By Laura Kahn

At Emory’s Michael C. Carlos Museum, generosity brings history, art, and imagination together.

Within the Michael C. Carlos Museum’s galleries, education unfolds through exploration, conversation, and creative discovery. Programs like summer camp — Camp Carlos — and school tours invite students to step inside ancient worlds, engaging directly with objects and ideas that span centuries. Children can decode hieroglyphs, examine ancient artifacts up close, and draw inspiration from different cultures.

Guided by museum educators and teaching artists, each experience encourages curiosity, deepens understanding, and transforms encounters with the past into moments of connection and possibility.

The Power Of Giving

Donors like Susanne Muntzing and her daughter, Lily, make sure Camp Carlos is open to children whose families could not otherwise pay tuition.

“My mom loves all things culture, art, and museums,” Lily shares. “She has been looking for a way to merge her love of all these things with a desire to give as many kids as possible exposure to this world as well. Camp Carlos was the perfect blend.”

For many campers, a week at the museum is an introduction to exploring art, culture, and history together and transforms how they see the world.

“Kids deserve to have the opportunity to try new things and be exposed to experiences that aren’t in their day-to-day life,” Lily explains. “Our hope is that supporting Camp Carlos gives more kids the opportunity to try out new experiences that they otherwise wouldn’t have exposure to. We hope that a week at camp sparks interest in something — a new culture, a type of art, an interaction with a kid they’ve never met before — that can continue after camp ends.”

Learning That Reaches Classrooms And Communities

Philanthropy at the Carlos Museum doesn’t stop with summer camp. During the school year, support from donors makes it possible for thousands of students to experience guided tours of the museum aligned with their classroom learning. Thanks to generous philanthropic support, Title 1 schools (those with at least 40 percent of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch) can attend a tour for free. Additionally, they can receive reimbursement for their bus travel. 

These tours often hold brand new experiences: a child’s first museum, encounter with ancient objects, or visit to a college campus. By removing financial barriers, including the cost of transportation and admission, philanthropy transforms what could be a one-time outing into an educational milestone.

“We deeply appreciate the generosity of Carlos Museum donors to sponsor the trip for Title I schools. It’s a great opportunity for students to see artifacts in real life,” says Elizabeth Dunlap, teacher at Fair Oaks Elementary in Marietta.

Investing In Access, Creativity, And Belonging

The Carlos Museum’s educational programs share a common goal: to make art, history, and culture accessible to learners of all ages. Donor support ensures that these experiences can reach more people and more communities each year.

For campers, that might mean discovering a passion for art. For students on a field trip, it could be the moment something learned in a textbook suddenly becomes real. And for families, it may open the door to a new kind of engagement with cultural institutions.

Above all, philanthropy at the Carlos Museum is about possibility: The possibility that a single experience can ignite a lifelong curiosity and love of learning.

Emory's Advancement & Alumni Engagement team spotlights members of the Emory community who embody the university's mission and honors the supporters whose generosity makes it possible. Know someone we should write about? Tell us.