School programs at the Columbia Museum of Art are nationally recognized for their excellence in providing students of all ages state and national standards-based cross-curricular learning experiences. There are a variety of grade appropriate programs from which to choose that encourage learning through interactive activities. Programs for students in grades Pre-K through 12 can also include a meaningful, hands-on art-making experience in the studios. Suggestions for pre- and post-visit activities are included with the confirmation materials that you will receive.
Choose a program from those listed below, or contact Kayleigh Vaughn at 343-2163 or kayleigh@columbiamuseum.org for special requests at least one month in advance. We are happy to work with you to develop a program that complements your curriculum.
All school groups, including self-guided groups, must have a reservation.
When you are ready to book a tour for your class, click here for easy steps to get you started!
- Animal Art Safari
- Let's Explore
- The Language of Art
- The Third Dimension
- The Alchemy of Art
- A Conversation with the Ancients
- Picturing America
- The Art of the Renaissance
- Special Exhibitions
Animal Art Safari
- Kindergarten (tour and studio)
- Animals can be found hidden in the corners of paintings and crouching in the
foreground of relief sculpture. Students will have an opportunity to discover animals
in the galleries while they learn about the ways in which painters and sculptors incorporated the world into their art.
- (Program length: 90 minutes)
Let's Explore
- Kindergarten (tour and studio)
- This program focuses on the five senses and encourages discovery by placing an emphasis
on children, food, animals, and other themes familiar to young children.
- (Program length: 90 minutes)
The Language of Art
- 1st - 5th grade (tour and studio)
- Students discover the visual language of color, line, shape, texture and space, while
learning key concepts and terms such as portrait, landscape, still life and sculpture.
An exploration of the materials that artists have used through the ages is followed by a hands-on project in the studios.
- (Program length: 120 minutes)
The Third Dimension
- 1st - 5th grade (tour and studio)
- This program focuses on three-dimensional objects, such as furniture, sculpture, ceramics and glass.
Children learn about the materials used to make these objects and discuss their uses.
- (Program length: 120 minutes)
The Art of the Renaissance
- 6th - 12th grade (tour and studio)
- Students discuss the Italian Renaissance and its effect on Western art. The primary focus is on European
paintings in the Museum's collection, but works from special exhibitions are included when appropriate.
- (Program length: 120 minutes)
Picturing America
- 4th - 12th grade (tour and studio)
- Great art speaks powerfully, inspires creative thinking, and connects us to our past.
Designed to connect to the National Endowment for the Humanities Program, Picturing America
features a gallery tour of works in the Museum's new
American galleries, followed by a studio program featuring a hands-on art activity designed to
reinforce the concepts learned on the tour.
- (Program length: 120 minutes)
The Alchemy of Art
- 4th - 12th grade (tour and studio)
- Why would a Renaissance artist have a dog's tooth and a pig's bladder in his workshop?
This program will answer this and other questions as students discover the science behind
the art and the evolution of an artist's palette.
- (Program length: 120 minutes)
A Conversation with the Ancients
- 4th - 12th grade (tour and studio)
- Students come face to face with the famous demigod, Hercules,
as he's in a fight for his life. Students "unearth" relics of the past and discover why artists
were inspired by ancient civilizations.
- (Program length: 120 minutes)
Special Exhibitions
- 1st - 12th grade (tour and studio on request)
- Students are provided with an in-depth gallery talk on a specific exhibition.
Questions and group interaction are encouraged.
- (Program length: 120 minutes)
Parents and home-schooled children can choose to book a K-12 tour program or they can attend One Room Schoolhouse.
One Room Schoolhouse is designed especially for home-schooled children ages 4 and up and their parents. This program combines an exploration of the galleries with a creative activity in the studio. Programs take place in the mornings and afternoons on the second Friday of each month, September through May. Parents are responsible for the care and supervision of children.
One adult and one child is $60 or $30 for members* for the season. Each additional child is $12 (limit 3 children per adult).
*Member discounts apply to Kids Plus! members and above.
Register early as enrollment is limited! Pre-registration is required for all programs. We're sorry, but walk-ins and telephone registration are not accepted.
