The DIA offers a wide range of field trips led by our gallery teachers, each designed for specific ages and types of learners.
What guided experience is best for my students?
Starting with Art (Grades PreK - 1)
This 30 to 45-minute experience is designed for the DIA's earliest learners in Pre-K, Kindergarten and Grade 1. Students will engage in interactive activities to make them better observers of art and their world.
Learning to Look (Grades 2 - 4)
A combination of open-ended and directed discussions and activities.
What types of choices do artists make? How do those choices influence how we experience art? Students consider these questions as well as how art can help us connect to our thoughts and feelings and to the experiences of others. (45-minutes)
Meaning Through Art Making (Grades 3 - 5)
*Booking for this program is now available for experiences starting Feb. 6, 2019. The room capacity is 30, including all students and adults.
Students engage in open-ended, inquiry-based discussions of selected art in the galleries, sharing their observations as well as the evidence they see that supports their thinking.
Hands-on activities follow in the Art-Making Studio, providing students the opportunity to make personal artwork that is inherently meaningful.
Both the gallery and art-making experiences in Meaning Through Art Making are based on Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), a research-tested teaching method used by museums and schools for more than 30 years.
Two gallery + art making experiences are available:
Meaning Through Art Making: Printmaking
DIA Teaching-Artists select a relevant printmaking technique to help students explore and express themselves through a creative, hands-on art-making experience.
Meaning Through Art Making: Mixed Media
DIA Teaching-Artists select from a wide variety of materials to help students explore and express themselves through a creative, hands-on art-making experience.
Thinking Through Art (Grades 3 - 12)
Open-ended, student-centered discussions and activities.
Students engage in open-ended, inquiry-based discussions of selected art, sharing their observations and interpretations as well as the evidence they see that supports their thinking. Through these collaborative peer-to-peer discussions, students practice skills in deeper looking, critical analysis, and communication. (45-60 minutes)
Thinking Through Art is based on Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), a research-tested teaching method used by museums and schools for more than 30 years. For more information about VTS, visit http://vtshome.org
Shaping Identity (Grades 3 - 12)
Directed-learning, information-based discussions and activities.
Students engage in directed discussions about art, exploring how people of diverse cultures use art to define, reinforce, and communicate cultural, national, and personal identity. (45-60 minutes)
Shaping Identity is available as a broad cross-cultural exploration with a more focused examination of part of the world.
Shaping Identity – A Broad Cross-Cultural Exploration
Includes art from around the world and spanning thousands of years
Shaping Identity – African American Art
Includes art from around the world with a focus on African American artists from the 19th century to the present
Shaping Identity – Art of the Americas
Includes art from around the world with a focus on North, Central, and South America, including Ancient Americas and Native American art from the colonial period to the present
Shaping Identity – Art of the Ancient World
Includes art from ancient cultures such as Africa, Asia, Egypt, Europe, the Middle East, North America, or South America
Shaping Identity – Art of France NEW
Includes art from around the world with a focus on the art and influence of French artists and the French-speaking world
Shaping Identity – Art of the Spanish Speaking World
Includes art from around the world with a focus on the diverse Spanish-speaking cultures in Europe, Central America, and South America from ancient times to the present
Shaping Identity – Combined with Thinking Through Art
Includes art from around the world and spanning thousands of years in a combination of directed and open-ended discussions and activities
Shaping Identity – Art of the Renaissance
Experience Europe during the time of the Renaissance and see how the art reflects life in Europe during this time of change and growth. Recommended for middle and high school.
Summer Escapes – June 15 to Labor Day (PreK - 12)
Summer Escapes are highly engaging gallery experiences designed to energize your student group’s summer visit to the DIA. Some of our popular topics are: Time Travel, Art of the Selfie, Ewww That’s Gross, Girl Power, Cool Dudes, Heroes and Villains, and Boo! Designed for students in PreK through 12th Grade. Perfect for multi-age groups including summer camps, summer schools, and scout groups.
Once booked, a DIA Gallery Teacher will contact you to help you select the perfect escape for your group. Book as a Guided Field Trip and indicate “Summer Escapes” in the in the special needs section.
Putting the STEAM in STEM (Grades 5/6 - 12)
Students learn that art and science are connected through interactive, science-related experiences that put the “Art” in “STEM”!
Putting the STEAM in STEM: Rivera Court (SOLD OUT)
Gallery Teachers engage students in open-ended discussions using Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) during the Thinking Through Art portion of this experience. Then a science educator will lead student teams through a technology and engineering problem-solving adventure as they explore Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry Murals. Limited to 60 students, grades 5-12. Limited availability. Mondays only. Allow 3 hours.
Putting the STEAM in STEM: Conservation
Science Students observe and work with members of the DIA’s Conservation Lab while exploring works of art. Students learn how scientific investigations authenticate, date and preserve works of art in the DIA’s world-class collection. Limited to 60 students, grades 6-12. Limited availability. Fridays only. Allow one hour.