Visiting the Hood Museum of Art with your students offers them the chance to experience the arts and cultures of many historical periods and regions of the world. Museum staff members develop tours of the galleries with the goals of introducing your students to a museum experience, actively engaging them with original works of art, and improving their visual literacy.
Contact the Education Department at hood.museum.tours@dartmouth.edu or call (603) 646-1469.
Images is a program offered for regional elementary school students in grades 4 through 6 that brings groups to the museum six times during the year. Each visit includes time in the museum where students learn from and discuss original works of art with a professional museum educator. Afterward, in the studio, students complete a hands-on art project that relates to what they looked at and learned in the museum. Images in an innovative art education program that provides students with valuable skills for analyzing and interpreting works of art and increases their understanding and appreciation of the history, customs, beliefs, and artistic traditions of cultures and peoples from around the world.
ArtStart is similar to Images in that it is a multiple-visit program, but it is designed for students in grades 1 through 3 and participants visit the museum four times during the year. During each visit, students spend time in the galleries exploring art objects from around the world and in the studio creating their own works of art. Each ArtStart lesson is a journey of discovery, creativity, and expression. Guided explorations and interactive teaching in the museum enable students to develop critical-thinking skills for interpreting works of art and relating them to their lives.
