DAM offers dynamic student programs and field trips designed to engage young learners with art through various interactive experiences. Schools from pre-K to high school can participate in tours that explore themes across different artistic periods and cultures. Field trips often include hands-on activities, such as artmaking workshops, that help students engage deeply with the museum’s collections and special exhibitions.
Teachers are empowered to tailor their students’ experiences at the museum, with the choice of guided tours led by expert docents or self-guided experiences. The museum aligns many of its programs with Colorado’s state educational standards in areas like visual literacy, history, social studies, and communication. This flexibility allows students to think critically, interpret artworks, and connect the themes they explore to broader societal issues, such as cultural identity and social justice.
Some of the field trip themes focus on fostering observation skills and creativity, allowing students to analyze how art communicates messages across different eras and contexts. Artworks span ancient artifacts to contemporary pieces, helping students make comprehensive interdisciplinary connections. Additionally, DAM offers virtual field trip options for remote learning, ensuring accessibility to its educational content for students outside Denver.
The museum also provides specialized Access Tours for students with disabilities, ensuring an inclusive experience through tactile elements, verbal descriptions, and tailored activities. These tours emphasize creative problem-solving and the relationship between art and real-world issues, making the learning experience deeply relevant to students’ lives.
With its wide range of educational offerings, the Denver Art Museum provides a unique and enriching platform for students to explore art, develop critical thinking skills, and foster creativity through immersive, hands-on learning opportunities. These programs are perfect for supporting cross-disciplinary learning, from social studies to visual arts and cultural history. The museum also offers financial assistance for schools with limited budgets. For more details, educators can visit the museum’s website to plan their visit.