Onsite Field Trips

Reading Rug: I Spy an Orange Bird

Birdwatch in the gallery! Students will visit the Museum’s galleries, sing and learn about colors and birds, enjoy a special story featuring The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater, and make their own bird-inspired artwork in the Art Studio. This 1-hour program is aligned with Grade 1 & 2 Art and ELAR TEKS/LSS. 48 student maximum.

Reading Rug: P is for Pottery

Dig in to the art of pottery! Students will visit the Museum’s galleries, learn about the ancient art of pottery, connect pottery with everyday tasks like eating and drinking, enjoy a special story featuring The Pot That Juan Built by Nancy Andrews-Goebel, and make their own model magic pot in the Art Studio. This 1-hour program is aligned with Grade 1 & 2 Art and ELAR TEKS/LSS. 48 student maximum.

Reading Rug: A is for Artist

Time to flex our creative muscles! Students will visit the Museum’s galleries, sing songs about colors and shapes, enjoy a special story featuring The Blue Horse by Helen Stephens, and create an imaginative landscape for their own blue horse in the Art Studio. This 1-hour program is aligned with Grade 1 & 2 Art and ELAR TEKS/LSS. 48 student maximum.

Reading Rug: Herd for the Holidays

See community-made reindeer and related artwork at our seasonal exhibition, Reindeer Trail! Students will get into the holiday spirit as we sing and enjoy a special story featuring Imogene’s Antlers by David Small, and create a reindeer-inspired artwork in our Art Studio. This 1-hour program is aligned with Grade 1 & 2 Art and ELAR TEKS/LSS. 48 student maximum.

PLEASE NOTE: Herd for the Holidays is a seasonal program beginning November 18, 2026.

Folktales & Wagon Trails

Saddle up for an adventure in the Wild West during this 1.5-hour experience combining art, language arts, and social studies. During a visit to the Museum’s galleries, students will practice storytelling, illustration, and journaling while exploring folktales told throughout the American West. In the Art Studio, students will create a contemporary illustration of a traditional folktale. This 1.5-hour program is aligned with Grade 1 & 2 Art, ELAR, and Social Studies TEKS/LSS. 48 student maximum.

Home on the Range

Designed to accommodate up to 75* students and their chaperones in the Museum at a time, this program is a great choice for first-time visitors or seasoned cowhands!

Join us for a whirlwind journey through the Museum’s galleries as we consider factors that shape and define the American West. This 1.5-hour program does NOT include a visit to our Art Studio. Instead, students will complete in-gallery art activities that reinforce a variety of cross-curricular connections to the past, present, and future as we explore each of the Museum’s main galleries. Choose a program theme for your students to investigate interdisciplinary connections to TEKS/LSS related content within the Museum’s collection.

Program themes and their core subject focus:

• • People, Places, & Things (Social Studies TEKS/LSS)
  • Materials & Processes (Science & Math TEKS/LSS)
  • Narrative & Storytelling (ELAR TEKS/LSS)
  • All themes are aligned with Art TEKS/LSS.

*PLEASE NOTE: Groups larger than 48 students MUST be booked 4+ weeks in advance. 75 student maximum. This program can be reserved on any “Onsite Field Trip - Free Choice” day (see calendar). An SMA Education Department representative will confirm your choice of program theme when confirming your field trip reservation.

Combo Tour: Swamp Stories (2nd grade only, spring semester)

Discover what makes the bayous and wetlands of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana so special during this 4.5-hour program at the Stark Museum of Art and Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center.

At Shangri La Gardens, students will embark on an adventure to investigate the natural environment of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana. As the students explore the bayou region they will grow to understand that each creature, whether human, mammal, reptile, or insect, has a story all its own.

At the Stark Museum, students will explore how artists portray the histories and mysteries of the region’s peoples, creatures, waterways, and landscapes, as well as how artists use materials and inspiration from their surroundings to create unique works of art. In the Art Studio, students will create their own artwork that tells a story of the region they call home. This program includes a visit to the special exhibition The Bayou Collection by George Rodrigue (on view March 5 - September 8, 2027).

This program DOES include a boat tour (weather permitting), and is aligned with Grade 2-4 Art, ELAR, Science, and Social Studies TEKS/LSS. 48 student maximum. Register at shangrilagardens.org.

Texas, Our Texas

Tug on your boots and get ready for a Texas-sized adventure from the Big Thicket to Big Bend! Students will explore the Museum’s galleries to take a jaunt through Texas history while seeing paintings from the 1800s-1900s and learning about state symbols through glass and ceramic sculptures. In the Art Studio, students will create their own original work of art about the great state of Texas. This 1.5-hour program is aligned with Grade 3 & 4 Art, ELAR, and Social Studies TEKS, and is the perfect match for your Grade 4 Texas history TEKS! 48 student maximum.

Herd for the Holidays

See community-made reindeer and related artwork at our seasonal exhibition, Reindeer Trail! Students will get into the holiday spirit as we sing and enjoy a special story featuring Imogene’s Antlers by David Small, and create a reindeer-inspired artwork in our Art Studio. This 1-hour program is aligned with Grade 3 & 4 Art and ELAR TEKS/LSS. 48 student maximum.
PLEASE NOTE: Herd for the Holidays is a seasonal program beginning November 18, 2026.

Folktales & Wagon Trails

Saddle up for an adventure in the Wild West during this 1.5-hour experience combining art, language arts, and social studies. During a visit to the Museum’s galleries, students will practice storytelling, illustration, and journaling while exploring folktales told throughout the American West. In the Art Studio, students will create a contemporary illustration of a traditional folktale. This 1.5-hour program is aligned with Grade 3 & 4 Art, ELAR, and Social Studies TEKS/LSS. 48 student maximum.

SMA Studio: Full STEAM Ahead!

Give your students the opportunity to dive deeply into a STEAM focused studio project that combines art-making with science, technology, engineering, and math.

This 2-hour program includes a visit to the Museum’s galleries to examine the role of movement (both actual and simulated) in objects from the Museum’s collection. In the Art Studio, students will learn basic principles of engineering as Museum Educators lead them step-by-step through the process of constructing a kinetic sculpture from cardboard. Students will then use paint, markers, and collage to create playful and inventive artistic additions that enable their mechanical sculpture to tell a visual story. 30 student maximum.

Combo Tour: Swamp Stories (spring semester)

Discover what makes the bayous and wetlands of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana so special during this 4.5-hour program at the Stark Museum of Art and Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center.

At Shangri La Gardens, students will embark on an adventure to investigate the natural environment of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana. As the students explore the bayou region they will grow to understand that each creature, whether human, mammal, reptile, or insect, has a story all its own.

At the Stark Museum, students will explore how artists portray the histories and mysteries of the region’s peoples, creatures, waterways, and landscapes, as well as how artists use materials and inspiration from their surroundings to create unique works of art. In the Art Studio, students will create their own artwork that tells a story of the region they call home. This program includes a visit to the special exhibition The Bayou Collection by George Rodrigue (on view March 5 - September 8, 2027).

This program DOES include a boat tour (weather permitting), and is aligned with Grade 3-4 Art, ELAR, Science, and Social Studies TEKS/LSS. 48 student maximum. Register at shangrilagardens.org.

Home on the Range

Designed to accommodate up to 75* students and their chaperones in the Museum at a time, this program is a great choice for first-time visitors or seasoned cowhands!

Join us for a whirlwind journey through the Museum’s galleries as we consider factors that shape and define the American West. This 1.5-hour program does NOT include a visit to our Art Studio. Instead, students will complete in-gallery art activities that reinforce a variety of cross-curricular connections to the past, present, and future as we explore each of the Museum’s main galleries. Choose a program theme for your students to investigate interdisciplinary connections to TEKS/LSS related content within the Museum’s collection.

Program themes and their core subject focus:

• • People, Places, & Things (Social Studies TEKS/LSS)
  • Materials & Processes (Science & Math TEKS/LSS)
  • Narrative & Storytelling (ELAR TEKS/LSS)
  • All themes are aligned with Art TEKS/LSS.

*PLEASE NOTE: Groups larger than 48 students MUST be booked 4+ weeks in advance. 75 student maximum. This program can be reserved on any “Onsite Field Trip - Free Choice” day (see calendar). An SMA Education Department representative will confirm your choice of program theme when confirming your field trip reservation.

Stories: Real & Imaginary

Discover how artists and writers use language to create. Students will use language arts activities to explore and interpret the Stark Museum of Art’s collection as they compare fact versus opinion, consider sensory reactions to artwork, and analyze plot and narrative. In the Art Studio, students will design their own comic strip. This 1.5-hour program is aligned with Grade 5-8 Art, Social Studies, and ELAR TEKS/LSS. 48 student maximum.

Herd for the Holidays

See community-made reindeer and special artworks on display for our seasonal exhibition, Reindeer Trail! Students will get into the holiday spirit as they travel the reindeer trail through the Museum’s galleries and will create a 3-dimensional reindeer artwork in our Art Studio! This 1.5-hour program is aligned with Grade 5-8 Art TEKS/LSS. 48 student maximum.
PLEASE NOTE: Herd for the Holidays is a seasonal program beginning November 18, 2026.

Around the Galleries

During this fast-paced program, students will examine and actively discuss approximately 10 works of art throughout the Museum's main galleries. In the Art Studio, students will race the clock as they make a work of art inspired by a creativity challenge. This 2-hour program is aligned with Grade 5-8 Art and ELAR TEKS/LSS. 48 student maximum.

SMA Studio: Full STEAM Ahead!

Give your students the opportunity to dive deeply into a STEAM focused studio project that combines art-making with science, technology, engineering, and math.

This 2-hour program includes a visit to the Museum’s galleries to examine the role of movement (both actual and simulated) in objects from the Museum’s collection. In the Art Studio, students will learn basic principles of engineering as Museum Educators lead them step-by-step through the process of constructing a kinetic sculpture from cardboard. Students will then use paint, markers, and collage to create playful and inventive artistic additions that enable their mechanical sculpture to tell a visual story. 30 student maximum.

Home on the Range

Designed to accommodate up to 75* students and their chaperones in the Museum at a time, this program is a great choice for first-time visitors or seasoned cowhands!

Join us for a whirlwind journey through the Museum’s galleries as we consider factors that shape and define the American West. This 1.5-hour program does NOT include a visit to our Art Studio. Instead, students will complete in-gallery art activities that reinforce a variety of cross-curricular connections to the past, present, and future as we explore each of the Museum’s main galleries. Choose a program theme for your students to investigate interdisciplinary connections to TEKS/LSS related content within the Museum’s collection.

Program themes and their core subject focus:

• • People, Places, & Things (Social Studies TEKS/LSS)
  • Materials & Processes (Science & Math TEKS/LSS)
  • Narrative & Storytelling (ELAR TEKS/LSS)
  • All themes are aligned with Art TEKS/LSS.

*PLEASE NOTE: Groups larger than 48 students MUST be booked 4+ weeks in advance. 75 student maximum. This program can be reserved on any “Onsite Field Trip - Free Choice” day (see calendar). An SMA Education Department representative will confirm your choice of program theme when confirming your field trip reservation.

Self-Guided Visits

Self-guided visits are perfect for educators who want to independently lead their students through the Museum. Self-guided groups do NOT spend time in our Art Studio. Self-guided visits may be added before or after a scheduled Onsite Field Trip to extend your time in the Museum. 48 student maximum.

Combo Tour: Art for Conservation (fall semester)

Discover what you can do to be an environmental conservationist during this 4.5-hour program at the Stark Museum of Art and Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center.

At Shangri La Gardens, students will explore the swamps, forests, and wetland habitats that birds and other critters call home. We will discuss migration and the importance of habitat conservation through hands-on activities.

At the Stark Museum, students will go on an expedition through the galleries to learn how the work of artists and explorers has helped protect land, waterways, and creatures of all kinds. In the Art Studio, students will create their own artwork to voice an environmental conservation message of their choosing.

This program DOES include a boat tour (weather permitting), and is aligned with Grade 5-8 Art, ELAR, Science, and Social Studies TEKS/LSS. 48 student maximum. Register at shangrilagardens.org.

Sketching in the Galleries

Discover the art of sketching in the Museum’s galleries during this 1-hour program. Students will examine drawing as the foundation of all arts, as well as practice observational drawing skills, and learn techniques used by artists for centuries. Students of all drawing abilities are encouraged to participate. This program is aligned with Art TEKS/LSS and may be combined with additional high school offerings. This program does NOT include a visit to our Art Studio. 48 student maximum.

Self-Guided Visits

Self-guided visits are perfect for educators who want to independently lead their students through the Museum. Self-guided groups do NOT spend time in our Art Studio. Self-guided visits may be added before or after a scheduled Onsite Field Trip to extend your time in the Museum. 48 student maximum.

Home on the Range

Designed to accommodate up to 75* students and their chaperones in the Museum at a time, this program is a great choice for first-time visitors or seasoned cowhands!

Join us for a whirlwind journey through the Museum’s galleries as we consider factors that shape and define the American West. This 1.5-hour program does NOT include a visit to our Art Studio. Instead, students will complete in-gallery art activities that reinforce a variety of cross-curricular connections to the past, present, and future as we explore each of the Museum’s main galleries. Choose a program theme for your students to investigate interdisciplinary connections to TEKS/LSS related content within the Museum’s collection.

Program themes and their core subject focus:

• • People, Places, & Things (Social Studies TEKS/LSS)
  • Materials & Processes (Science & Math TEKS/LSS)
  • Narrative & Storytelling (ELARTEKS/LSS)
  • All themes are aligned with Art TEKS/LSS.

*PLEASE NOTE: Groups larger than 48 students MUST be booked 4+ weeks in advance. 75 student maximum. This program can be reserved on any “Onsite Field Trip - Free Choice” day (see calendar). An SMA Education Department representative will confirm your choice of program theme when confirming your field trip reservation.

SMA Studio: Full STEAM Ahead!

Give your students the opportunity to dive deeply into a STEAM focused studio project that combines art-making with science, technology, engineering, and math.

This 2-hour program includes a visit to the Museum’s galleries to examine the role of movement (both actual and simulated) in objects from the Museum’s collection. In the Art Studio, students will learn basic principles of engineering as Museum Educators lead them step-by-step through the process of constructing a kinetic sculpture from cardboard. Students will then use paint, markers, and collage to create playful and inventive artistic additions that enable their mechanical sculpture to tell a visual story. 30 student maximum.

Custom Tour by Request

Are you studying a particular topic and want your students to explore connections within the Museum’s collection? Do your students need inspiration before their next big show or performance? Do you facilitate a group with unique learning needs? Contact our Director of Education or School Programs Coordinator to discuss your options for a customized educational program tailored to meet the specific needs of your group.

PLEASE NOTE: We require 6+ weeks of advance notification to prepare a custom tour program for you. Please contact us to discuss your program needs and options.