft funds field trips and artist visits for students in the program. "The experiences they have provided for us are amazing and have been so beneficial to our students," says program instructor Kelly Shields. 

Bronx Museum of Art receives major gift to expand free admission & programs 

From the New York Times: The Bronx Museum of Art has received a major gift from philanthropists Shelley and Donald Rubin to extend and expand the free admission program the museum started last year. "Even a suggested donation is a barrier for our local community," said director Holly Block. Since offering free admission, the Museum has doubled its attendance figures.The gift from the Rubins will also enable the Bronx Museum to offer expanded community program for local schools as well as visits for the disabled and events for local hospitals, businesses and settlement houses.