SBMA Field Trips

NEW! Mindful Looking and Making

October 2024 – May 2025

Select Fridays

Grades 4 –12

Students are invited to join a session of guided meditation and Mindful Looking led by Dr. Vivian Valentin (www.kindmindsantabarbara.org/) and resonating from a selected work of art on view in the Museum's galleries. Afterwards, students will create art with a Museum Teaching Artist that is tied to the themes and artwork explored in the galleries.

This program combines art and mindfulness practices to reduce stress, create empathy, foster kindness, and empower students beyond their visit. Contact School Programs Manager Molly Kemper at mkemper@sbma.net for details.

*Max one class per session.

Artful Making

October 2024 - May 2025

Tuesdays: 10:30 – 11:45 am or 11:30 am – 12:45 pm

Select Wednesdays: 11:00 am – 12:15 pm

Grades 2 – 8

Make art and look at art in this hybrid, hands-on alternative to the traditional docent tour. Making art reinforces and helps students remember and relate to what they saw, as well as providing a creative opportunity for self-expression. Students enjoy a 30-minute hands-on art project, then a tour of the galleries to talk about the art on view with a Museum docent.

During October through January, projects will explore art through experimentation with different mediums and across time, culture, and geography.

During February through May, projects will focus on works of art on view from Ancient cultures including Mesoamerica and Asia.

*Max 30 students/session, no exceptions.

Artful Thinking: Museum Tours

October 2024 – May 2025

Thursdays: 11 – 11:45 am or 12 – 12:45 pm

Select Wednesdays: 12 – 12:45 pm

Grades 2 – 12

Immerse your students in art with a docent-led tour of SBMA’s galleries. In this 45-minute guided tour, students are engaged in active viewing and dynamic discussions that include higher-level thinking skills such as comparing and contrasting, analyzing and evaluating, and making connections between art and everyday life.

The teaching methods used in the Museum (Visual Thinking Strategies and Thinking Routines) build skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, perceiving, and drawing.

Please email mkemper@sbma.net for questions or sign your larger group up for an Artful Thinking tour.

Fridays in Focus: Thematic Tours for Junior High and High School

October 2024 – May 2025

Select Fridays: 11 am – 12:30pm

Grades 7 – 12

The first Friday of select months, junior high and high school students are invited to look at works of art in the Museum through a specific thematic lens in an interactive, multidisciplinary tour with a Museum Educator, visiting artist, or specialist.

On the remaining Fridays of each month, customized docent-led tours that connect to specific curriculum coordinated with your classroom are available, as are Mindful Looking and Making Tours, which include guided looking and meditation inspired by art on view followed by a related art making opportunity.

Dates and themes:

October 4: Art has Power: Explore how artists use art as a form of activism.

November 1: Designing from the Landfill: Use repurposed books, textiles and Recycled Materials to create art that combats climate change, led by visiting artist Isabel Barbuzza.

January 10: Museum Opportunities: Learn from Museum Staff and Volunteers about Careers in the Museum.

April 4: April 4: Art and Poetry: Experiment with sound and sense connecting Image and Word in collaboration with Poets in the Schools.

Contact School Programs Manager Molly Kemper at mkemper@sbma.net for details.

Young At Art

October 2024 – May 2025

Tuesdays and Thursdays: 10 – 11:30 am

Select Thursdays: 11:30 – 1 pm

Grades K – 2

Explore the elements of art—line, color, shape/form, texture, and space—with an SBMA Teaching Artist. K-2 students are introduced to the Museum in this 1.5 hour presentation, beginning with an interactive PowerPoint presentation and hands-on art activity, and concluding with a 30 minute gallery tour with a docent.

The teaching methods used in the Museum (Visual Thinking Strategies and Thinking Routines) build skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, perceiving, and drawing.

*Max 30 students/session