School & Teacher Programs

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you and your students to join us at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art to look, discover, question, and explore art through lively discussion, careful observation, and hands on artmaking. In a time when technology and AI are much in the news, we remind you that art sparks creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and innovation. In a time when social emotional learning is key to student well-being, we remind you that evidence shows that art making, and visiting art museums, can benefit mental health; supporting emotional resilience, helping us to understand who we are, and how we connect to others.

What can art do? Art can make us think: about history, the future, where we live, and how we live. How have artists used art to better communicate ideas? What can we learn from the past? How can art help make and build connections? How can bringing people together through art experiences inspire celebration, compassion, courage, and the will to act?

We hope students of all ages and abilities will feel welcome and confident expressing themselves in the safe, open, creative environment of the Museum, and that you as teachers will see us as a resource for your classroom as well; a place for inspiring personal connection.

Through our Educator Open House, online lesson plans, special programs, and workshops we hope you will gain skills and find new resources to enhance your teaching. In addition to our regular offerings, we look forward to the opportunity to work with you to develop a program that best fits your curricular needs.

“I am sure I speak for all of us when I say thank you for filling our cups!! What a pleasure to spend a day surrounded by art, artists, art teachers, art lovers, and actually get our hands back into creating something ourselves! I appreciate all of you and am grateful for the time we spent together, I feel uplifted!” –Teacher workshop participant

We are grateful for your continued commitment to your students and to art as an important part of your teaching. You recognize that art is not a "nice to have” but a “have to have.” You see art as the transformative vehicle it has always been.

Courage, compassion, creativity, curiosity, and community—you foster all these qualities in your classrooms. We hope you find that they are amplified and nurtured by your connection to the Museum and to art.

Sincerely,
Patsy Hicks
Director of Education
Santa Barbara Museum of Art