School Programs

Professional Development

The Barnes offers many ways for teachers to expand their learning and integrate art into their classroom curriculum. Join our Teacher Advisory Board or take a class or workshop. Learn more below, and sign up for teacher emails to be notified of all future events.

Summer Educator Institute

2026 Summer Educator Institute: Cultivating Belonging in Times of Change

Monday, August 3–Wednesday, August 5, 2026; 9am – 3pm
$150; $75 School District of Philadelphia and Delaware Valley Catholic school employees
15 Act 48 credit hours

This immersive, three-day summer workshop focusing on family stories, heirlooms, and traditions highlights how memory anchors identity and belonging. With Barnes educators and special guest teaching artists, we will explore how key moments of transition—migration, growth, conflict, innovation—have defined the United States’s evolution and students’ lived experiences. Teachers will engage in discussion-based close looking and learn art, movement, and storytelling approaches that empower students to explore heritage, community histories, and intergenerational narratives, helping them see themselves in America’s story.

The institute takes place at the Barnes and includes:

• Hands-on art making and community building with peers and local teaching artists
• Free parking, a discount at the Barnes Shop and Calder Gardens Shop, raffle prizes, and more
• Coffee and tea each morning, with a catered lunch on Wednesday by Philadelphia’s renowned Constellation Culinary Group
• Complimentary admission to the Barnes and Calder Gardens during the institute, plus a free pass to return
• Exclusive time in the Barnes galleries and Calder Gardens while closed to the public
• Teaching strategies and project-based learning ideas that foster inclusive classrooms
• Exclusive access to Sky Hopinka: Red Metal Dust, Freedom Dreams, and our annual restorative justice exhibition, plus a chance to learn about the upcoming fall exhibition Noguchi to Asawa: Designing Postwar America

Register

Museum Education Graduate Program

Saint Joseph’s University’s new online graduate program, offered in partnership with the Barnes, is designed to prepare future museum educators for roles in public and private institutions. The program offers a Master of Arts in Museum Education and a Museum Education Certificate. Students learn how to share knowledge effectively and inclusively with the public, from K–12 school groups to everyday visitors. They also learn strategies for teaching about objects and collections and develop skills applicable to any type of museum, including art and natural history museums, science institutes, and historical sites.

Teacher Advisory Board

The Teacher Advisory Board (TAB) is a cohort of Philadelphia-area pre-K–12 educators who share our belief that art has the power to improve minds and transform lives.

The board meets with School Programs staff three or four times a year to discuss ideas for new programs and educational resources that align with curriculum standards and encourage students to make personal connections with art. TAB members receive complimentary Patron memberships, which include free admission and deep discounts for a full year.

Sign up for teacher emails  to stay informed about the next application period.

Teacher Workshops

The Barnes is committed to our education community and meeting the needs of students and teachers by offering professional development opportunities. Hour-long workshops led by Barnes educators are available to groups of 8–100 for $10 per person. Self-guided admission to the galleries before or after your session is available for an additional $5 per person. Choose from the workshops below. Catering is available for an additional cost. Learn more below and request a session today.

Arts Integration and Literacy; 1 Act 48 credit hour
How can art support the study of English language arts in the classroom? Learn effective strategies for integration with literacy.

Arts Integration and Social Studies; 1 Act 48 credit hour
Art is the perfect tool for supporting learning about cultures, history, and geography. In this workshop, we will discuss best practices for using art to teach social studies.

Arts Integration for Your Classroom; 1 Act 48 credit hour
How can you use museum education strategies to support your students? Learn the principles of teaching in and through the arts and how to implement this connective pathway toward reaching students in your own classroom.

Classes with Act 48 Credits

The Elements of Art; 75 credit hours
Fourteen 3-hour sessions will increase your understanding of art-related concepts, the ways you think critically about art, your ability to communicate about art, and your appreciation for cultures and histories outside your own. Offered in the fall and spring.

The Traditions of Art; 75 credit hours
Fourteen 3-hour sessions will focus on the developments in the painting and sculpture of Western Europe. Examining how all artists—including modernists working in the 19th and 20th centuries—learn and adapt earlier traditions. Offered in the fall and spring.

Additional Classes

The Barnes–de Mazia Adult Education Program builds on Dr. Albert Barnes’s groundbreaking approach to teaching visual literacy through art. When you take a class with our expert instructors, you’ll not only increase your understanding of art-related concepts but also sharpen your critical-thinking skills and gain a deeper appreciation of cultures and histories outside of your own. Classes take place on-site and online, using innovative technology that lets you to get up close to art in ways you haven’t before. No art background is needed; curiosity is the only requirement.

Scholarships are available. See all classes.