Special Exhibition l Archaeology l Permanent Exhibition l Jewish Schools
All of the elementary school tours listed below include hands-on activities.
To schedule a tour for your class please click here
Note: Any of the tours described below, except Art on the Road, can be scheduled as a school tour (75 minutes) or as a school tour PLUS workshop (two hours).
NEW! Art on the Road
The Jewish Museum is excited to launch Art on the Road, a hands-on, art-based program that brings the Museum to schools. A Jewish Museum educator will work with individual classes at your school, using artifact replicas, touchable materials and visual images to engage students through discussion, observation and interactive activities. Lessons are thematic, relate to The Jewish Museum’s exhibitions, address Common Core State Standards and the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Visual Arts and can be tailored for students in grades K-12. Choose from the following:
Archaeology and the Ancient World: Students have the opportunity to handle replicas of ancient clay and metal artifacts to explore the archaeological process and daily life within the context of ancient civilizations.
The Art of the Book: Students grind pigments using a mortar and pestle and examine parchments, reed pens and natural pigments to learn about medieval manuscripts and book production in the Middle Ages.
Art on the Road is currently being offered to schools in Manhattan only. A minimum of two lessons must be scheduled per Art on the Road visit to your school. Each lesson must be for an individual classroom and lasts for one period. Cost: $120/lesson.
To schedule a visit or for more information, please call 212-423-3256 or email schoolaccess@thejm.org.
SPECIAL EXHIBITION TOURS
As it were ... So to speak
A Museum Collection in
Dialogue with Barbara Bloom
March 15–August 4, 2013
Grades 2–12
Imagine mining the Museum’s collection of 26,000 objects and responding with your own gallery installation. Contemporary artist Barbara Bloom was asked to do just
that and creates an installation that recontextualizes, among other items, paintings, Jewish marriage contracts and clocks, promoting dialogue across time and place.
Tour may include a visit to Offit Gallery, where Six Things:
Sagmeister & Walsh is on view from March 15 until August 4, 2013.
ARCHAEOLOGY AT THE JEWISH MUSEUM
Archaeological Dig: Exploring the Ancient World
Grades K-6
Students learn about ancient cultures by participating in a simulated archaeological dig in the Museum’s interactive children’s exhibition Archaeology Zone: Discovering Treasures from Playgrounds to Palaces. They examine pottery, metalwork, mosaics, and glassware and discover more about the field of archaeology.
This tour includes:
- Participation in a simulated archaeological dig;
- Exploration of the ancient civilizations galleries
- Hands-on studio art project.
PERMANENT EXHIBITION TOURS
Note: Any of the tours described below can be scheduled as a school tour
(75 minutes) or as a school tour PLUS workshop (two hours).
Materials in Art: What's this Made of?
Grades Pre-K–2
Compare and contrast objects and artifacts in a variety of media to discover the different materials artists use.
Number the Stars
Grades 3-5
Elementary school students reading Lois Lowry's Number the Stars focus on issues of resistance and hope through an exploration of age-appropriate works in the permanent collection.
Educator Resource: Holocaust
Festivals of Lights
Grades 1-4
Explore the role of light in the Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa holidays while viewing our spectacular collection of Hanukkah lamps.
Educator Resource: Jewish Holidays
The Immigrant Experience
Grades 3-5
Students consider the experience of immigration by examining paintings, photographs, and artifacts.
Educator Resource: Immigration
Paintings Tell Stories
Grades 3-5
By analyzing paintings, photographs, and sculptures, students gain insight into how artists use color and form to convey meaning.
Pre-visit material (PDF)
Writing Through Art
Grades 4-5
Students discover how works of art can inspire creative writing and how writing can be a powerful means of engaging with the visual world.
Pre-visit material (PDF)
TOURS FOR JEWISH SCHOOLS
Note: Any of the tours described below can be scheduled as a school tour
(75 minutes) or as a school tour PLUS workshop (two hours).
Ceremonial Objects: Beautifying a Tradition
Grades K-5
Why do Jewish people decorate ritual objects? Students explore the diverse artistic styles of ceremonial objects in the Museum. Teachers may request a concentration on Torah scrolls and related ritual objects.
Educator Resource: Jewish Holidays
A Year of Jewish Holidays
Grades K-5
Students view artifacts and works of art connected to Jewish holidays and discover a magnificent collection of Hanukkah lamps, considered the finest in the world.
Educator Resource: Jewish Holidays
Image credits(top to bottom):
Sharon Lockhart, Production still from Five Dances and Nine Wall Carpets by Noa Eshkol (detail), 2011
Exhibition detail: Barbara Bloom.Painting: Artist unknown, Portrait of a Man with a Fur Hat, late nineteenth century
Larry Rivers, Portrait of Vera List, c. 1965
