Bring the CMA to Your Students
The 21st-century museum, much like the 21st-century classroom, is a dynamic space that is changing constantly. Whether welcoming your students into our physical space, or providing online options, CMA school programs are developed to align with classroom goals and meet standards across the curriculum to ensure a well-rounded, engaging learning experience.
CMA virtual field trip options include:
Read more below, or reach out to us at 803-343-2163 or tours@columbiamuseum.org.
Title 1 Schools
The Art for All program is designed to offer Title I schools the opportunity to enjoy a field trip to the Columbia Museum of Art free of charge, whether in-person or virtually. In 2021-2022, Title I schools are eligible to take advantage of this opportunity while funds remain.
This program is supported by the Lipscomb Family Foundation, the Coles Family Foundation of Central Carolina Community Foundation, and the Sonoco Foundation.
Pre-Recorded Video Gallery Tours
These 30-minute videos follow an educator through the galleries, replicating a CMA visit experience. The educator will incorporate inquiry-based discussion techniques that allow the teacher to further the conversation by pausing the video and facilitating discussion. Each purchase includes a video link and an introduction for teachers on how to facilitate image-based discussion.
$25 per video.
Studio Kit Add-On
These kits can be added on to any virtual field trip option for an additional charge. These sets include materials for students to complete the studio lesson that connects with their virtual discussion. $3 per student. Kits can be mailed out for an additional $10 fee or picked up from the CMA for no additional charge.
Program Choices
- Preschool – Kindergarten
Animal Nature
Come with us on an animal safari! We’ll be on the lookout for creatures of all kinds and learning about the natural environments they inhabit. In the studios we’ll make our own artful animals and habitats.
Download Pre-Visit GuideSense-ational Art
In this tour we’ll be using our senses to make discoveries about the art we see and the world around us. Join us as we explore texture, sound, and smell throughout the galleries and create multimedia masterpieces in the studios.
Download Pre-Visit Guide- 1st – 3rd Grade Programs
Rock, Paper, Silver
In this tour we’ll explore natural resources and how they make up the materials used in works of art. We’ll use scientific and mathematical skills to discuss three-dimensional works of art from sculpture to architecture. In the studios we’ll create our own 3D creations.
Download Pre-Visit Guide- 4th – 5th Grade Programs
How Art Works
From a hammer and chisel to a well-oiled machine, art can be created with all sorts of things. In the studios we’ll learn the ins and outs of how art is made and the impact that art has in society.
Download Pre-Visit GuideVisions of the United States
American life has been shaped by so many forces, from Native American tribes and African cultures to European fashions and popular culture. In the galleries we will discuss how art reflects American values and changing ways of life. In the studios students will create their own interpretation of Americana.
Download Pre-Visit GuideThe Imaginative Worlds of M.C. Escher
February 6 – June 6, 2021
Get a closer look at one of the most masterful printmakers of all time in The Imaginative Worlds of M.C. Escher. On this tour we’ll explore geometry, perspective, world cultures, and more as we delve into to the intricate and intriguing work of this graphic artist.
Download the Pre-Visit Guide- 6th – 8th Grade Programs
30 Americans
Explore some of the most dynamic and thought-provoking works from major Black artists from the last four decades. The varied works in this exhibition touch on historical events, identity, media, and materiality.
Download Pre-Visit GuideWays of Life
Art doesn’t just tell us about the artist’s own ideas; it can tell us about what life is like in a certain time and place. In this tour we’ll explore art spanning from ancient Mesopotamia to the modern-day United States as we discuss how art shapes our understanding of cultures around the world.
Download Pre-Visit GuideVisions from India
Was on view October 16, 2020 – January 10, 2021
Explore the diverse and incredibly varied works of 20 contemporary Indian artists, ranging from the meticulously detailed to soaring installations. The tour delves into Indian politics and history as well as current cultural touch points.
Download Pre-Visit GuideThe Imaginative Worlds of M.C. Escher
February 6 – June 6, 2021
Get a closer look at one of the most masterful printmakers of all time in The Imaginative Worlds of M.C. Escher. On this tour we’ll explore geometry, perspective, world cultures, and more as we delve into to the intricate and intriguing work of this graphic artist.
Download the Pre-Visit Guide- 9th – 12th Grade Programs
30 Americans
Explore some of the most dynamic and thought-provoking works from major Black artists from the last four decades. The varied works in this exhibition touch on historical events, identity, media, and materiality.
Download Pre-Visit GuideBalance of Power
Art is one of many ways people have demonstrated prestige and privilege over time. In the galleries we’ll examine figures and symbols in works of art from the powerful to the powerless, discussing who is and is not being depicted and why.
Download Pre-Visit GuideMaking a Modern World
Being modern has meant different things in different eras. In this tour we’ll explore the notion of modernity through both history and art, from the Renaissance up to the present day. In the studios students will explore modernity and what it means in their daily lives through their own creations.
Download Pre-Visit GuideVisions from India
Was on view October 16, 2020 – January 10, 2021
Explore the diverse and incredibly varied works of 20 contemporary Indian artists, ranging from the meticulously detailed to soaring installations. The tour delves into Indian politics and history as well as current cultural touch points.
Download Pre-Visit GuideThe Imaginative Worlds of M.C. Escher
February 6 – June 6, 2021
Get a closer look at one of the most masterful printmakers of all time in The Imaginative Worlds of M.C. Escher. On this tour we’ll explore geometry, perspective, world cultures, and more as we delve into to the intricate and intriguing work of this graphic artist.
Download the Pre-Visit Guide
Pre-Recorded Video Gallery Tour: Black Is Beautiful
Please enjoy this free video tour of the exhibition Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite.
In the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, Kwame Brathwaite used photography to popularize the political slogan “Black Is Beautiful.” This exhibition—the first ever dedicated to Brathwaite’s remarkable career—tells the story of a key figure of the second Harlem Renaissance.
This discussion of Black Is Beautiful is an example of what you'll see in a recorded video tour.
Live Virtual Field Trips
These 40-minute live virtual field trips provide access to high-resolution images of objects in the CMA collection along with live discussions facilitated by trained educators. Supplemental images are included, and in some cases video or audio components. Each virtual discussion comes with a cross-curricular studio art lesson plan that teachers can use to further enhance their classroom experience and reinforce the big ideas of the virtual discussion.
Virtual discussions with a CMA educator cost $75.
Studio Kit Add-On
These kits can be added on to any virtual field trip option for an additional charge. These sets include materials for students to complete the studio lesson that connects with their virtual discussion. $3 per student. Kits can be mailed out for an additional $10 fee or picked up from the CMA for no additional charge.
Program Choices
- Preschool – Kindergarten Programs
Sense-ational Art
In this tour we’ll be using our senses to make discoveries about the art we see and the world around us. Join us as we explore texture, sound, and smell throughout the galleries and create multimedia masterpieces in the studios.
Download Pre-Visit GuideAnimal Nature
Come with us on an animal safari! We’ll be on the lookout for creatures of all kinds and learning about the natural environments they inhabit. In the studios we’ll make our own artful animals and habitats.
Download Pre-Visit Guide- 1st – 3rd Grade Programs
Rock, Paper, Silver
In this tour we’ll explore natural resources and how they make up the materials used in works of art. We’ll use scientific and mathematical skills to discuss three-dimensional works of art from sculpture to architecture. In the studios we’ll create our own 3D creations.
Download Pre-Visit GuideShow Me a Story
Art can tell all sorts of stories. Join us in the galleries to unravel these tales, discovering stories about famous figures and everyday events. Along the way we’ll explore ways artists use shape, color, and other elements of art to create new worlds before creating our own in the studios.
Download Pre-Visit Guide- 4th – 5th Grade Programs
How Art Works
From a hammer and chisel to a well-oiled machine, art can be created with all sorts of things. In the studios we’ll learn the ins and outs of how art is made and the impact that art has in society.
Download Pre-Visit GuideVisions of the United States
American life has been shaped by so many forces, from Native American tribes and African cultures to European fashions and popular culture. In the galleries we will discuss how art reflects American values and changing ways of life. In the studios students will create their own interpretation of Americana.
Download Pre-Visit Guide- 6th – 8th Grade Programs
30 Americans
Explore some of the most dynamic and thought-provoking works from major Black artists from the last four decades. The varied works in this exhibition touch on historical events, identity, media, and materiality.
Download Pre-Visit GuideWays of Life
Art doesn’t just tell us about the artist’s own ideas; it can tell us about what life is like in a certain time and place. In this tour we’ll explore art spanning from ancient Mesopotamia to the modern-day United States as we discuss how art shapes our understanding of cultures around the world.
Download Pre-Visit GuideAll Around Our State
While art can tell us about cultures around the world, it can also give vital information about our own region. In this tour we’ll span centuries of South Carolina history and culture, from one of the first Colonial artists to Native American art all the way up to the 21st century. In the studios students will explore how art and the written word intersect to inform historical understanding by creating their own periodicals. Supported by the South Carolina Arts Commission.
Download Pre-Visit Guide- 9th – 12th Grade Programs
30 Americans
Explore some of the most dynamic and thought-provoking works from major Black artists from the last four decades. The varied works in this exhibition touch on historical events, identity, media, and materiality.
Download Pre-Visit GuideMaking a Modern World
Being modern has meant different things in different eras. In this tour we’ll explore the notion of modernity through both history and art, from the Renaissance up to the present day. In the studios students will explore modernity and what it means in their daily lives through their own creations.
Download Pre-Visit GuideBalance of Power
Art is one of many ways people have demonstrated prestige and privilege over time. In the galleries we’ll examine figures and symbols in works of art from the powerful to the powerless, discussing who is and is not being depicted.
Download Pre-Visit GuideAP Art History: East/Central Asia
This super-sized session (1 hour 15 minutes, or two 35 minute sessions) will cover a range of art from China, Tibet, and Afghanistan. Join us for an interactive discussion as students examine works from the 250 and the CMA collection while also gaining an understanding of Buddhism, the Silk Road, and how politics impact art.
Download Pre-Visit Guide
Image Sets and Lesson Plans
These pre-existing image sets and editable lesson plans provide teachers with resources they can use to build their own options.
Free.