Teachers
Come to the Barnes, or we’ll come to you. Our programs will nourish your students’ imaginations and serve your curricular goals.
Field Trips
Field trips are available for all K–12 students. Gallery tours are focused on improving students’ visual literacy skills and engaging students with age-appropriate activities that meet curricular standards. School tours are currently offered on Wednesdays, October 1, 2021, through June 1, 2022. As we are closed to the public Wednesdays, students may visit without providing proof of vaccination. Masks are required for all students and chaperones, regardless of vaccination status. Register at least 30 days in advance.
$5 per person; free (including busing) for a limited number of School District of Philadelphia and Delaware County public and charter schools. Learn more and request a field trip today.
General Introduction Tours
K–12 students are introduced to the Barnes method of looking closely at art. In 90-minute interactive gallery lessons, students use the concepts of light, line, color, and space to analyze the Barnes’s unique ensemble displays of impressionist, post-impressionist, and modern paintings, displayed alongside African masks, Native American jewelry, Greek antiquities, and decorative metalwork. Students learn about the history of the Barnes and its founder, Albert Barnes, who was raised in a working-class family in Philadelphia and held a fierce commitment to diversity and inclusivity.
During special exhibitions, school groups may see both the permanent collection and the exhibition in their 90-minute tour. From February 20 to May 15, students will see Water, Wind, Breath: Southwest Native Art in Community on their field trip.
Teachers may self-tour exhibitions ahead of their field trip. Email us to arrange for a complimentary educator ticket. Available during open hours only.