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 Art of the Renaissance
- Picturing America
- Special Exhibitions
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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.
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.
Friday
One Room School House: The Alchemy of Art10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. OR 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Learn the history and science behind painting while touring the galleries. Once in the studio get your hands dirty learning to make your own materials. Students use these materials to create a masterpiece inspired by a centuries' old traditional art form! Designed especially for home-school children (ages 4 and up) and their parents, this program combines an exploration of the galleries with a creative activity in the studio.
- One adult and one child is $48 or $24 for Kids Plus! members for the season. Each additional child is $12 (limit 3 children per adult).
Friday
One Room School House: Self-Portrait10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. OR 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Explore the galleries learning about the history of portraiture. Then, in the studios, create two different kinds of portraits, one from history's closet and the other from nature's closet. This program is designed especially for home-school children (ages 4 and up) and their parents.
- One adult and one child is $36 or $18 for Kids Plus! members for the remaining fall season. Each additional child is $12 (limit 3 children per adult).
Friday
One Room School House: Figure, Line, Color10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. OR 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Home school students explore Rothko with a guided tour and further investigate Rothko's early years by focusing on complementary colors, line quality, and his use of the figure in their own works. This program is designed especially for home-school children (ages 4 and up) and their parents.
- One adult and one child is $24 or $12 for Kids Plus! members for the remaining fall season. Each additional child is $12 (limit 3 children per adult).
Friday
One Room School House: Monotype Madness10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. OR 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Home school students travel through the galleries looking and learning about texture, line, and pattern. Then, in the studios, they learn about printmaking, specifically monotypes and apply what they saw and learned about in the galleries to create their own unique monotypes. This program is designed especially for home-school children (ages 4 and up) and their parents.
- One adult and one child is $12 or $6 for Kids Plus! members for the last class of the fall season. Each additional child is $12 (limit 3 children per adult).
