Sculpture Hall, Saint Louis Art Museum; photograph by Alise O'Brien
In-Person Student Programs
Student programs engage students (and their teachers) through active participation and interdisciplinary learning in the Museum.
Arts in the Basic Curriculum (ABC) Program – GRADES 4–5
Investigate the Museum’s collection through this exciting multi-visit program that engages students in close observation, critical thinking, and creative responses to artwork across cultures and time periods.
The 2023-24 ABC sessions are currently full! 2024-25 ABC applications will be accepted beginning April 26, 2024.
5th Grade Explorers – GRADE 5 (SLPS)
Saint Louis Public Schools’ 5th grade students are invited to participate in a special single-visit, 90-minute gallery experience. Students will receive a sketchbook and pencil to engage in writing and drawing activities during their visit, and will explore art from various regions, time periods, and cultures around the globe.
Register through our Group Visit Request Form.
Exploring with the Artist – GRADES 6-8/9-12
Exploring with the Artist is a studio workshop that brings middle and high school students into contact with regionally, nationally, and internationally renowned contemporary artists. This program is an extraordinary opportunity for students to interact with a professional artist and learn about their background and practice. The program involves time in the galleries as well as an art-making project guided by an artist instructor.
No Place for Hate
The No Place for Hate program by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)® is a school-wide, student-led initiative that aims to promote inclusivity and equity in schools. The ADL assists school coordinators in tailoring program content to meet the unique needs of each school. In collaboration with the ADL, the Saint Louis Art Museum offers a specialized museum visit intended to support the goals of No Place for Hate®.
Norval Morrisseau, Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) and Canadian, 1931–2007; Untitled (Bear), late 20th century; ink on paper; 12 x 18 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mills 225:2019; © Estate of Norval Morrisseau
AMPLIFY
AMPLIFY, a joint program by the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, and the Saint Louis Art Museum, invites middle and high school students to explore different aspects of art and social justice through interactive tours and art-making.
Elizabeth Catlett, American (active México), 1915–2012; Seated Woman, 1962; mahogany; 22 1/2 x 13 1/2 x 7 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Friends Fund Endowment; Gift of Edward J. Costigan in memory of his wife, Sara Guth Costigan, by exchange; The James D. Burke Art Acquisition Fund, Eliza McMillan Trust, Funds given by the Alturas Foundation, and Museum Purchase 75:2019; © 2021 Catlett Mora Family Trust / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Extended Access for School Groups
School groups may request visits for the ticketed exhibition Matisse and the Sea or non-ticketed exhibition Native American Art of the 20th Century: The William P. Healey Collection before the Museum opens to the public. Early entry is available every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from February 27, 2024 through May 9, 2024. For all ticketed exhibitions, school groups are eligible for discounted admission of $1 per student.
School Group Tours
The Saint Louis Art Museum offers docent-led and self-guided tours for school groups. In the galleries students will encounter original works of art that complement and enhance classroom learning. Docents use question-based strategies to engage students in careful looking and active discussion, helping students develop their own interpretations and relate works of art to their lives. Admission to the Museum is free, including school tours for students, teachers, and chaperones.
Register tours through our Group Visit Request Form.
Transportation Assistance
The Saint Louis Art Museum provides a limited amount of transportation assistance to qualifying schools based on need and availability of funds. Requests for assistance may be made at the same time as the request to participate in a Museum K-12 program or after receiving a tour or program registration confirmation from the Museum. Requestors will be notified that a transportation award has been made prior to the scheduled visit date. Please note: The Museum cannot guarantee that all submitted requests will be granted.
Virtual Field Trips and Resources
Live Virtual Field Trips
Explore selected works of art from the Museum’s collection through live 45-minute or 55-minute virtual field trips facilitated by Saint Louis Art Museum educators. Themed programs invite students to observe closely, think critically, and creatively respond to artwork across cultures and time periods. Live field trips are available via Zoom (or your preferred platform) Tuesdays through Fridays between 10 am and 2:30 pm. These programs are designed with a maximum of 30 grade 3-6 learners in mind. Field trip themes and materials can be adapted for other grade levels with advance notice. Teachers may choose to register their class for the following Live Virtual Field Trip themes.
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Virtual Field Trip Themes
Art Along the Rivers offers a unique opportunity for students to engage with selected themes and artworks from the exhibition Art Along the Rivers: A Bicentennial Celebration, which brings together over 150 works of art from 1000 years of artistic production and collecting in the St. Louis region. This field trip invites students to explore works of art with geographical ties to Missouri and Illinois, uncovering regional stories and their relationship to national and global events.
Full STEAM Ahead invites students to discover connections among the STEAM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) as seen through art from across cultures and time periods. This field trip explores how artists think critically, experiment, and collaborate with other disciplines to find inventive solutions. Through the lens of art, students are encouraged to consider science, technology, engineering, and math as creative disciplines.
Artists and the Outdoors explores how nature finds its way into art making, from depictions of the natural world to the use of organic materials in the creative process. Nature is often a source of inspiration, compelling artists to transcribe its visual effects and explore ways nature and art intertwine.
American Stories investigates America’s multifaceted histories and cultures, and the many ways stories of the past and present can be told and interpreted in art. Through engagement with works of art, students explore elements of local and national history and consider connections to their own experiences.
Amazing Art Materials focuses on the tools and materials artists use to design and produce their creations. By examining common art materials, such as paint, and uncommon materials, such as bottle caps, students will discover the unlimited possibilities.
Live Virtual Field Trips will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis.
Self-Directed Virtual Field Trips
Self-directed virtual field trips are designed to be used by teachers and students at their own pace at school or home. They invite students to engage with 4 – 5 works of art through close looking, open-ended questions, drawing, writing, and other approaches. Each field trip has its own theme and includes a Create Space with instructions and a video demonstration of a related art-making project.
Access the available Self-Directed Virtual Field Trip below. Additional topics will be added over time.
Storytelling in Art
On this self-directed virtual field trip, we invite you to explore artworks from the Saint Louis Art Museum’s collection to uncover some of the stories they tell and even write a few stories of your own!
Educator Resources
Art Along the Rivers: A Bicentennial Celebration
Art Along the Rivers: A Bicentennial Celebration explores the remarkable artwork produced and collected over 1,000 years in the region surrounding St. Louis, Missouri. Organized into five thematic units, the Educator Resource examines stories and works of art from the exhibition and the connections they have to regional and national history, through activities and projects designed for a variety of grade levels and classrooms.
Teacher Programs
Teacher Workshops
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![Teachers painting in a teacher workshop]()
Teachers painting in Teacher Workshop: Oscar Murillo
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![Art and the Outdoors Teacher Workshop]()
Teacher Workshop: Art and the Outdoors
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![Indigo dye teacher workshop]()
Teachers learning to build indigo vats and dye fabric in the Global Textiles Teacher Workshop
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![Art Sing Teacher Workshop]()
Teachers from across disciplines composed short pieces of music inspired by artworks at SLAM in a joint workshop with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Professional development opportunities for teachers include evening and weekend workshops. Interactive gallery discussions, hands-on activities, and immersive studio sessions focus on interdisciplinary connections and are designed to help teachers integrate the visual arts across the curriculum. Workshops highlight areas of the Museum’s encyclopedic collection as well as main exhibitions. Teachers of all grade levels and subject areas as well as school administrators are invited to participate.
Teacher Advisory Group
The Saint Louis Art Museum Teacher Advisory Group is designed to foster collaboration, learning, and dialogue between teachers and Museum educators.
The Teacher Advisory Group (TAG) brings together Pre-K-12 teachers from St. Louis City and County who represent varied grade levels, subject areas, school types, and perspectives, and who believe in the value of engagement with visual arts for learning and development. The Teacher Advisory Group provides insights, ideas, and feedback to help shape inspiring, innovative, and meaningful Museum programs and resources for students and teachers. TAG members also act as liaisons between the Museum and area schools, sharing current trends and critical concerns in pre-k-12 education with Museum educators, and connecting school colleagues with Museum programs and resources.
Members meet 4 times in-person at the Saint Louis Art Museum over the course of one year, to provide feedback on Museum programs, resources, and initiatives. Participants receive an honorarium of $200 per meeting and are expected to attend all meetings for the year.
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2023 Teacher Advisory Group Members
Spenser Gaines, Ferguson Middle School
Colette Morton, Gateway STEM High School
Dyshunda Curtis, Mason Clark Middle School
Nellie Leichliter, McNair Elementary School
Simiya Sudduth, New City School
Maye Bryant, Stix and Wilkinson
Thomas Buffington, Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School
Kevin Slivka, Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls
Emma Tesson, Mehlville, Mehlville High School
Mary McKelvey, Valley Park Elementary
Molly Handrahan, St. Michael’s School of Clayton
Cindy Kalachek, Notre Dame High School
Teacher Email List
If you would like to receive information about the Saint Louis Art Museum’s upcoming student or teacher programs, subscribe to our teacher email list. If you have additional questions about teacher programs please email teacherprograms@slam.org.
Additional Learning Opportunities
In addition to programs designed specifically for students and teachers, the Saint Louis Art Museum offers many free educational programs for families and adults throughout the year. See the Events listing and other Learn pages for more information.
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Photography and Video Recording in the Museum
The Museum generally permits visitors to take personal photos and video recordings in the galleries and at Museum events, with some restrictions and any copyright responsibilities assumed by the visitor.
Most other photography, video recording, and livestreaming in the galleries is considered commercial photography. The Museum is not able to grant permission to teachers to undertake commercial photography at this time, which includes requests for instructor-led and student-led virtual tours of the galleries using video recording devices.
Please see the Museum’s Visitor Photography and Commercial Photography policies for more information.
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Photographs of Art in the Museum Collection
To access high quality images of works of art in the Museum’s holdings for use in teaching, we encourage educators to utilize the online Collection. Often multiple views of a single object are available. Teachers can also use the online Collection live with their classes, which affords the opportunity to zoom in and out on images and toggle between multiple views of an object when they are available.
High-resolution images of many works of art in the Museum’s collection that are not under copyright can be downloaded from this website. Low-resolution images of works that are under copyright also can be downloaded, but for non-commercial, educational purposes only. An electronic form is available to inquire about the necessary permissions to use images, including requests for higher resolution formats.