Schools
With a student-centered approach to teaching, the Education Department provides individuals of many backgrounds, ages, and abilities with engaging and personalized art-based learning experiences in our galleries and art studios. Our goal is to support teachers in their classroom teaching and to address all appropriate standards of Visual Arts, Social Studies, Science and Math.
“The Queens Museum offers a unique experience that is not offered elsewhere that I could not duplicate in my classroom” Teacher at PS 213, Bayside, Queens
School Trip Program Offerings – PreK-12
School Trip Guidelines and Policies
Plan and Schedule a School Trip
Family Events for Schools
Click Here for the School Trip Request Form
For inquiries regarding General Education, Inclusion and ESL classes email School Programs Assistant, Pema Domingo-Barker pema@queensmuseum.org
For inquiries regarding children & adults with special needs email Art Access Coordinator, Mitra Dejkameh mitra@queensmuseum.org
The Panorama of the City of New York
A Watershed Moment
Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass
Special Exhibition Tours
“The Panorama program is an excellent trip that should be promoted for all students.” – Participating Teacher
School Trip Program Offerings – PreK-12
The Panorama of the City of New York
The crown jewel of the museum’s collection, this 9,335 square foot architectural model includes 895,000 buildings constructed before 1992 in all five boroughs. Tours and studio workshops explore New York’s geography, famous sites, bridges, parks, history and city planning.
Tour (Pre K – 12th Grade) 1 hour, $75/class
Tour + Gallery Activity (Pre K – 1st Grade) 1.5 hours, $110/class
Building Blocks
In the museum’s galleries students design and construct temporary three-dimensional communities using wooden blocks on fabric outlines of the five boroughs. Please note that students do not take this project back to school.
Tour + Workshop, 2 hours, $165/class
The City that Never Sleeps (1st – 4th grades)
Students explore the life and energy of New York City after dark by creating nighttime cityscapes with a variety of patterned and textured papers.
City Blocks (2nd – 8th grades)
Students create three-dimensional city blocks using a variety of materials.
Bridges (4th – 12th grades)
Working in teams, students construct a three-dimensional suspension bridge as they learn about the structural components used in the building and key terms.
Map It (6th – 12th grades)
Students focus on city planning as they design a 2-d planned community that incorporates modes of transportation, housing and shared public space.
The Panorama of the City of New York
Self Guided Tour – Suggested Donation $50/class
Self-Guided tours must be requested and reserved using our trip request form, though they are led by classroom teachers. In order to provide a more focused and constructive experience for your student we encourage teachers who opt to take students on self-guided visits at our suggested donation rate, to have activities prepared for the visit. Feel free to peruse our website for the content of our exhibitions to provide insight and inspiration for your teaching.
A Watershed Moment: Celebrating the Homecoming of The Relief Map of the New York City Water Supply System
In 1937 the Works Progress Administration created a magnificent scale model of the New York City Watershed – a relief map measuring almost 700 square feet and weighing 10,000 pounds, now on display at the Queens Museum. Tours and art activities look at this unique model as they learn about the journey of the City’s water supply system. Students also learn the history and construction of the watershed. To further strengthen their understanding of the connection between the upstate and downstate locations, students also visit the large scale model of the five boroughs of NYC, the Panorama of the City of New York.
Tour (Prek-12th Grade) 1 hour, $75/class
Tour + Gallery Activity (4th – 12th Grade) 1.5 hours, $110/class
Students will trace the steps of the water cycle and the path of the water from upstate to downstate to its destination in NYC through writing and movement within the Watershed gallery. Additionally, Students will visit the Panorama of the City of New York to view and discuss the impact and importance of the water supply on the citizens of NYC
Tour + Workshop (4th – 12th Grade) 2 hours, $165/class
Students will trace the steps of the water cycle and the path of the water from upstate to downstate to its destination in NYC through writing and movement within the Watershed gallery. Using the gallery activity as inspiration, students will work in teams to illustrate the water cycle and explore various arts media in the workshop.
Self Guided Tour – Suggested Donation $50/class
Self-Guided tours must be requested and reserved using our trip request form, though they are led by classroom teachers. In order to provide a more focused and constructive experience for your student we encourage teachers who opt to take students on self-guided visits at our suggested donation rate, to have activities prepared for the visit.
Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass
Since 1995 the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass has partnered with the Queens Museum of Art. In a permanent gallery featuring changing exhibitions, students explore how Louis Comfort Tiffany captured nature and transformed it into beautiful lamps and windows of exquisite color and fine detail. Tours and studio workshops explore Tiffany in an historical and cultural perspective.
Tour (Pre K – 12th Grades) 1 hour, $75/class
Tour + Workshop (Pre K – 2nd Grade) 1.5 hour, $110/class
Students discover Louis Comfort Tiffany’s glass through a variety of hands-on experiences designed to address the developmental and learning needs of young children. Children participate in activities such as storytelling, movement exercises and hands-on art making that focus on pre-literacy skills such as shapes, colors and pattern recognition as well as creativity and self-expression.
In conjunction with a guided discussion in the Tiffany gallery, students construct faux stained glass window panes using construction paper, transparency paper and collage materials in the studio.
Tour + Workshop (2nd – 12th Grade) 2 hours, $165/class
Students will explore the galleries and make connections to place, history, and artmaking as it relates to their school curriculum.
Self Guided Tour – Suggested Donation $50/class
Self-Guided tours must be requested and reserved using our trip request form, though they are led by classroom teachers. In order to provide a more focused and constructive experience for your student we encourage teachers who opt to take students on self-guided visits at our suggested donation rate, to have activities prepared for the visit. Feel free to peruse our website for the content of our exhibitions to provide insight and inspiration for your teaching.
Special Exhibitions
Detroit Dissassembled: Photographs by Andrew Moore
On view through January 15, 2012
Tour + Gallery Activity (2nd – 12th Grade) 1.5 hours, $110/class
From an abandoned chemistry lab at Cass Technical High School to a house on the East Side’s Walden Street entirely covered with ivy to the bright green moss covering the floor of Ford Motor Company’s former headquarters, Moore’s photographs depict the remains of an eroding US industrial base amidst a strangely beautiful sense of decay. Students will explore themes such as industrialization and urbanization in the galleries and engage in a gallery activity.
Wonderstruck in the Panorama: Drawings by Brian Selznick
September 18 – January 15, 2012
Tour + Gallery Activity (4th – 12th Grade) 1.5 hours, $110/class
In the exhibition based on Wonderstruck, the newest book by Brian Selznick, students will explore one of Selznick’s inspirations for the book, the Panorama of the City of New York, as well as the drawings in and about the Queens Museum of Art and New York City. Museum educators will explore themes such as: Panorama as Memory Map, Wonderstruck and the Panorama: Process, and New York as a Silent City. Students will also engage in a gallery activity.
Self Guided Tour – Suggested Donation $50/class
Self-Guided tours must be requested and reserved using our trip request form, though they are led by classroom teachers. In order to provide a more focused and constructive experience for your student we encourage teachers who opt to take students on self-guided visits at our suggested donation rate, to have activities prepared for the visit.
School Trip Guidelines and Policies
CONFIRMATION
- Each teacher attending a trip must have a copy of this confirmation and the invoice.
- Reply to this email confirming the following dates and times at least FOUR WEEKS prior to your scheduled visit.
- If we do not receive a reply email at least FOUR weeks prior to your scheduled visit, we reserve the right to cancel your trip.
YOUR PAYMENT
- If you will be paying by check/money order by mail, check/cash on arrival, or DOE Purchase Order, please notify all the other teachers so the payment process is smooth.
- If you need a paper invoice, please let me know your fax number, and one will be faxed to you.
- Payment for the trips are per class not per student; please notify all participating teachers.
CANCELLATIONS/RESCHEDULING
- Cancellations must be in the form of an email to the attention of Pema Domingo-Barker at pema@queensmuseum.org FOUR WEEKS prior to your scheduled visit.
- Your cancellation is only finalized once acknowledged by an email response.
- If you need to reschedule (with at least FOUR WEEKS notice), we will make every effort to accommodate a new proposed date, but cannot guarantee a spot, as trips do fill up quite quickly.
- If your school does not attend on the scheduled dates and no cancellation notice has been acknowledged, your school is responsible for the full amount of the programs scheduled for that day.
CHAPERONING
- We request the supervision of ONE ADULT FOR EVERY TEN CHILDREN.
- Teachers and other chaperones are required to stay with their groups at ALL TIMES and are responsible for the group’s conduct and behavior.
YOUR ARRIVAL
- If your group is running late, please call Visitor Services at (718) 592-9700 ex 233
- If your trips are scheduled for 10:30, please be advised we cannot begin the program before the scheduled time.
Additionally, we do not have a waiting area for classes.
- A teacher or group leader should check in with the Museum staff BEFORE children enter the Museum. It is recommended that students remain on the bus until our staff allows admittance since we do not have a waiting area for classes.
- We have FREE PARKING for your school buses (and cars too).
- Groups arriving more than 20 minutes late may forfeit part of their program, and you may only be offered a Guided Tour without any Studio Workshops or Gallery Activities.
- If your group is running late, please call Visitor Services at (718) 592-9700 ex 233
- The Museum shop offers a wide variety of reasonably priced items for children and adults. If you are interested in visiting the gift shop please let your educator know when you arrive so they can build the time into your visit.
LUNCH
- There are NO LUNCH facilities at the Museum.
- Picnicking is permitted in the park but please bring a large bag to collect trash. Lunches must be checked during the Museum visit.
If your group is running late, please call Visitor Services at (718) 592-9700 ex 233
More Policies for Self Guided visits:
Students are required to be supervised closely at all times.
Students and chaperones must keep 4 ft of space around the art.
No touching the artwork, no screaming, loud noises or running.
No food or drink in the galleries.
All chaperones should actively engage with students to avoid unfortunate circumstances.
We encourage teachers to take students on self-guided visits at our suggested donation rate, however, we ask that teachers have activities prepared for the visit. Feel free to peruse our website for the content of our exhibitions to provide insight and inspiration for your teaching.
Please be considerate of other museum visitors.
Though we are a public institution and welcome everyone into our doors, we reserve the right to ask your group to leave if they do not comply with our museum guidelines
Plan and Schedule a School Trip
Reservations should be made at least six weeks in advance, as our Tour + Workshop programs reach full capacity early in the school year.
Reservations are made of a first-come first-serve basis.
Please fill out our School Trip Request Form
The form is NOT a confirmation, but only a request for a reservation.
Your reservation is not scheduled until you receive written confirmation in the form of an invoice or email.
No phone calls, please. You will receive a phone call if more information is required from our School Programs Assistant.
Please have ALL of the following information ready when you fill out the request form:
- The name/number of your school
- Address of school, phone number of school, home/cell phone number, email address, and school fax number
- Which collection or exhibition you would like your students to see
- What type of program you prefer
- Grade of each class attending
- The number of classes only four (max) per day per program
- Name of the teacher for each class
- The number of students in each class max of 30 students per class
- Indicate whether your students are taught in a General Education, ESL or Inclusion classroom
- Preferred dates of visit (3 options)
- Any additional information regarding your students’ developmental and academics needs.
Once your trip is confirmed by the School Programs Assistant (Pema Domingo-Barker), you will receive a confirmation email, invoice, and other pre-visit materials that should be distributed to all the teachers attending the Museum trip. Please keep a copy of the invoice for your records.
Note that all fees for school programs are a FLAT FEE and not per child. The complete payment for your trip is due, at the latest, on your visit to the museum.
Cancellations must be made in writing in the form of an email to pema@queensmuseum.org FOUR weeks prior to your scheduled visit. The cancellation must be acknowledged by the School Programs Assistant (Pema Domingo-Barker). If your school does not attend the day that they are scheduled and there is no cancellation notice by four weeks of the visit, your school is responsible for the full amount of the programs scheduled for that day.
If you have any questions, please email pema@queensmuseum.org Email is much easier form of communication for us, as we are able to answer more promptly than via phone.
Looking forward to seeing your school/class in our galleries
- The School Programs Team, Queens Museum of Art
Family Events for Schools
The museum partners with individual schools to create family initiatives specific to the interests of the school that take place seven days a week. Often schools seek funding for such programs through the Parents as Arts Partners program of the Center for Arts Education.
