School programs are available for pre-K through 12, both on site at the Abingdon museum and directly in your school.
Tour Plus
Ages: For All Grades
Cost: $5.00/student
Dates: Flexible Scheduling
Tour Plus offers students in grades PreK-12 hands-on art activities appropriate to the topic, and a docent-led tour of the Museum’s galleries geared to increase their motivation to create their own unique art forms. We offer several SOL-based Tour Plus programs for Mali, Greece and Rome, and Famous Americans.
Projects
West African/Mali Storytelling Tradition – Chiwara Head Dress
Antelope Chiwara teaches about planting crops and responsibility to community.
Ancient Greek Culture – Red-Figure Vase Scratch Drawing
An updated red-figure vase compares our modern culture to that of the Ancient Greeks.
Portrait Detectives – Living Portrait
Students read and interpret clues about a famous American and tell their story using visual language.
Exhibition Exploration – Enhancing the Museum Experience
Students unlock the world of art through gallery discussions and engaging hands-on-activities.
Art Enrichment
Art Enrichment, now in its fifth year, provides custom-designed presentations to meet the needs of a wide range of both school and public audiences with hands-on instruction during 90-minute sessions. Age level ranges from Pre-K to adult, with a focus on elementary and middle school audiences. The Education Department has responded to an overwhelming number of requests for Virginia Standards of Learning-based Tour Plus projects in an outreach format for third graders through this program.
Art Shops
ArtShops are designed for high school students to explore and expand their skills in a specific art medium, using specialized equipment and materials and taught by highly-trained and experienced artists. ArtShops increases student awareness of contemporary art and related careers.
VanGogh Outreach
Van Gogh Outreach takes the art room directly into the second grade public school classroom three times a year with SOL-based lessons and an emphasis on the visual arts using the study of China, Egypt and Native American Indians. Classes are 90 minutes in length with a 30-minute lecture and a 60-minute art project.
VanGogh Outreach Summer Camp
(Locations in area participating host schools)
10 am – 2 pm, Monday-Friday, $70 members, $65 non-members per week. Coming to a location near you. Information to be distributed by your child’s school.
Student Gallery
Student Gallery provides regional art teachers from our service area the opportunity to showcase their students’ art in the Education Department’s gallery on Level One. The exhibit rotates every six-to-eight weeks, permitting individual area elementary, middle and high schools participation every two to three years. The Education Department hosts an opening reception for the student artists, their art teachers, family, friends, and school administrators for those groups who so desire. Reception time is 2:00 – 3:00 PM on Sundays.
Guided Tours
Trained docents lead engaging one hour tours which can be tailored to the interests of your group. Rates start at $30 per docent with no more than 20 people in a group.
Teacher Workshops
Teacher Workshops provide professional in-service opportunities throughout the year for classroom teachers from our 14 county/city service area and are presented by representatives from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, professional artists, and Education Department staff. Workshops can be custom designed depending on the needs and interests of the teachers and school district personnel.
For more information on school programs contact the Education department at 276-628-5005 ext. 114.
