Field Trips: Visual and Performing Arts
Charles M. Schulz Museum
Located in Santa Rosa, adjacent to the Redwood Ice Arena and Snoopy’s Gallery, the museum celebrates both the Peanuts characters and the life and work of Sonoma County cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. The Museum features exhibits of his artwork, primary materials relating to his life and work, a theater showcasing both biographical works and animated Peanuts specials, and a classroom where the art of cartooning can be explored. School visits include a docent-led tour and a brief cartooning workshop. Teachers can also choose to have their class view one of a series of American history videos that feature Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang.
de Young Museum
The de Young Museum, located in San Francisco, has a Resource Center for Education that supports the California State Content Standards in language arts, social studies and the visual arts. Get Smart with Art @ the de Young is an interdisciplinary curriculum package that uses the art objects as primary documents, sparking investigations into the diverse cultures represented by the Museums’ collection. All historical texts are written at the intended grade level, thereby reducing the amount of teacher preparation required.
diRosa Preserve
The diRosa collection features an extensive gathering of contemporary California Bay Area art in a unique natural setting. Nearly 2,000 works, including many outdoor sculptures, can be found in the preserve’s historic buildings and garden areas. The Napa Valley property is surrounded by vineyards and includes a large lake, hundreds of 150-year-old olive trees, and a 130-year-old stone winery turned residence. Two-and-a-half hour public tours make the unique collection available to the public, and special days are reserved specifically for school groups. The collection is most appropriate for junior and senior high school students.
Legion of Honor
One of San Francisco’s two public fine arts museums, the Legion of Honor showcases paintings, artifacts, and decorative arts from ancient civilizations to modern times. The collection is housed in an impressive French neoclassical building that overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge. Schools can make reservations for docent-led tours or self-guided tours that introduce grades K-12 to the permanent collections and special exhibitions. ImageBase offers online access to a virtual art collection of more than 80,000 of the museum’s items.
San Francisco Ballet, Community Matinees
Each year the San Francisco Ballet Company offers deeply discounted tickets for special student and senior performances. These Community Matinees feature open scene changes and special demonstrations by dancers of varying ages from San Francisco Ballet School. Supplemental study guides provide performance-specific information along with material on ballet, dance, and viewing tips.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
SFMOMA offers a variety of tours designed to meet students’ specific needs and interests. School tours are free of charge and must be arranged in advance. Look, Learn, Create tours, for grades 3-8, engage students through inquiry-based tours and hands-on creation. An in-school docent orientation prepares students for their visit. Teen Tours for high school students can be tailored to complement curriculum topics in the humanities, social sciences, language arts, and fine arts. High school teachers wishing to lead independent tours with their students must first attend a certification workshop that acquaints teachers with the Museum’s collections and touring procedures, provides preparatory classroom materials, and explains the options for self-touring.
San Francisco Shakespeare Festival: Shakespeare on Tour
Shakespeare On Tour travels to individual school sites across the state, performing a fifty-five minute condensed version of a Shakespeare play in the original language. The touring troupe of six actors brings their own sets, props, costumes, and music. Schools receive a curriculum guide, written by professional educators, complete with three weeks of lesson plans designed to help teachers prepare their students to more fully appreciate the performance. The production is professionally directed and suitable for elementary students through adults. After each performance, the cast stays for a Question and Answer session with the audience.
Santa Rosa Symphony, Musical Outreach
The Symphony’s commitment to music education for youth provides many opportunities for students and school groups. Small ensembles of professional musicians provide K-6 in-school performances that feature commentary, instrument demonstrations, and other age appropriate activities. Free concerts at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts are available each fall and spring for grades 4-6. The Elementary School Listening Program provides monthly audio cassettes of classical music, a teacher’s guide, and monthly program notes. At least one elementary school is “adopted” by the Symphony each year for a week-long intensive experience. The school receives in-school demonstrations, docent presentations, listening tapes, and other materials focusing on one of the Symphony’s regular Discovery Concerts. The project culminates with the entire school, their families, and staff attending the Discovery Concert.
Spreckels Performing Arts Center
The Arts Education program exposes students to the performing arts by linking the arts to their curriculum, their lives and their community. School programs include music, live performances, and other multicultural offerings.
Sonoma County Museum, Education Department
The Sonoma County Museum offers innovative exhibitions and education programs for people of all ages and interests, engaging themes ranging from history to contemporary art. The Museum & Schools Program assists teachers with interdisciplinary arts, history, and science education at the Museum and in the classroom. The Museum provides free tours, bus funds, and free education materials, including hands-on activities for the classroom. Tours are given Monday-Friday and are tailored to the needs and ages of the students. Teachers are invited to special open house receptions that include tours of exhibitions, gallery activities, discussions, and refreshments.
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
SVMA exhibitions feature the works of local, national and international artists in a variety of media including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, crafts, architecture, industrial design, graphic design, and video art. Museum programs link art with education through school tours, student art shows, and internship programs for high school and college students. Docent-led tours can be arranged for school groups; tours may even be done by the artists themselves! Bilingual presentations or translations are available. Exhibits may include support materials for teacher or student use. Teachers may enjoy lectures and workshops provided in conjunction with certain exhibitions. A quarterly newsletter provides information on current and upcoming exhibits, and highlights other museum programs and events.
Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Educational Program
The center has educational offerings which include a variety of shows and performing artists. Past shows have included fairy tales, literary classics, jugglers, acrobats, ballet, and more. Programs reflect diverse cultures, styles, and grade levels. Some shows feature related multicultural workshops that connect social studies and the arts while inviting hands-on participation.