Let’s Look 

Discover a variety of American art masterpieces presented in PAFA’s collection and learn about the museum. Students analyze subject matter, discuss color, line, and shape, and apply a range of techniques to engage with art works. 

Grades K-2 
Special Needs & Autistic Support classes 

 
Mixed Media 

Telling Tales 

Immerse yourself in stories from art that draws on mythology, literature, history, imagination, and everyday life. Students analyze visual narratives, observe the use of symbolism and personification, and engage through writing with the ways artists conveyed emotions. 

Grades K-5, 6-8 

Mixed Media, Printmaking 

Making American Artists: History Connected Through Art (Currently in Special Exhibition) 

Engage your critical thinking, observation, and discussion skills focusing on the theme of, "Who gets to tell the story?" in American art and history. The tour visits PAFA’s collection, currently presented in Making American Artists exhibition, and explores some of the historic genres of art, namely, portraiture, history painting, still life, genre scenes, and landscape. Juxtaposing artworks from different time periods, the exhibition layout provides striking visual counterpoints that encourage new dialogues about who makes American art, and thus, American history and identity.  

Grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 

Mixed Media, Printmaking, Figure Drawing (9-12 only) 

Innovations and Art 

Explore how art and science have worked together for centuries to create artistic masterpieces. Students will trace the innovations of art making tools, learn how different pigments are made and the science of why colors in some great artworks last for hundreds of years while others are fading away. 

Grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 

Mixed Media, Printmaking 

Race, Gender, and Diversity in Art 

Observe and discuss the diversity of American artists in PAFA’s collection. This tour addresses central social themes such as race, social justice, and gender throughout American History and how a museum challenges dominant narratives in our society. 

Grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12

Mixed Media, Printmaking, Figure Drawing (9-12 only) 

Engaging Contemporary Art 

Discover the ways artists use new techniques and approaches to translate important social and cultural issues into their art. Students will analyze works to develop their own arguments and interpretations. 

Special Exhibition: Rising Sun: Artists in an Uncertain America (March 23rd to June 9th)

Come see PAFA transformed! Partnering with the African American Museum in Philadelphia, this new exhibition is full of larger than life and daring sculptures, digital works of art, unique paintings, and more. Students of all ages will be visually and intellectually engaged with contemporary art in exciting new ways. 

High School Tours

American History in Art 

Build on student learning in Social Studies and United States’ history by discussing paintings of William Penn, George Washington, Charles Wilson Peale, and other early American icons. 

Grades 9-12 only 

Figure Drawing (9-12 only) 

School of Fine Arts Tour 

Learn more about PAFA’s exceptional facilities, faculty, and student life by touring the facilities and studios. Only available for High School students. It is possible to schedule as a short addition to another tour or activity for no additional cost. 

In person only  

Grades 9-12 only 

Customizable Tour 

For high school teachers interested in having PAFA’s team of museum educators customize a lesson to meet specific curricular needs in a variety of subject areas. Please inquire about details and pricing. 

Grades 9-12 only 

Titles & Descriptions

 Grade Level 

Pair with Field Trip

Geometric Cube Art 

This art lesson utilizes the structure of a cube as a canvas for artwork. Students will learn how “The Cube” can be seen as the space in which art is displayed since about the early/middle of the 20th century, to how innovative this geometric shape is as an art piece all on its own. Students will learn how to create their own geometric cube and make personal connections through the art they choose to display on it. 

Grades 3-8 

Innovations in Art 

Telling Tales 

Mixed Media 

Through experimentation and play, students work with multiple mediums of art to uncover how they react with each other and create a special work of art to take home! Art projects will reflect subject matter related to offered tour topics or based on curriculum connections. 

Grades K-12 

ANY TOUR 

Meditative Art through the Continuous Line 

Through observation and experimentation, students will discover a variety of meditative art practices including the long-standing artistic tradition of continuous line drawings. They will explore examples from PAFA’s collection as well as their own environment and follow along on a series of guided observational drawing activities that are fun for all skill levels! 

Grades 6-8, 9-12 

Race, Gender, and Diversity in Art, Rising Sun Special Exhibition Tour 

Printmaking 

Experience the process of relief printing using a matrix, paper, ink, and brayer. Students design and print their own pieces to bring home. 

Grades 3-8 

ANY TOUR 

IN PERSON ONLY 

Cast Hall Drawing (Grades 9-12 only, limited to 30 students) 

Sketch from casts of famous sculptures from antiquity to the present in PAFA’s unique and prized Historic Cast Hall. Availability is limited. 

9-12 GRADES ONLY 

ANY TOUR 

IN PERSON ONLY 

Figure Drawing 

Learn about the principles of composition and utilize key drawing skills like shading, perspective, and value. Instructors may focus on still life objects, portraits, or human figures. 

9-12 GRADES ONLY 

ANY TOUR 

IN PERSON ONLY