field trip to a museum

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Field Trips

Give students a fresh spin on science and social studies lessons with a day outside the classroom.

Pre-Registered Illinois field trips are FREE everyday of the week! 

The Field Museum’s field trip experiences offer exciting, up-close exposure to science and social studies in a historic Chicago setting. Schools and community groups in Illinois serving Pre-K–12th grade students can register for a FREE field trip by completing this form at least 14 days before your desired visit date. There is no charge for additional chaperones for Illinois schools.

School groups can enjoy a deep dive into Ancient American cultures or watch groundbreaking DNA research happen before their eyes. Students learn about evolution through fossils and dinosaur skeletons and discover what centuries-old specimens and artifacts can teach us about how we live today.

A journey through the Field Museum’s diverse range of exhibitions is easily tailored to curricula for groups of all ages, including pre-K, elementary school, middle school, and high school students. All school groups are welcome, including home school students. 

We also offer engaging and hands-on classes for students on field trips!  Field trip classes are available for grades Pre-K-12th and focus on a range of topics.  For a list of class offerings and more information please check out our Class Catalog. 

To begin planning a field trip, please fill out the online registration form 14 days before your desired visit date.

Field Trip Pricing

Field Trip Experiences

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Field Trip Guides

Virtual learning experiences.

SUE the T. rex Virtual Tour for Classrooms

Dino or DiNOT Virtual Tour

360 Virtual Museum Tours

Learning Resources

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School learning experiences are supported by ITW.

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Getting the Most Out of Museum Field Trips

A plan to give students agency over what they learn while visiting a museum creates a significantly more beneficial experience.

I’ve led many learners on several museum excursions, not just as a classroom teacher, but also as a museum educator and guide, and I’ve seen a lot of different takes on the field trip to a museum. Students can be divided up into tightly managed groups, or they can be let loose to explore. They can arrive equipped with worksheets, clipboards, and iPads, or just the questions in their heads. 

In thinking about all the ways this learning experience can work, I’ve observed that the most pronounced differences in the value of this kind of experience came as a result of how a teacher answered three essential questions: 

• What kind of structure will be provided for the visit? 
• What will be done before and after the visit happens?
• How can the visit go beyond content acquisition? 

Structuring For Success

Teachers have often asked me what level of independence is best for their visit. I’m not referring to freedom of movement or the level of supervision that students need. When I say independence, I’m talking about room to explore. Do you allow students complete freedom to move through the galleries and exhibits at will, or do you tightly schedule and curate their time to ensure that they get the topical information aligned to your learning goals? 

In my experience, for a museum visit to be truly impactful, balance is needed, and the research seems to agree. Allowing learners a degree of choice in what they interact with in an informal learning space leads to deeper learning. However, we also know that students benefit from structure. Without it, they might end up seeing everything, learning nothing. You can use a scaffolded framework to get the best of both worlds, regardless of how long your visit might be.  

First, begin your visit with the entire group together. This allows you to set the tone and model behavior for the visit, and you can take advantage of any educational programs the museum offers as a shared experience for your students. It also allows the staff to orient your students to resources that are relevant to your learning goals.

Then, divide your students into groups. Direct them to a specific exhibit or gallery that pertains to the learning goal that prompted your visit. As students move between the different displays or resources, you can circulate and provide guidance on things they should make sure to see, also noting which students are able to conduct themselves appropriately with less direct oversight.

Finally, allow them free choice. Students can explore other areas for the remainder of their trip in small groups. They can pursue unrelated but engaging topics that they might be interested in, even if they don’t directly relate to the purpose of your trip. 

Teachers who have used this model to structure their visit reported higher participation and richer understanding from their students as a result. 

Focus on the Before and After as Much as During

Permission slips, chaperones, worksheets. Teachers’ main focus when it comes to field trips is usually the logistics involved in getting there. Helping students think about the experience within the context of the unit or project they’re working on comes second, but there’s a simple way to bring it back to the forefront—anchor questions.  

Creating an open-ended anchor question that guides the museum experience by tying the learning goal to the place is useful not only during the visit, but also before and after the experience. If you introduce the question to students early, they can focus on what they need to learn prior to their visit, and afterward they can use it to measure the success of their visit and consider next steps.

Here are some key questions that students can consider:

• What background information do you need in order to answer the question? 
• What information or questions are you hoping to gain insight into during the visit?
• What sections or exhibits will be most helpful to explore when we arrive?
• What tools and resources can you gather ahead of time that will help you with finding answers?
• What resources or exhibits from the museum contributed to answering the anchor question?
• Did the visit leave any questions unanswered or generate new questions? 
• Are there any new topics, even unrelated ones, that inspired curiosity?     

Use Museums For More Than Content

Utilizing museums as a source of content information is fine, but textbooks do the same thing. So, if that’s your only plan for a museum visit, you’re missing opportunities to engage students in critical analysis. Many museums were built decades ago, and updating their exhibits to make them more relevant sometimes takes decades more. Without careful consideration, you might be unintentionally exposing students to developmentally inappropriate exhibits, outdated narratives, or less inclusive, and therefore inaccurate, information.  

However, you can use the experience to create ownership and empower students to find ways to make these spaces more inclusive. When you do this, students not only consume information but are actively engaged in a revision process that asks them to think critically and play a role in the improvement of the experience for other visitors. Try the following three activities.

An option for young students. Art museums are great resources, but they are generally not designed for younger learners. Elementary students can engage with art and develop literacy at the same time when you give them adjectives and ask them to find a piece of art that fits their word. They can then write the name of or present their artwork and share why they think it’s a good fit for their assigned words. I’ve seen this done masterfully with Apples to Apples: Green Cards .

Stories told, stories hidden. Sometimes, what a museum doesn’t display can be even more informative than what it does display. Challenging students to look critically at the displays and consider what information is shared and what information might be missing can lead to interesting discussions about access and relevance. A great resource for this kind of exploration is the Field Trip guide from Monument Lab .

Remix the resources. Much of curators’ work in a museum involves the sequencing of objects so that they tell a story. Exploring “how objects speak” is a compelling concept that can lend itself to deeper learning after a visit. During a visit, students can look at objects from a particular gallery, take photos, and then create their own exhibits that incorporate the objects in service of new narratives. They can fill out their new exhibits with images or objects from resources like Google Arts & Culture .   

Griffin Museum of Science and Industry

What's here.

Providing unique experiences designed to spark scientific inquiry and creativity since 1933.

5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60637

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Field trips.

With 14 acres of exhibits - as well as Giant Dome Theater films and hands-on Learning Labs - the Museum provides a wealth of onsite and virtual learning opportunities.

There's no comparing the awe-inspiring nature of a Museum visit to a typical day in the classroom.

Bring your students to experience hands-on, real-world examples of science. Museum Entry is free for Illinois PreK-12 schools and discounted for out-of-state schools. Illinois teachers also can visit for free every day just by showing an educator ID card.

• Pricing: Field Trips (PDF)
• Visit information
• Plan your visit
• Museum map for groups (PDF)
• Mapa del museo - grupos (PDF)

Reserve your field trip

Things You Can Do During Your Field Trip

Our award-winning exhibitions and engaging experiences spark the imagination.

• Learning Labs
• Jr. Science Cafes
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• Museum exploration guides

Virtual Field Trips

Take a museum field trip without leaving your classroom..

When you can't come to Griffin MSI, take a virtual field trip with us instead. Participate in a facilitated Learning Lab livestream, or take a live virtual tour of some of our most popular exhibits. And check out our free online STEM learning tools for new ways to engage.  

• Virtual field trips
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• Learning Resources hub

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Field Trip Planning

Plan your visit.

Check our recommendations on what to see and do.

See our current group pricing.

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Field Trips

From Pre-K to High School, the Nature Museum is the perfect field trip destination.

As Chicago’s gateway to nature and science, our educators, scientists, and staff provide a fun and educational experience like no other.

Please note, groups of 10 or more people are required to register in advance when visiting the Nature Museum. Groups receive discounted admission to the museum and the opportunity to add on visit enhancements and utilize planning tools when registering at least two weeks in advance. Find the best fit for your class or group by exploring the options below.

field trip request form

8 Reasons to Take a Field Trip

As Chicago’s oldest museum, we know a thing or two about science education! Our staff are experts at developing education programs and exhibitions that stimulate and excite young minds. Book a field trip and you’ll see!

We are Chicago’s urban gateway to nature and science. Our exhibits, specimens, live animals, and conservation initiatives all focus on our region’s unique ecosystems. Inspire your students to seek out, observe and discover the nature all around us.

Take your field trip to the next level by scheduling a hands-on workshop led by an experienced Museum Educator. With 14 different indoor and outdoor workshops developed for a diverse range of learners, you can choose the unique workshop perfect for your class.

With more than 40 living animal species, the Nature Museum is one of the only museums where your class can get up close and hands-on with turtles, snakes, insects, and more! In addition to our living collections, we have thousands of preserved specimens—from rare extinct species to common plants and animals.

From interpretive nature trails outside the Museum and around North Pond, to more than 30,000 square feet of exhibitions within the Museum, your students will truly be immersed in the nature all around us! In addition to our signature exhibitions, we feature rotating exhibits throughout the year that always keep our museum experience fresh.

Our scientists are hard at work saving turtles, butterflies, snakes, and bees! Learn about our research and conservation efforts with endangered species like the Blanding’s turtle, and see the little hatchlings we are rearing for release in local habitats.

Experience the whirling wonder of the renowned Judy Istock Butterfly Haven ! More than 40 species of exotic high-flying butterflies and stunning birds from around the world await your class in our 2,700 square foot greenhouse. Complete with serene pools of water, flowers, tropical trees, and thousands of fluttering butterflies, the Butterfly Haven is an experience your students will not forget!

All Illinois school groups receive free admission to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum—no catch! Your group will have the opportunity and time to see everything we have to offer, without any special exhibit fees. Plus, we’ll outfit your class with a self-guided tour card that includes guiding questions for each exhibit.

Add a Field Trip Workshop to focus your visit, spark wonder and curiosity in your students, and connect to your students’ classroom science learning.

A Field Trip Workshop is an authentic, hands-on learning experience that leverages unique museum resources to teach locally-relevant science and nature content. Help your students create positive personal connections with local nature by observing and exploring the Nature Museum’s collections. Choose from 14 workshops created for Pre-K through High School groups that are taught by an experienced museum educator and are correlated with the Next Generation Science Standards.

Register for one of these inquiry-based and interactive programs to enhance a field trip experience and enrich learning outside of school. Titles and descriptions of available workshops are listed below. Workshops are 45 minutes and cost $175/workshop unless otherwise noted.

Pre-K & K

Awaken your senses and embark on an outdoor adventure! Join a Nature Museum Educator on an exploration of the Museum grounds. Students will discover the sights, sounds, feels, and smells of nature in the city!

Observe live insects from the Nature Museum’s collections! Students will learn more about the ways that these animals move, eat, and protect themselves from danger. Each student will have the opportunity to compare and contrast several different live insects.

NGSS: LS1, ESS3

Create a seed pocket to take back to your school! Students develop an appreciation for local nature as they learn about planting seeds through interactive activities that highlight how native plants grow and how they are important to animals, including humans.

Grades 1, 2 & 3

Go outside and explore prairie, pond, and wooded habitats on the Nature Museum grounds! Students will practice making careful observations as they examine plants and animals in various outdoors areas. Students will compare and contrast the different elements of each habitat including the plants and animals that live in each.

NGSS: LS1, LS3, LS4

Meet two live animals from the Nature Museum’s collections! Students will observe the animals’ features and movements and use critical thinking skills to compare and contrast the animals’ bodies, behaviors, and habitats.

Watch a classmate transform into a butterfly! Students will become butterfly scientists and learn about the body parts and life cycle of butterflies. They will also create their own butterfly life cycle models to take home and use to teach others what they know.

Find out how seeds travel from one place to another! Students will observe real seeds and do hands-on investigations to compare and contrast the ways that these seeds move.

NGSS: LS1, LS2

Go outside and observe prairie, wetland, and urban woodland ecosystems! Students will increase their knowledge of Illinois ecosystems by observing living and non-living things on the Nature Museum grounds and by evaluating how the parts of each system interact and work together.

NGSS: LS1, LS2, LS4, ESS3

Get an up close look at the red worms that work at the Nature Museum! Students will observe red worm behavior and investigate environmental preferences. Students learn how these worms can recycle food and paper waste and then practice classifying items that can and cannot be fed to red worms.

NGSS: LS1, LS2, ESS3

Observe and compare rare and endangered Midwest butterflies, including metalmarks, checker-spots, and fritillaries! Students will learn about the characteristics of native butterfly habitats and the Nature Museum’s conservation research initiatives. By reviewing basic butterfly biology and exploring the unique needs of local butterflies, students gain an understanding of how people impact Midwestern butterfly populations.

Grades 6-12*

Compare the biodiversity of different outdoor areas on the Nature Museum grounds! Students use sampling, systematic observation, and data collection techniques to gather information about the plants present in each location. By graphing, analyzing, and comparing data, students will determine species richness and biodiversity in the two areas.

NGSS: LS2, LS4

Get outdoors and investigate various urban ecosystems on the Nature Museum’s Nature Trails! Students will observe and record the diversity of living things in two of Illinois’ most dominant natural environments. By considering the changes in these natural areas over time, students will evaluate the roles humans play as a part of these prairie and lawn ecosystems.

NGSS: LS2, ESS3

Examine various bee specimens from the Nature Museum’s collection! Students will analyze data to determine trends in bee populations and the impact on local ecosystems, as well as obtain information on current conservation efforts.

Find out what the invertebrates found in water really say about the water’s quality! Students learn about water quality indicators, tolerant and intolerant species, and citizen science initiatives while identifying preserved macroinvertebrates. Students then use their findings to analyze the health of a water sample.

Cost & Payment

Each school classroom must register for its own workshop.  To ensure the quality of the interactive experience, schools may not combine multiple classrooms into one workshop. Groups with workshops exceeding the maximum number of participants without prior approval will be charged for an additional workshop. Kindergarten – Grade 12 workshops have a maximum of 30 participants, and Pre-K workshops have a maximum of 20 participants.

• $175/45-minute workshop
• $200/90-minute workshop

Payment is due 30 days before the date of the visit or programs will be cancelled.

Questions? Special requests? Email [email protected].

Exclusive Butterfly Release

Make your field trip visit unforgettable by releasing a butterfly with an exclusive butterfly release. For $15 per group, your students will be able to watch as a butterfly that has just emerged from its chrysalis is released into the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven for its first flight!

FIELD TRIP REQUEST FORM

Request a Field Trip

After you’ve submitted a request form, we will process your request within five business days. Once we’ve booked your field trip, we will send you a confirmation via email. Your field trip is not confirmed until you’ve received this email. After five days, if you have not received an email please email [email protected] to check on the status of your request.

Questions? Email us at [email protected]

Planning Resources

Keep reading for tools, tips, and protocols to help you plan and prepare for your Nature Museum field trip.

Use our Field Trip Guide to help prepare your students and create a focused field trip experience. This guide is full of tips and tricks to make the most out of your visit to the Nature Museum. It also includes ideas for activities before your visit, graphic organizers to use on your trip, and suggestions for post-visit activities to connect the field trip back to the learning in the classroom.

CHECK BACK SOON FOR AN UPDATED GUIDE

When your bus arrives, it will pull into the turn-around directly in front of the museum. One of our staff members will greet your bus and provide the museum rules to your group, while the lead teacher from each school enters the museum to check in and receive your group’s tour cards.

In order to ensure that our visitors have the opportunity to explore the museum fully, school groups will be divided by class into lettered groups (A, B, C, etc.). We will provide one tour card to the leader of each lettered group. These custom tour cards provide an outline for your trip and also include specific times and locations for lunches and workshops. Click here for a sample tour card.

Your classes will then be led off the bus and organized into letter groups by class, each with their own tour card. Once organized, your group will be moved inside to drop off lunches and coats. If you have requested a lunch space, each lettered group’s lunch time and location will appear on their tour card. We ask that you bring lunches in small, recyclable brown paper bags. We will bring them to the lunchroom at your assigned lunch time. Please do not call ahead for lunch times.

Once those have been dropped off, a staff member will escort you to your first exhibit or workshop, and your museum exploration will begin!

To see our full list of accessibility resources and amenities, click here.

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Experience nature and science up close with a trip to the Nature Museum.

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Plan a field trip.

The Smithsonian offers a wide range of opportunities for learning outside of the classroom. Visit a website below to plan a group visit. Many provide self-guided tours and additional educational resources to support your visit. 

African American History and Culture Museum

African Art Museum

Air and Space Museum

Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center

American Art Museum

American History Museum

American Indian Museum

American Indian Museum Heye Center, New York

Anacostia Community Museum

Asian Art Museum (Freer and Sackler)

Cooper Hewitt Museum, New York

Hirshhorn Museum

National Zoo

Natural History Museum

Portrait Gallery

Postal Museum

Smithsonian's Discovery Theater

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Maryland

Smithsonian Gardens

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The most successful field trips find their roots back in the classroom with the teacher. Here are seven tips from the National Postal Museum to ensure your students get the best out of their visit.

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20 Famous Art Museums You Can Visit from Your Living Room

Art from around the world has never been closer to home.

Did you know that you can access art museum virtual field trips, tours, and resources from around the world for free ? Why not take your students on virtual museum tours to the lavish Louvre in Paris? Or the majestic Metropolitan Museum of Art? Or any one of these historic art museums from around the world? Check out the list below to get started!

1. Benaki Museum

Located in Greece, the Benaki Museum features European and Asian pieces of artwork dating all the way back to prehistoric ages. In addition to having a massive collection of art you can explore virtually, the Benaki also offers audio tours for several of their larger exhibits. Our favorites include Chinese and Korean Art, Historic Heirlooms, and Childhood, Toys, and Games.

2. The Frick Collection

Frick, yeah! Click your way through this interactive map for a tour of the beautiful building and collections of art from the likes of Bellini, Rembrandt, Vermeer, and more.

3. The J. Paul Getty Museum

Explore thousands of items in the Getty’s collection  with help from Google Arts & Culture. The J. Paul Getty Museum specifically has several interactive options for exploring their collection: a “museum view” virtual tour, three ebook-style online exhibits, and the library of over 15,000 collected pieces of art.

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4. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

The largest art museum in the western United States is offering art museum virtual field trips. Watch videos and museum walkthroughs, listen to soundtracks and live recordings, learn with online teaching resources and courses, browse their art collection, and more on LACMA’s redesigned website.

5. The Louvre

One of our favorite art museum virtual field trips—and the world’s large museum—is the Louvre with options for some of their best exhibition rooms and galleries. Explore rare Egyptian artifacts, iconic paintings, the beautiful structure of the building, and much more through their 360-degree viewing feature.

(NOTE: Several of these virtual tours require Flash Player.)

6. Metropolitan Museum of Art’s #MetKids

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (aka the Met) developed #MetKids for, with, and by kids—but we think parents and teachers will have just as much fun using it. Our favorite features include a fun and highly interactive map, a “time machine” search function, informational and how-to videos, and so much more.

7. Musée d’Orsay

Instantly transport to the middle of Paris with the Musée d’Orsay and their online tours and art collection. Here you can explore art history with the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces from renowned artists such as Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, and many more.

8. Museo Frida Kahlo

Also known as La Casa Azúl (the Blue House), this historic art museum was developed where renowned artist Frida Kahlo lived and created masterpieces. While there, you can learn about her life, her art, and more as you take a virtual tour through her former residence.

9. The Museum of the World

The British Museum and Google Cultural Institute teamed up to create one of our favorite interactive projects: The Museum of the World. The British Museum’s digital art collection lets users travel through time—starting with 2,000,000 BC—while seeing how each historical piece in their collection connects with others. Wow!

10. The National Gallery

Click and scroll your way around the National Gallery in London with their three interactive virtual tour options. The National Gallery has hundreds of paintings in its collection ready to be viewed online, many of which are from the Renaissance period.

11. The National Gallery of Art

Washington D.C.’s National Gallery of Art has a wide variety of great educational resources,  including video tours of their exhibitions, in-depth looks at the best pieces of their collection, downloadable learning resources and exercises, pre-recorded lectures by artists and curators, and more.

12. Pergamon Museum

One of Germany’s largest museums, Pergamon is home to a variety of ancient artifacts, including the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the Pergamon Altar.

13. Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is the museum of the Netherlands and contains an online collection of well over 160,000 items. Not only is their digital collection incredibly stocked, but it’s also one of the more immersive collections online today. In addition, we highly recommend you try their “stories” feature (shown above), which walks users through the story and emotions behind the artwork created.

14. San Diego Museum of Art

Step inside the San Diego Museum of Art from anywhere! Enjoy 360-degree scans of your favorite galleries, zoom in to see art details, and read full label text in both English and Spanish, all from the comfort of home.

15. San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts

The San Francisco MoMA offers exclusive content featuring artists and their work online. Watch videos, read articles, and more right on their website.

16. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation has several art museums around the world, which means more history to absorb virtually! Their Collection Online has over 1,700 diverse artworks by over renowned 600 artists—and it is definitely worth checking out as one of our top art museum virtual field trips!

17. Tate Modern: Andy Warhol Exhibit

The Tate Modern put together this video tour of their famous Andy Warhol exhibit. Museum curators Gregor Muir and Fiontán Moran talk in-depth about Andy Warhol and his work through the lens of the immigrant story, his LGBTQ identity, and more.

18. Uffizi Gallery

Here you’ll find the art collection of one of Florence, Italy’s most famous families, the de’Medicis. Wander the halls from any classroom!

19. The Van Gogh Museum

With an obvious focus on Vincent van Gogh, the Van Gogh Museum is home to the largest collection of van Gogh pieces in the world. The museum, virtual tours, ebook “stories,” and online collection dive into the life of van Gogh and the inspiration behind his art. Moreover, we think teachers everywhere will appreciate how big a fan he was of reading books!

20. The Vatican Museums

You can finally say you’ve seen the Sistine Chapel thanks to this online program! And, you can also virtually visit the Raphael Rooms, the Chiaramonti Museum, and more historic sites through these virtual tours by the Vatican Museums.

Did we miss one of your favorite art museum virtual field trips? Share them with us, and we might just add it to this list!

Also, check out the best field trip ideas for every age and interest (virtual options too).

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40 Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips

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National Museum of Natural History Virtual Tours

Access the tours.

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History virtual tours allow visitors to take self-guided, room-by-room tours of select exhibits and areas within the museum from their desktop or mobile device. Visitors can also access select collections and research areas at our satellite support and research stations as well as past exhibits no longer on display.

Virtual Tour Tips

• To navigate between adjoining rooms in the tours, click on the blue arrow links on the floor or use the navigation map in the upper right of the presentation screen.
• Look for the camera icon which gives you a close-up view of a particular object or exhibit panel.
• Try zooming in as some of the images are stitched together from individual pictures in order to create very high resolution gigapixel images.

Please note: This tour and these presentations have been tested and should work on all common devices, browsers, and operating systems (using a desktop computer with Windows, Mac, Linux or a mobile device such as an iPhone, iPad, or Android). Functionality and appearance may vary as it will adjust automatically to accommodate the most visitors. While the virtual tour has no advertising, ad blocking software or browser settings that block JavaScript and/or XML may interfere with the functionality of the virtual tour. Please let us know what you think of the tour and how the experience can be improved. Send your feedback to the NMNH Web Team .

Site Credit: Imagery and coding by Loren Ybarrondo

Equipment Used: Professional Nikon digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera bodies and lenses. The photography is typically done using rectilinear lenses with minimized distortion and shooting equirectangular panoramas at 22K pixels on the long side.

Software Used: No authoring software is used. The tours are hand-coded in HTML5 and JavaScript using the krpano graphics library.

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Field Trips

Did you know a field trip to SMO can be as low as $9?

That's right! Qualifying schools, daycares and other youth-serving groups can book field trips for as low as $9/student when booked in advance and as part of a group. Our Guest Relations Team has planning your day down to a science - including helping you make lunch plans! You have enough on your plate - let us handle the details.

Your trip to the museum includes:

FREE admission for chaperones (1 chaperone for every 10 students)

$9 per extra chaperone

FREE live science and planetarium shows. (The planetarium closes beginning April 21.)

Hundreds of exhibits designed to educate and inspire students of all ages

Box lunches starting at $6 when booked in advance

Field Trip Rates (PK-12)

$9 per student/chaperone One FREE chaperone for every 10 students 

No hidden charges! SMO's field trip rate is all-inclusive — the museum's permanent exhibits, Science Live shows, and Kirkpatrick Planetarium experiences — at one price.

Enjoy the Show! Seating for Science Live and the Kirkpatrick Planetarium is on a first-come, first-served basis. We are unable to reserve blocks of seats for groups. Seating is limited - so we recommend arriving a few minutes prior to show time.

Pre-K through 12th Grade: Field trip rates are reserved for students in Pre-K through grade 12 and are available only when booked in advance by qualifying schools and organizations with groups of 10 students or more. Chaperones are honored guests (thank you for bringing the students!!) and must be over 21.

Speaking of Chaperones ...for the safety of students visiting the museum, Science Museum Oklahoma requires a minimum of one adult chaperone for every 10 students. Chaperones should stay with students at all times. Grab a latte from Starbucks and join your students for some fun!

All prices are per person.  

Ready to schedule a field trip?

We can't wait to see you! Our goal is to make your day stress-free. For more information or to register, please call us at  (405) 602-3760 or email [email protected] .

For faster booking, complete our school group registration form. Our Guest Relations team will contact you to confirm your details, answer any questions and reserve your date!

Field Trip Registration

Let's do lunch!  We have box lunches starting at just $6 when ordered in advance or cafe vouchers so kids can choose whatever they want! Place your order today at the link below!

LUNCH ORDERS

Teachers, we have a resources page just for you!

Whether you're looking for a way to extend learning beyond the classroom, looking for ways to bring the museum to your school or just looking for that extra activity to make this year sizzle - a day at SMO will have everyone from kindergarteners to teenagers asking, "Are we there yet?" 

P.S. Did we mention we have a Starbucks? And air conditioning?

Click Here for our teacher resources page

For the latest updates about special offers for educators, join SMO's Teacher Email List!

We realize that some students or chaperones may not be photographed for safety and other reasons. As a public space, entering our building does consent to being photographed. Therefore, we provide wristbands to help readily identify people who do not wish to be photographed. While we cannot control the conduct of our guests, we will make every attempt to avoid our staff or contractors from capturing and sharing the image of any person wearing a wristband. Please contact our Guest Relations team at (405) 602-3760 or email  [email protected] if you require wristbands for your students or chaperones.

OERB Scholarships

Science Museum Oklahoma partners with the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board as part of OERB HomeRoom .

To be eligible to apply for field trip funding, teachers must attend an OERB workshop and teach the required OERB curriculum in their classroom. After an educator’s class completes the curriculum, teachers can submit an application for a free field to Science Museum Oklahoma.

Each free museum field trip includes:

• Free admission for classroom teachers and students to the museum.
• OERB show and either Kirkpatrick Planetarium or Science Live show.
• Partial to full travel reimbursement for schools or school districts paid for by OERB.  

For more information, visit OERBHomeRoom.com or email [email protected] .

Arrival, Bus Parking, Backpacks and Lunches

• During peak season, a museum representative will lead students into the museum from your bus. Students will be taken to a grouping zone.
• Main teacher or point of contact should check in at Guest Relations.
• For faster check-in, download and complete the Express Check-In form before arrival:

FIELD TRIP EXPRESS CHECK-IN FORM

Students may not bring backpacks into the museum while on field trips. Please leave backpacks at school, on your bus, or in vehicles.

Bus Parking

• Bus parking is located on the west side of the museum, along Martin Luther King Ave.
• Overflow bus parking is at Remington Park Entrance 3. Entrance 3 is located across from the McDonald's on Martin Luther King Ave.
• A space will be reserved in the lunchroom for your group at a designated time if requested at booking.
• All lunches must be bagged and labeled.
• Lunches should be stored in the lunchroom in your group's designated area - it will be labeled with your school name and lunchtime.
• Carts are provided in the lobby to transport lunches. Please return carts to the lobby once lunches are unloaded.
• The lunchroom is in the southwest corner of the building.

Bus Parking Location

Payment and Refunds

• Business checks will be reimbursed for amounts over $50.
• If paying with a P.O. an invoice will be emailed to you after your visit.
• Sponsors paying individually will pay full admission rate.
• Memberships and/or coupons are not valid with field trip rates.

Cancellations

• A 48-hour notice is required for cancellations.
• Please call or email the museum's Reservations office to cancel your visit at 405-602-3760 or [email protected] .

Kirkpatrick Planetarium and Science Live Shows

• Kirkpatrick Planetarium and Science Live shows are included with your field trip group rate. Seating is in a first-come, first-served basis.
• Shows often fill to capacity — please encourage your group to arrive before showtime to secure a seat!

Kirkpatrick Planetarium schedule

Science Live schedule

Teacher Resources

Museum Quest Scavenger Hunt (PDF)

Museum Quest Answer Key (PDF)

Photography Policy and Basic Rules

Basic rules.

• Please review our Visitors Policy and Code of Conduct .
• One adult chaperone is required for every 10 students.
• Students must stay with chaperones for entire length of visit.
• Students may not bring backpacks into the museum during field trips.
• Walk! For the safety of all of our guests, please do not allow children to run in the museum.

Photography Policy

Please review our complete Photography policy.

By entering the museum, you grant permission to the museum or our approved sponsor/third party to use your name, voice, image or likeness in connection with any image, video, other transmission or reproduction promoting the museum. Accomodations are available for guests who do not want to be or cannot be photographed for privacy reasons. If you have any questions or concerns, please speak to a member of our Guest Relations team. 

We use cookies to enhance user experience, ads and website performance. By interacting with our site you are giving consent to set cookies. For more information, visit our privacy policy page .

Stay up to Date

Field trip activities and lesson plans.

Field Trip Activities

Check out our Scavenger Hunts for student-centered learning activities to do anywhere in the museum! 

Grades 2-12 | Museum Scavenger Hunt 

Grades K-5 | Dinosaur Hall Scavenger Hunt 

Grades 2-12 | Art of Science Scavenger Hunt

Museum Lesson Plans and Exhibition Guides

These free, printable field trip lesson plans will help your students connect classroom curriculum with their on-site museum experiences. View the exhibit halls below to find grade-appropriate lesson plans and download your copy!

Age of Mammals  

Kindergarten | What is a Mammal? Identify mammal characteristics and sort them from other mammals!

Grade 2 | Mystery Mammal Observe an ancient mammal and form hypotheses about it for further investigation!

Grade 3 | Let's Investigate! Observe an ancient mammal and form hypotheses based on what you see.

Grade 4 | Investigating Adaptations Explore what adaptations are and how they reflect an animal's environment. Showcase new knowledge with a narrative presentation.

Grade 5 | Once Upon A Time… Let ancient mammal melodrama inspire a narrative script to perform with the class!

Grade 6 | Moving and Shaking Examine the effects of plate tectonics on the evolution of mammals. Watch the video associated with this lesson plan!

Grade 7 | Super Selection Examine natural selection and conduct a research project to explore what selection pressures might have influenced the evolution of a particular species represented in this exhibit.

Grade 8 | Postulating Pressures Research a mammal's natural history to try and reveal the selection pressures that drove its evolution, then share findings with a research project. 

Grades 9 - 12 | Global Processes Review evolution by natural selection, then conduct a research project about a specimen in our halls to discover its evolutionary history. Watch the video associated with this lesson plan!

Becoming Los Angeles  

Grades K - 5 | History Social-Science Standards Connections in Becoming Los Angeles

Grades 2 - 5 | Found History Get your students' creativity flowing by using exhibit text to create their own unique poetry.

Grade 3 | Continued Traditions Explore traditions of the Gabrielino-Tongva people and how those traditions live on today. Become a museum archaeologist to examine artifacts and write, draw, and record your findings. 

Grade 4 | Coming to California Discover how 49ers traveled to California during the Gold Rush by examining museum objects and historical photographs. Investigate one migrant's journey to California in search of riches.

Grades 6 - 12 | Found History Creative writing and critical thinking come together in this L.A. history-inspired, found poetry exercise.

Bird Hall  

Grades K - 5 | Bird Hall Teachable Moments Quick activities to guide student exploration in the Bird Hall.

Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5

Dinosaur Hall  

Grades K - 12 | Dinosaur Hall 101 This PowerPoint walks you through the overarching stories in the Dinosaur Hall to make the most of your visit.

Pre K - K | Paleontological Practice Explore dinosaurs using a KWL approach and make guided observations using a scavenger hunt for the Dinosaur Hall.

Grade 1 | Adaptation Sensation Compare adaptations of modern-day animals with fossil specimens to determine how ancient animals used to survive.

Grade 2 | Decoding Dinos Compare and contrast dinosaurs with other animals to decode their lost legacy and formulate hypotheses about how they used to live.

Grade 3 | The Past Through the Present Discover how even life millions of years ago varied depending on the environment it lived in.

Grade 4 | The Dino Diner Use math and science to deliver excellent customer service to some paleo patrons!

Grade 5 | What Killed the Dinosaurs? Consider multiple hypotheses and present evidence for the demise of the dinosaurs with this research-based writing exercise.

Grades 6 - 8 | Dinosaurs and Definitions Through a research project, examine vocabulary using context to infer the meaning of new words.

Grade 6 | Mesozoic Measurements Convert the measurements taken in the Dinosaur Hall to create a graph comparing three species of dinosaurs.

Grade 7 | Modern Detectives for an Ancient World Use observations to form hypotheses and then revise it based on new evidence and research.

Grade 7 | Shaping Dinosaurs Use dinosaurs as a topic to understand tessellations and how to calculate area and perimeter.

Grade 8 | Sizing 'em Up Or rather... down. Draw a dinosaur specimen to scale after measuring its length, width and estimating its height.

Grades 9 - 12 | Amazing Adaptation Use a Tree Map to connect observations, inferences, and conclusions about an observed specimen in the Dinosaur Hall, then consider how natural selection played a role in that specimen's evolution.

Gem and Mineral Hall  

Gem and Mineral Hall Vocabulary Sheet

Pre K | A Rocky Rainbow Explore the colorful world of gems and minerals!

Pre K | Math Rocks! Introduce measuring and graphing in a hands-on way using our specimens.

Pre K | Natural Opposites Rocks are a great place to discover naturally occurring opposites.

Grades K - 5 | Gem & Mineral Hall Teachable Moments Quick activities to guide student exploration in the Gem and Mineral Hall.

Kindergarten | Describing and Deciding Practice using new adjectives in a Gem and Mineral Hall scavenger hunt!

Kindergarten | Exploring Size Use our natural world to reinforce the concept of "big" and "small."

Kindergarten | Guided Discovery Consider the components of land. What do we know? What would we like to know?

Grade 1 | Let's Talk Rock  Use scientific vocabulary to practice making observations

Grade 1 | Categorizing Collections Sort rocks and minerals into different groups by their attributes.

Grade 2 | An Adjective Habit Use scientific vocabulary to record and communicate observations.

Grade 2 | In Your Estimation Compare estimates with actual measurements of Museum specimens.

Grade 3 | Investigating Minerals Inspire inquiry and investigation with a mineral's unique structure and beauty.

Grade 4 | A Miner's Life for Me! Consider the daily trials of a miner during the California Gold Rush.

Grade 4 | California's Geologic Regions Through mineral investigation, discover California's four unique geologic regions.

Grade 4 | Properties of Minerals Examine mineral properties as a tool for identification.

Grade 4 | The Rock Cycle Compare and contrast the three major types of rocks in this probe into the rock cycle.

Grade 5 | Life of a Gemstone Articulate a mineral's life story from formation to excavation.

Grade 6 | Natural Beauty In this interdisciplinary lesson set, practice geometric reasoning and artistic expression while gaining appreciation for the natural beauty of rocks and minerals.

Grade 7 | How Old is the Earth? Introduce Earth's history through vocabulary building, observation and discussion.

Grade 7 | Lighting Up the Gem & Mineral Hall Discover the properties of light by examining their interaction with gems and minerals.

Grade 8 | Building Blocks of Minerals Explore the fundamentals of chemistry and engage in inquiry through examining a mineral's composition and structure.

Grade 8 | You Can't Fool Me! Examine the chemical and physical properties of matter by revealing their application to real life situations.

Grade 9-12 | Chemistry See chemistry in action in this adaptable lesson set that examines mineral composition and formation.

Grade 9-12 | Earth Science Classify minerals by observable characteristics and relate mineral properties to the environments in which they form.

Mammal Halls  

Grades K - 5 | Mammal Halls Teachable Moments Quick activities to guide student exploration in the Mammal Halls.

Nature Gardens  

Pre-K | Leaf Sorting Practice categorization by comparing, contrasting, and drawing the native plants in our Nature Gardens!

Grades K – 12 | Squirrel Observations Observe, collect, and analyze data on a popular animal that's easy to find in a schoolyard!

Kindergarten | How We Survive Investigate the four basic needs--air, water, food, and shelter--of living organisms with observations in our Nature Gardens!

Kindergarten | Living and Non-Living Determine what makes something living or non-living with a journaling or photo-taking activity in our gardens that turns into a collage back in the classroom.

Kindergarten | Move It, Move It!  Mimic animal movements and apply what you observe about motion in our Gardens to drawing and describing.

Grade 1 | Plant Parts Discover the parts of a plant by growing them in the classroom, then comparing your observations to the plants in our Nature Gardens!

Grades 2 – 12 | Sounds of Nature  Practice listening and observing nature to understand more about the biodiversity of our city.

Grade 2 – 3 | Marvelous Metamorphosis Introduce students to complete metamorphosis while looking for ladybug eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults in the Nature Gardens!

Grade 7 | Insects and Biodiversity Explore L.A.'s biodiversity through bugs and introduce classification.

Grades 9 – 12 | Ecology and Energy Flow Explore how energy moves between organisms in our Nature Gardens!

Grades 9 – 12 | P lant Parenthood Observe how artificial selection and natural selection play out in our Nature Gardens!

Nature Lab  

Grades K – 12 |   My Wild L.A. Tell your story about L.A. nature and use it to develop a narrative work and inspire a research project!

• The Journal
• Vol. 14, No. 1

The Educational Value of Field Trips

Jay P. Greene

Brian Kisida

Daniel H. Bowen

Jay P. Greene joined EdNext Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss the benefits of field trips, including how seeing live theater is a more enriching experience to students, on the EdNext podcast .

Crystal Bridges; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; School Tour © 2013 Stephen Ironside/Ironside Photography Bo Bartlett – “The Box” –  2002 • Oil on Linen • 82 x 100 – Photographer is Karen Mauch

The school field trip has a long history in American public education. For decades, students have piled into yellow buses to visit a variety of cultural institutions, including art, natural history, and science museums, as well as theaters, zoos, and historical sites. Schools gladly endured the expense and disruption of providing field trips because they saw these experiences as central to their educational mission: schools exist not only to provide economically useful skills in numeracy and literacy, but also to produce civilized young men and women who would appreciate the arts and culture. More-advantaged families may take their children to these cultural institutions outside of school hours, but less-advantaged students are less likely to have these experiences if schools do not provide them. With field trips, public schools viewed themselves as the great equalizer in terms of access to our cultural heritage.

Today, culturally enriching field trips are in decline. Museums across the country report a steep drop in school tours. For example, the Field Museum in Chicago at one time welcomed more than 300,000 students every year. Recently the number is below 200,000. Between 2002 and 2007, Cincinnati arts organizations saw a 30 percent decrease in student attendance. A survey by the American Association of School Administrators found that more than half of schools eliminated planned field trips in 2010–11.

The decision to reduce culturally enriching field trips reflects a variety of factors. Financial pressures force schools to make difficult decisions about how to allocate scarce resources, and field trips are increasingly seen as an unnecessary frill. Greater focus on raising student performance on math and reading standardized tests may also lead schools to cut field trips. Some schools believe that student time would be better spent in the classroom preparing for the exams. When schools do organize field trips, they are increasingly choosing to take students on trips to reward them for working hard to improve their test scores rather than to provide cultural enrichment. Schools take students to amusement parks, sporting events, and movie theaters instead of to museums and historical sites. This shift from “enrichment” to “reward” field trips is reflected in a generational change among teachers about the purposes of these outings. In a 2012‒13 survey we conducted of nearly 500 Arkansas teachers, those who had been teaching for at least 15 years were significantly more likely to believe that the primary purpose of a field trip is to provide a learning opportunity, while more junior teachers were more likely to see the primary purpose as “enjoyment.”

If schools are de-emphasizing culturally enriching field trips, has anything been lost as a result? Surprisingly, we have relatively little rigorous evidence about how field trips affect students. The research presented here is the first large-scale randomized-control trial designed to measure what students learn from school tours of an art museum.

We find that students learn quite a lot. In particular, enriching field trips contribute to the development of students into civilized young men and women who possess more knowledge about art, have stronger critical-thinking skills, exhibit increased historical empathy, display higher levels of tolerance, and have a greater taste for consuming art and culture.

Design of the Study and School Tours

The 2011 opening of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Northwest Arkansas created the opportunity for this study. Crystal Bridges is the first major art museum to be built in the United States in the last four decades, with more than 50,000 square feet of gallery space and an endowment in excess of $800 million. Portions of the museum’s endowment are devoted to covering all of the expenses associated with school tours. Crystal Bridges reimburses schools for the cost of buses, provides free admission and lunch, and even pays for the cost of substitute teachers to cover for teachers who accompany students on the tour.

Because the tour is completely free to schools, and because Crystal Bridges was built in an area that never previously had an art museum, there was high demand for school tours. Not all school groups could be accommodated right away. So our research team worked with the staff at Crystal Bridges to assign spots for school tours by lottery. During the first two semesters of the school tour program, the museum received 525 applications from school groups representing 38,347 students in kindergarten through grade 12. We created matched pairs among the applicant groups based on similarity in grade level and other demographic factors. An ideal and common matched pair would be adjacent grades in the same school. We then randomly ordered the matched pairs to determine scheduling prioritization. Within each pair, we randomly assigned which applicant would be in the treatment group and receive a tour that semester and which would be in the control group and have its tour deferred.

We administered surveys to 10,912 students and 489 teachers at 123 different schools three weeks, on average, after the treatment group received its tour. The student surveys included multiple items assessing knowledge about art as well as measures of critical thinking, historical empathy, tolerance, and sustained interest in visiting art museums. Some groups were surveyed as late as eight weeks after the tour, but it was not possible to collect data after longer periods because each control group was guaranteed a tour during the following semester as a reward for its cooperation. There is no indication that the results reported below faded for groups surveyed after longer periods.

We also assessed students’ critical-thinking skills by asking them to write a short essay in response to a painting that they had not previously seen. Finally, we collected a behavioral measure of interest in art consumption by providing all students with a coded coupon good for free family admission to a special exhibit at the museum to see whether the field trip increased the likelihood of students making future visits.

All results reported below are derived from regression models that control for student grade level and gender and make comparisons within each matched pair, while taking into account the fact that students in the matched pair of applicant groups are likely to be similar in ways that we are unable to observe. Standard validity tests confirmed that the survey items employed to generate the various scales used as outcomes measured the same underlying constructs.

The intervention we studied is a modest one. Students received a one-hour tour of the museum in which they typically viewed and discussed five paintings. Some students were free to roam the museum following their formal tour, but the entire experience usually involved less than half a day. Instructional materials were sent to teachers who went on a tour, but our survey of teachers suggests that these materials received relatively little attention, on average no more than an hour of total class time. The discussion of each painting during the tour was largely student-directed, with the museum educators facilitating the discourse and providing commentary beyond the names of the work and the artist and a brief description only when students requested it. This format is now the norm in school tours of art museums. The aversion to having museum educators provide information about works of art is motivated in part by progressive education theories and by a conviction among many in museum education that students retain very little factual information from their tours.

Recalling Tour Details. Our research suggests that students actually retain a great deal of factual information from their tours. Students who received a tour of the museum were able to recall details about the paintings they had seen at very high rates. For example, 88 percent of the students who saw the Eastman Johnson painting At the Camp—Spinning Yarns and Whittling knew when surveyed weeks later that the painting depicts abolitionists making maple syrup to undermine the sugar industry, which relied on slave labor. Similarly, 82 percent of those who saw Norman Rockwell’s Rosie the Riveter could recall that the painting emphasizes the importance of women entering the workforce during World War II. Among students who saw Thomas Hart Benton’s Ploughing It Under , 79 percent recollected that it is a depiction of a farmer destroying his crops as part of a Depression-era price support program. And 70 percent of the students who saw Romare Bearden’s Sacrifice could remember that it is part of the Harlem Renaissance art movement. Since there was no guarantee that these facts would be raised in student-directed discussions, and because students had no particular reason for remembering these details (there was no test or grade associated with the tours), it is impressive that they could recall historical and sociological information at such high rates.

These results suggest that art could be an important tool for effectively conveying traditional academic content, but this analysis cannot prove it. The control-group performance was hardly better than chance in identifying factual information about these paintings, but they never had the opportunity to learn the material. The high rate of recall of factual information by students who toured the museum demonstrates that the tours made an impression. The students could remember important details about what they saw and discussed.

Critical Thinking. Beyond recalling the details of their tour, did a visit to an art museum have a significant effect on students? Our study demonstrates that it did. For example, students randomly assigned to receive a school tour of Crystal Bridges later displayed demonstrably stronger ability to think critically about art than the control group.

During the first semester of the study, we showed all 3rd- through 12th-grade students a painting they had not previously seen, Bo Bartlett’s The Box . We then asked students to write short essays in response to two questions: What do you think is going on in this painting? And, what do you see that makes you think that? These are standard prompts used by museum educators to spark discussion during school tours.

We stripped the essays of all identifying information and had two coders rate the compositions using a seven-item rubric for measuring critical thinking that was developed by researchers at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The measure is based on the number of instances that students engaged in the following in their essays: observing, interpreting, evaluating, associating, problem finding, comparing, and flexible thinking. Our measure of critical thinking is the sum of the counts of these seven items. In total, our research team blindly scored 3,811 essays. For 750 of those essays, two researchers scored them independently. The scores they assigned to the same essay were very similar, demonstrating that we were able to measure critical thinking about art with a high degree of inter-coder reliability.

We express the impact of a school tour of Crystal Bridges on critical-thinking skills in terms of standard-deviation effect sizes. Overall, we find that students assigned by lottery to a tour of the museum improve their ability to think critically about art by 9 percent of a standard deviation relative to the control group. The benefit for disadvantaged groups is considerably larger (see Figure 1). Rural students, who live in towns with fewer than 10,000 people, experience an increase in critical-thinking skills of nearly one-third of a standard deviation. Students from high-poverty schools (those where more than 50 percent of students receive free or reduced-price lunches) experience an 18 percent effect-size improvement in critical thinking about art, as do minority students.

A large amount of the gain in critical-thinking skills stems from an increase in the number of observations that students made in their essays. Students who went on a tour became more observant, noticing and describing more details in an image. Being observant and paying attention to detail is an important and highly useful skill that students learn when they study and discuss works of art. Additional research is required to determine if the gains in critical thinking when analyzing a work of art would transfer into improved critical thinking about other, non-art-related subjects.

Historical Empathy. Tours of art museums also affect students’ values. Visiting an art museum exposes students to a diversity of ideas, peoples, places, and time periods. That broadening experience imparts greater appreciation and understanding. We see the effects in significantly higher historical empathy and tolerance measures among students randomly assigned to a school tour of Crystal Bridges.

Historical empathy is the ability to understand and appreciate what life was like for people who lived in a different time and place. This is a central purpose of teaching history, as it provides students with a clearer perspective about their own time and place. To measure historical empathy, we included three statements on the survey with which students could express their level of agreement or disagreement: 1) I have a good understanding of how early Americans thought and felt; 2) I can imagine what life was like for people 100 years ago; and 3) When looking at a painting that shows people, I try to imagine what those people are thinking. We combined these items into a scale measuring historical empathy.

Students who went on a tour of Crystal Bridges experience a 6 percent of a standard deviation increase in historical empathy. Among rural students, the benefit is much larger, a 15 percent of a standard deviation gain. We can illustrate this benefit by focusing on one of the items in the historical empathy scale. When asked to agree or disagree with the statement, “I have a good understanding of how early Americans thought and felt,” 70 percent of the treatment-group students express agreement compared to 66 percent of the control group. Among rural participants, 69 percent of the treatment-group students agree with this statement compared to 62 percent of the control group. The fact that Crystal Bridges features art from different periods in American history may have helped produce these gains in historical empathy.

Tolerance. To measure tolerance we included four statements on the survey to which students could express their level of agreement or disagreement: 1) People who disagree with my point of view bother me; 2) Artists whose work is critical of America should not be allowed to have their work shown in art museums; 3) I appreciate hearing views different from my own; and 4) I think people can have different opinions about the same thing. We combined these items into a scale measuring the general effect of the tour on tolerance.

Overall, receiving a school tour of an art museum increases student tolerance by 7 percent of a standard deviation. As with critical thinking, the benefits are much larger for students in disadvantaged groups. Rural students who visited Crystal Bridges experience a 13 percent of a standard deviation improvement in tolerance. For students at high-poverty schools, the benefit is 9 percent of a standard deviation.

The improvement in tolerance for students who went on a tour of Crystal Bridges can be illustrated by the responses to one of the items within the tolerance scale. When asked about the statement, “Artists whose work is critical of America should not be allowed to have their work shown in art museums,” 35 percent of the control-group students express agreement. But for students randomly assigned to receive a school tour of the art museum, only 32 percent agree with censoring art critical of America. Among rural students, 34 percent of the control group would censor art compared to 30 percent for the treatment group. In high-poverty schools, 37 percent of the control-group students would censor compared to 32 percent of the treatment-group students. These differences are not huge, but neither is the intervention. These changes represent the realistic improvement in tolerance that results from a half-day experience at an art museum.

Interest in Art Museums. Perhaps the most important outcome of a school tour is whether it cultivates an interest among students in returning to cultural institutions in the future. If visiting a museum helps improve critical thinking, historical empathy, tolerance, and other outcomes not measured in this study, then those benefits would compound for students if they were more likely to frequent similar cultural institutions throughout their life. The direct effects of a single visit are necessarily modest and may not persist, but if school tours help students become regular museum visitors, they may enjoy a lifetime of enhanced critical thinking, tolerance, and historical empathy.

We measured how school tours of Crystal Bridges develop in students an interest in visiting art museums in two ways: with survey items and a behavioral measure. We included a series of items in the survey designed to gauge student interest:

• I plan to visit art museums when I am an adult.

• I would tell my friends they should visit an art museum.

• Trips to art museums are interesting.

• Trips to art museums are fun.

• Would your friend like to go to an art museum on a field trip?

• Would you like more museums in your community?

• How interested are you in visiting art museums?

• If your friends or family wanted to go to an art museum, how interested would you be in going?

Interest in visiting art museums among students who toured the museum is 8 percent of a standard deviation higher than that in the randomized control group. Among rural students, the increase is much larger: 22 percent of a standard deviation. Students at high-poverty schools score 11 percent of a standard deviation higher on the cultural consumer scale if they were randomly assigned to tour the museum. And minority students gain 10 percent of a standard deviation in their desire to be art consumers.

One of the eight items in the art consumer scale asked students to express the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with the statement, “I would tell my friends they should visit an art museum.” For all students who received a tour, 70 percent agree with this statement, compared to 66 percent in the control group. Among rural participants, 73 percent of the treatment-group students agree versus 63 percent of the control group. In high-poverty schools, 74 percent would recommend art museums to their friends compared to 68 percent of the control group. And among minority students, 72 percent of those who received a tour would tell their friends to visit an art museum, relative to 67 percent of the control group. Students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are more likely to have positive feelings about visiting museums if they receive a school tour.

We also measured whether students are more likely to visit Crystal Bridges in the future if they received a school tour. All students who participated in the study during the first semester, including those who did not receive a tour, were provided with a coupon that gave them and their families free entry to a special exhibit at Crystal Bridges. The coupons were coded so that we could determine the applicant group to which students belonged. Students had as long as six months after receipt of the coupon to use it.

We collected all redeemed coupons and were able to calculate how many adults and youths were admitted. Though students in the treatment group received 49 percent of all coupons that were distributed, 58 percent of the people admitted to the special exhibit with those coupons came from the treatment group. In other words, the families of students who received a tour were 18 percent more likely to return to the museum than we would expect if their rate of coupon use was the same as their share of distributed coupons.

This is particularly impressive given that the treatment-group students had recently visited the museum. Their desire to visit a museum might have been satiated, while the control group might have been curious to visit Crystal Bridges for the first time. Despite having recently been to the museum, students who received a school tour came back at higher rates. Receiving a school tour cultivates a taste for visiting art museums, and perhaps for sharing the experience with others.

Disadvantaged Students

One consistent pattern in our results is that the benefits of a school tour are generally much larger for students from less-advantaged backgrounds. Students from rural areas and high-poverty schools, as well as minority students, typically show gains that are two to three times larger than those of the total sample. Disadvantaged students assigned by lottery to receive a school tour of an art museum make exceptionally large gains in critical thinking, historical empathy, tolerance, and becoming art consumers.

It appears that the less prior exposure to culturally enriching experiences students have, the larger the benefit of receiving a school tour of a museum. We have some direct measures to support this explanation. To isolate the effect of the first time visiting the museum, we truncated our sample to include only control-group students who had never visited Crystal Bridges and treatment-group students who had visited for the first time during their tour. The effect for this first visit is roughly twice as large as that for the overall sample, just as it is for disadvantaged students.

In addition, we administered a different version of our survey to students in kindergarten through 2nd grade. Very young students are less likely to have had previous exposure to culturally enriching experiences. Very young students make exceptionally large improvements in the observed outcomes, just like disadvantaged students and first-time visitors.

When we examine effects for subgroups of advantaged students, we typically find much smaller or null effects. Students from large towns and low-poverty schools experience few significant gains from their school tour of an art museum. If schools do not provide culturally enriching experiences for these students, their families are likely to have the inclination and ability to provide those experiences on their own. But the families of disadvantaged students are less likely to substitute their own efforts when schools do not offer culturally enriching experiences. Disadvantaged students need their schools to take them on enriching field trips if they are likely to have these experiences at all.

Policy Implications

School field trips to cultural institutions have notable benefits. Students randomly assigned to receive a school tour of an art museum experience improvements in their knowledge of and ability to think critically about art, display stronger historical empathy, develop higher tolerance, and are more likely to visit such cultural institutions as art museums in the future. If schools cut field trips or switch to “reward” trips that visit less-enriching destinations, then these important educational opportunities are lost. It is particularly important that schools serving disadvantaged students provide culturally enriching field trip experiences.

This first-ever, large-scale, random-assignment experiment of the effects of school tours of an art museum should help inform the thinking of school administrators, educators, policymakers, and philanthropists. Policymakers should consider these results when deciding whether schools have sufficient resources and appropriate policy guidance to take their students on tours of cultural institutions. School administrators should give thought to these results when deciding whether to use their resources and time for these tours. And philanthropists should weigh these results when deciding whether to build and maintain these cultural institutions with quality educational programs. We don’t just want our children to acquire work skills from their education; we also want them to develop into civilized people who appreciate the breadth of human accomplishments. The school field trip is an important tool for meeting this goal.

Jay P. Greene is professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas, where Brian Kisida is a senior research associate and Daniel H. Bowen is a doctoral student.

Additional materials, including a supplemental study and a methodological appendix , are available.

For more, please see “ The Top 20 Education Next Articles of 2023 .”

This article appeared in the Winter 2014 issue of Education Next . Suggested citation format:

Greene, J.P., Kisida, B., and Bowen, D.H. (2014). The Educational Value of Field Trips: Taking students to an art museum improves critical thinking skills, and more . Education Next , 14(1), 78-86.

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Vol. 24, No. 2

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What’s the Value of a Museum Field Trip?

Critical thinking, connection to the past, and self-discovery are just three of the (proven) benefits of a class visit to the museum.

Erin Branham | July 16, 2015 | 3 min read

We all hear the news—the U.S. is behind in education. Our kids are having trouble mastering reading, math, and science. Schools lack teachers’ aides, computers, reliable internet, sometimes even basic classroom supplies. Can kids really afford to take a whole day, or even half a day, out of school to visit a museum? What’s the point?

Many people feel instinctively that there is value to a museum field trip, but struggle to articulate exactly what it is. It’s good for kids to get out of the classroom a couple of times a year. It’s good for them to see knowledge at work in the real world. It’s good for them to experience subjects like the arts that are frequently absent from the classroom.

As the school programs manager at the Getty Museum, I know museum field trips have value, and it’s more than any of these things. The mission of the Getty’s school programs is to ignite interest in and foster discoveries about works of art by K-12 students. We facilitate experiences in which students learn how to explore their own perceptions and the possible meanings of works of art. They learn to make connections to other artworks, but also to their own lives, knowledge, and feelings, and to society both past and present. These are all aspects of learning that students themselves have identified as important.

Evidence from a recent study shows that even a single field trip can increase students’ ability to think critically about art, as well as their ability to appreciate and understand what life was like for people from other time periods. Each work of art is a window onto new worlds for students. Those worlds offer students a broadening of their own worlds.

During the 2014–15 school year, we welcomed over 160,000 K–12 students to the Getty Center and the Getty Villa. Of those, 73% came from Title I schools , and over 80% of those came to the Museum on buses paid for by the Getty. When we surveyed teachers, we learned that the cost of transportation is the number-one barrier to taking field trips. So today, any Title I school that is within a 30-mile radius of the Museum and can fill a bus with 50 students can get a free bus for their field trip.

The Museum is also committed to providing as many students as possible with a guided lesson in the galleries. This school year, our amazing, dedicated corps of 150 school-group docents provided over 100,000 students with guided tours.

High school students in conversation with docent Barbara Atherton as they examine the Bust of Commodus.

A guided lesson lasts one hour and consists of stops in four galleries. From time to time we receive comments from teachers who urge us to make kids see as much of the Museum as possible, but we value time spent with single works of art–time that allows students to look, contemplate, and form opinions and perceptions about art.

About a third of the Getty’s school visitors come on self-guided visits, which means that their teachers (not Getty docents) guide their visit. While we offer teachers many ideas and activities to use in our galleries, just as often teachers apply their own talents and devise their own creative lessons.

When we survey students, they almost always ask for more time to explore on their own, so we encourage even teachers who have booked guided lessons to allow time for students to do some unstructured exploration of the galleries.

For yet another great benefit of a museum field trip is simply letting students discover that free-choice learning environments like museums exist in their communities – places they can use for the rest of their lives to learn, to play, and to reflect. Places they can make their own. Every student who visits the Getty receives a free parking pass so that they can return with their families in the next few months, and each year thousands of people take advantage of a return visit.

Field trips have enormous benefit to museums as well. Museums are nonprofit organizations, and their public value has been the subject of essays, blogs , conferences , and books . Providing students with experiences connecting them to their cultural heritage, to beauty, and to thought-provoking works of art is one clear way museums provide value to society. Not only will many of these kids become the visitors and patrons of the future, but among them are also the future curators, conservators, educators, and, of course, artists, who will fill and operate museums for the next generation.

And not least for those of us who work in museums, the chance to meet and interact with the thoughtful, curious students flooding our galleries is one of the most exciting and joyful parts of our work.

• arts education
• J. Paul Getty Museum
• K-12 programs

About The Author

Erin branham.

I'm the education specialist for family programs at the Getty Villa. In addition to the Villa Teen Apprentice program, I oversee tours, workshops, and drop-in programs designed for parents and children to enjoy together as they learn about art of the ancient world. I've been in museum education for over 20 years and hold a master's degree in art education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Comments on this post are now closed.

I am happy for those kids who get to see the Getty – even if it is four items at a time. I was taken to museums as a child and for the most part hated it. As an adult I took my kids to museums and they loved it!!!! I was able to figure out as a child our visits were too long…. and my blood sugar plummeted and I would feel awful. Why did my kids love them….. they loved learning…. of all kinds and had each other to “discuss” what they were looking at. To master reading, math, and science there needs to be a love a learning… too bad we can’t pass a law and tax people for a love of learning. Keep up the work and if you can figure out a way to get more parents in your buildings – Go for It! The parking pass is a great start. I would love to see the Getty but am thousands of miles away. Will keep reading the blog!

I would like to bring a group of 70 students on a field trip to the museum. I would like to know the cost and is the date Tuesday May 30, 2017 a good day.

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A new study shows visiting an art museum improves critical thinking skills and more. An excerpt from “The Educational Value of Field Trips,” originally published in Education Next , Winter 2014.

This article originally appeared in the January/February 2014 issue of Museum magazine .

The school field trip has a long history in American public education. For decades, students have piled into yellow buses to visit a variety of cultural institutions, including art, natural history and science museums, as well as theaters, zoos, and historical sites. Schools gladly endured the expense and disruption of providing field trips because they saw these experiences as central to their educational mission: schools exist not only to provide economically useful skills in numeracy and literacy but also to produce civilized young men and women who would appreciate the arts and culture. More advantaged families may take their children to these cultural institutions outside of school hours, but less-advantaged students are less likely to have these experiences if schools do not provide them. With field trips, public schools viewed themselves as the great equalizer in terms of access to our cultural heritage.

Today, culturally enriching field trips are in decline. Museums across the country report a steep drop in school tours. For example, the Field Museum in Chicago at one time welcomed more than 300,000 students every year. Recently the number is below 200,000. Between 2002 and 2007, Cincinnati arts organizations saw a 30 percent decrease in student attendance. A survey by the American Association of School Administrators found that more than half of schools eliminated planned field trips in 2010-11.

The decision to reduce culturally enriching field trips reflects a variety of factors. Financial pressures force schools to make difficult decisions about how to allocate scarce resources, and field trips are increasingly seen as an unnecessary frill. Greater focus on raising student performance on math and reading standardized tests may also lead schools to cut field trips. Some schools believe that student time would be better spent in the classroom preparing for the exams. When schools do organize field trips, they are increasingly choosing to take students on trips to reward them for working hard to improve their test scores rather than to provide cultural enrichment. Schools take students to amusement parks, sporting events and movie theaters instead of to museums and historical sites.

If schools are de-emphasizing culturally enriching field trips, has anything been lost as a result? Surprisingly, we have relatively little rigorous evidence about how field trips affect students. The research presented here is the first large-scale randomized control trial designed to measure what students learn from school tours of an art museum.

We find that students learn quite a lot. In particular, enriching field trips contribute to the development of students into civilized young men and women who possess more knowledge about art, have stronger critical-thinking skills, exhibit increased historical empathy, display higher levels of tolerance, and have a greater taste for consuming art and culture.

Design of the Study and School Tours

The 2011 opening of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Northwest Arkansas created the opportunity for this study. Crystal Bridges is the first major art museum to be built in the  United States in the last four decades, with more than 50,000 square feet of gallery space and an endowment in excess of $800 million. Portions of the museum’s endowment are devoted to covering all of the expenses associated with school tours. Crystal Bridges reimburses schools for the cost of buses, provides free admission and lunch, and even pays for the cost of substitute teachers to cover for teachers who accompany students on the tour.

Because the tour is completely free to schools, and because Crystal Bridges was built in an area that never previously had an art museum, there was high demand for school tours. Not all school groups could be accommodated right away. So our research team worked with the staff at Crystal Bridges to assign spots for school tours by lottery. During the first two semesters of the school tour program, the museum received 525 applications from school groups representing 38,347 students in kindergarten through grade 12. We created matched pairs among the applicant groups based on similarity in grade level and other demographic factors. An ideal and common matched pair would be adjacent grades in the same school. We then randomly ordered the matched pairs to determine scheduling prioritization. Within each pair, we randomly assigned which applicant would be in the treatment group and receive a tour that semester and which would be in the control group and have its tour deferred.

We administered surveys to 10,912 students and 489 teachers at 123 different schools for three weeks, on average, after the treatment group received its tour. The student surveys included multiple items assessing knowledge about art as well as measures of historical empathy, tolerance and sustained interest in visiting art museums.

We also assessed students’ critical thinking skills by asking them to write a short essay in response to a painting that they had not previously seen. Finally, we collected a behavioral measure of interest in art consumption by providing all students with a coded coupon good for free family admission to a special exhibit at the museum to see whether the field trip increased the likelihood of students making future visits.

The intervention we studied is a modest one. Students received a one-hour tour of the museum in which they typically viewed and discussed five paintings. Some students were free to roam the museum following their formal tour, but the entire experience usually involved less than half a day. The discussion of each painting during the tour was largely student-directed, with the museum educators facilitating the discourse and providing commentary beyond the names of the work and the artist and a brief description only when students requested it.

Recalling Tour Details. Our research suggests that students retain a great deal of factual information from their tours. Students who received a tour of the museum were able to recall details about the paintings they had seen at very high rates. For example, 88 percent of the students who saw the Eastman Johnson painting “At the Camp-Spinning Yams and Whittling” knew when surveyed weeks later that the painting depicts abolitionists making maple syrup to undermine the sugar industry, which relied on slave labor. Similarly, 82 percent of those who saw Norman Rockwell’s “Rosie the Riveter” could recall that the painting emphasizes the importance of women entering the workforce during World War II. Among students who saw Thomas Hart Benton’s “Ploughing It Under,” 79 percent recollected that it is a depiction of a farmer destroying his crops as part of a Depression-era price support program. And 70 percent of the students who saw Romare Bearden’s “Sacrifice” could remember that it is part of the Harlem Renaissance art movement. Since there was no guarantee that these facts would be raised in student-directed discussions, and because students had no particular reason for remembering these details (there was no test or grade associated with the tours), it is impressive that they could recall historical and sociological information at such high rates.

These results suggest that art could be an important tool for effectively conveying traditional academic content, but this analysis cannot prove it. The control-group performance was hardly better than chance in identifying factual information about these paintings, but they never had the opportunity to learn the material. The high rate of recall of factual information by students who toured the museum demonstrates that the tours made an impression. The students could remember important details about what they saw and discussed.

Critical Thinking. Beyond recalling the details of their tour, did a visit to an art museum have a significant effect on students? Our study demonstrates that it did. For example, students randomly assigned to receive a school tour of Crystal Bridges later displayed demonstrably stronger ability to think critically about art than the control group.

During the first semester of the study, we showed all 3rd- through 12th-grade students a painting they had not previously seen, Bo Bartlett’s “The Box.” We then asked students to write short essays in response to two questions: What do you think is going on in this painting? And, what do you see that makes you think that? These are standard prompts used by museum educators to spark discussion during school tours. We stripped the essays of all identifying information and had two coders rate the compositions using a seven-item rubric for measuring critical thinking that was developed by researchers at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

We express the impact of a school tour of Crystal Bridges on critical thinking skills in terms of standard deviation effect sizes. Overall, we find that students assigned by lottery to a tour of the museum improve their ability to think critically about art by 9 percent of a standard deviation relative to the control group. The benefit for disadvantaged groups is considerably larger.

A large amount of the gain in critical thinking skills stems from an increase in the number of observations that students made in their essays. Students who went on a tour became more observant, noticing and describing more details in an image. Being observant and paying attention to detail is an important and highly useful skill that students learn when they study and discuss works of art.

Historical Empathy. Tours of art museums also affect students’ values. Visiting an art museum exposes students to a diversity of ideas, peoples, places and time periods. That broadening experience imparts greater appreciation and understanding. We see the effects in significantly higher historical empathy and tolerance measures among students randomly assigned to a school tour of Crystal Bridges.

Historical empathy is the ability to understand and appreciate what life was like for people who lived in a different time and place. This is a central purpose of teaching history, as it provides students with a clearer perspective about their own time and place. To measure historical empathy, we included three statements on the survey with which students could express their level of agreement or disagreement: 1) I have a good understanding of how early Americans thought and felt; 2) I can imagine what life was like for people 100 years ago; and 3) When looking at a painting that shows people, I try to imagine what those people a thinking. We combined these items into a scale measuring historical empathy.

Students who went on a tour of Crystal Bridges experience a 6 percent of a standard deviation increase in historical empathy. Among rural students, the benefit is much larger, a 15 percent of a standard deviation gain. The fact that Crystal Bridges features art from different periods in American history may have helped produce these gains in historical empathy.

Tolerance. To measure tolerance, we included four statements on the survey with which students could express their level of agreement or disagreement: 1) People who disagree with my point of view bother me; 2) Artists whose work is critical of America should not be allowed to have their work shown in art museums; 3) I appreciate hearing views different from my own; and 4) I think people can have different opinions about the same thing. We combined these items into a scale measuring the general effect of the tour on tolerance.

Overall, receiving a school tour of an art museum increases student tolerance by 7 percent of a standard deviation. As with critical thinking, the benefits are much larger for students in disadvantaged groups. Rural students who visited Crystal Bridges experience a 13 percent of a standard deviation improvement in tolerance. For students at high-poverty schools, the benefit is 9 percent of a standard deviation.

Interest in Art Museums. Perhaps the most important outcome of a school tour is whether it cultivates an interest among students in returning to cultural institutions in the future. If visiting a museum helps improve critical thinking, historical empathy, tolerance and other outcomes not measured in this study, then those benefits would compound for students if they were more likely to frequent similar cultural institutions throughout their life. The direct effects of a single visit are necessarily modest and may not persist, but if school tours help students become regular museum visitors, they may enjoy a lifetime of enhanced critical thinking, tolerance and historical empathy.

We measured how school tours of Crystal Bridges develop in students an interest in visiting art museums in two ways: with survey items and a behavioral measure. Interest in visiting art museums among students who toured the museum is 8 percent of a standard deviation higher than that in the randomized control group. Among rural students, the increase is much larger: 22 percent of a standard deviation. Students at high-poverty schools score 11 percent of a standard deviation higher on the cultural consumer scale if they were randomly assigned to tour the museum. And minority students gain 10 percent of a standard deviation in their desire to be art consumers.

We also measured whether students are more likely to visit Crystal Bridges in the future if they received a school tour. All students who participated in the study during the first semester, including those who did not receive a tour, were provided with a coupon that gave them and their families free entry to a special exhibit at Crystal Bridges. The coupons were coded so that we could determine the applicant group to which students belonged. Students had as long as six months after receipt of the coupon to use it.

We collected all redeemed coupons and were able to calculate how many adults and youths were admitted. Though students in the treatment group received 49 percent of all coupons that were distributed, 58 percent of the people admitted to the special exhibit with those coupons came from the treatment group. In other words, the families of students who received a tour were 18 percent more likely to return to the museum than we would expect if their rate of coupon use was the same as their share of distributed coupons.

This is particularly impressive given that the treatment-group students had recently visited the museum. Their desire to visit a museum might have been satiated, while the control group might have been curious to visit Crystal Bridges for the first time. Despite having recently been to the museum, students who received a school tour came back at higher rates. Receiving a school tour cultivates a taste for visiting art museums, and perhaps for sharing the experience with others.

Disadvantaged Students

One consistent pattern in our results is that the benefits of a school tour are generally much larger for students from less-advantaged backgrounds. Students from rural areas and high-poverty schools, as well as minority students, typically show gains that are two to three times larger than those of the total sample. Disadvantaged students assigned by lottery to receive a school tour of an art museum make exceptionally large gains in critical thinking, historical empathy, tolerance and becoming art consumers.

It appears that the less prior exposure to culturally enriching experiences students have, the larger the benefit of receiving a school tour of a museum. We have some direct measures to support this explanation. To isolate the effect of the first time visiting the museum, we truncated our sample to include only control-group students who had never visited Crystal Bridges and treatment-group students who had visited for the first time during their tour. The effect for this first visit is roughly twice as large as that for the overall sample, just as it is for disadvantaged students.

When we examine effects for subgroups of advantaged students, we typically find much smaller or null effects. Students from large towns and low-poverty schools experience few significant gains from their school tour of an art museum. If schools do not provide culturally enriching experiences for these students, their families are likely to have the inclination and ability to provide those experiences on their own. But the families of disadvantaged students are less likely to substitute their own efforts when schools do not offer culturally enriching experiences. Disadvantaged students need their schools to take them on enriching field trips if they are likely to have these experiences at all.

Policy Implications

School field trips to cultural institutions have notable benefits. Students randomly assigned to receive a school tour of an art museum experience improvements in their knowledge of and ability to think critically about art, display stronger historical empathy, develop higher tolerance, and are more likely to visit such cultural institutions as art museums in the future. If schools cut field trips or switch to “reward” trips that visit less-enriching destinations, then these important educational opportunities are lost. It is particularly important that schools serving disadvantaged students provide culturally enriching held trip experiences.

This first-ever, large-scale, random-assignment experiment of the effects of school tours of an art museum should help inform the thinking of school administrators, educators, policymakers and philanthropists. Policymakers should consider these results when deciding whether schools have sufficient resources and appropriate policy guidance to take their students on tours of cultural institutions. School administrators should give thought to these results when deciding whether to use their resources and time for these tours. And philanthropists should weigh these results when deciding whether to build and maintain these cultural institutions with quality educational programs. We don’t just want our children to acquire work skills from their education;  we also want them to develop into civilized people Students tour the galleries at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. who appreciate the breadth of human accomplishments. The school field trip is an important tool for meeting this goal.

Jay P. Greene is professor  of education reform at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where Brian Kisida is a senior research associate. Daniel H. Bowen is a postdoctoral fellow at Rice University’s Ki nder Institute, Houston, Texas. Anne Kraybill, school and community programs manager at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, oversaw the development and implementation  of the school tours. To read the full report, go to http // educationnext.org/the-educational-value·of- field-trips/

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Themes in ¡Presente!

Reexamine what you know about U.S. history by learning more about Latino identity, immigration, historical legacies, and how Latinas and Latinos have shaped the nation. Listen to first-person oral histories, examine 3D objects, dive into historical biographies, and explore some of the objects found in the exhibition to see how the past relates to the present. 

Latino History is American History  

There is no single Latino Immigration story. 

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Latinos are Nation Shapers and Culture Makers 

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Explore the "¡Presente!” exhibition in the Molina Family Latino Gallery as it looked when it first opened to the public. Since June 2022, we have rotated objects in the cases and welcomed visitors from across the United States and the world. Virtually experience for yourself "¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States".

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• Inditas Dance Regalia. Delilah and Chavela Trujillo (Abiquiú Pueblo), Abiquiú, New Mexico, 2021.
• Tortuguita . Jesús Barraza, 2017. Courtesy of Jesús Barraza
• The History of Mexico; The Great City of Tenochtitlan (detail). Diego Rivera, 1945. Courtesy of Diego  Rivera, Palacio Nacional mural, Mexico City, 1945
• Puerto Rico (inferred), 1200–1500 CE. Loan from the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (23/6097)
• Mexico, 400–800 CE. Loan from the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (23/2216)
• Costa Rica, 800–1200 CE. Loan from the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (22/8837)
• Mexico, 1150–1521 CE. Loan from the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (17/7363)
• Peru, 1100–1600 CE. Loan from the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (11/1359)
• Gravure “Indiens timucua,” from Indorum Floridam provinciam inhabitantium eicones. Engravings published by Theodor de Bry, after watercolors made by Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues, 1591 CE. Courtesy of CCI / Bridgeman Images
• Black Chakwaina Katsina. Anthony Briones (Hopi), 2005. Loan from National Museum of Mexican Art Permanent Collection, 2006.15, Purchase for The African Presence in Mexico exhibition Uniform design “Black Militiaman from Puerto Rico.” José Campeche, 1785. ©MECD. State Archives (Spain)
• De Chino, e India, Genízara (From Chino and India, Genízara). Francisco Clapera, Mexico, around 1775. Courtesy of Denver Art Museum: Gift of Frederick and Jan Mayer, 2011.428.14
• Odesi. Manny Vega, 1990. Loan from Manny Vega
• Dance of native Californians at San Francisco de Assis Mission, California. Ludwig Choris, 1816. Courtesy of UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library [1963.002:1312-FR]
• Coatlaxopeuh-She Who Tramples the Serpent. Jorge Rosano, 1996. Loan from National Museum of Mexican Art Permanent Collection, 1996.37, Gift of the artist
• Puerto Rico, 1200-1500. Loan from the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (3697)
• Possibly engraved by Joaquín Sotomayor, published by Joseph Bernardo de Hogal, 1737. Courtesy of the John Carter Brown Library
• Mexico, 1782? Autry Museum; 88.127.76
• Virgin of Monserrate (The Miracle of Hormigueros). Puerto Rico, late 1700s or early 1800s. National Museum of American History
• Santa Barbara. 1700s CE. Loan from Smithsonian American Art Museum, Teodoro Vidal Collection
• Oché Changó. Baba Ade Cola, California, 2010. Loan from Collection of Joseph M. Murphy
• Divination Tray (Opon Ifa). From the Yoruba people in Efon, Nigeria, West Africa, 1960. Loan from Fowler Museum at UCLA, Gift of the Ralph B. Lloyd Foundation
• 1686. Courtesy of the John Carter Brown Library
• Puerto Rico (inferred), 1200–1500 CE. Loan from the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (23/6092)
• Po’Pay 2180; Leader of the Pueblo Revolt, Revolt 1680/2180 Series. Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti Pueblo), 2018. Loan from Virgil Ortiz, Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico
• Pueblo Revolt 1680 Jar. Jason García (Santa Clara Pueblo), around 2018. Loan from Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology
• The Opener. Jacob Lawrence, 1997. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, © 2020 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
• Primer centenario de la abolición de la esclavitud en Puerto Rico, 1873-1973 (First centenary of the abolition of slavery in Puerto Rico, 1873-1973). Augusto Marín, 1973. Courtesy of the estate of Augusto Marín, reproduction provided by Princeton University, Firestone Library
• Puerto Rican registration form for enslaved persons, Maricelle Ana and Mauricio. Puerto Rico, 1867. Loan from Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Autorretrato (Self-Portrait). Pío Casimiro Bacener, 1894. Loan from Smithsonian American Art Museum, Teodoro Vidal Collection
• Francisco Menéndez. Rafael López, 2021.
• Toypurina. Rafael López, 2021.
• Late 1600s CE. Autry Museum; 88.127.50
• Retablo of the Holy Child of Atocha. Rafael Aragón, New Mexico, 1840–1850. National Museum of American History
• The Good Shepherdess. José Aragón?, New Mexico, 1840–1850. National Museum of American History
• His-oo-sán-chees, Little Spaniard, a Warrior. George Catlin, 1834. Loan from Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
• San Miguelito Ranch Map: Monterey County, Calif. 1841. Courtesy of UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library
• California (inferred), around 1880. Loan from the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (9/7331)
• Branding Iron. California. National Museum of American History
• Roping, Ninety-Six Ranch. Carl Fleischhauer, 1980. Courtesy of Paradise Valley Folklife Project collection, 1978–1982 (AFC 1991/021), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
• New Mexico, 1600–1700. National Museum of American History
• Navajo women shearing sheep. Department of Defense, Department of the Army, Office of the Chief Signal Officer, 1900s. Courtesy of National Archives
• Diné (Navajo), New Mexico, 1865–1875. Loan from the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (19/7319)
• Drawing of the Bay of Monterey, with a figure on horseback, from Alexander Forbes’ book, California: A History of Upper and Lower California. Alexander Forbes, 1839. Courtesy of California Historical Society Collection at the University of Southern California
• The Fitch-Carrillo Family. Rafael López, 2021.
• Uncle Sam with a Big Stick Political Cartoon. Louis Dalrymple, around 1905. Courtesy of Bettmann / Getty Images
• Albion press, Hopkinson & Cope. 1845. National Museum of American History.
• El observador mexicano (The Mexican Observer). (Phoenix, Ariz.). April 23, 1898. Courtesy of Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records & Library of Congress
• Remember the Alamo? Eric J. García, 2021.
• Gertrudis Navarro. Courtesy of Prints and Photographs Collection, di_05370, The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas Austin
• Gunpowder Horn 1837. Autry Museum; 89.28.1
• Juan Nepomuceno Seguín. Thomas Jefferson Wright, 1838. Courtesy of The State Preservation Board, Austin, Texas
• Tejano Stock Saddle. Texas, 1800s. Loan from TexasTejano.com
• Tejano Riata/ Leather Lariat. Texas, 1800s. Loan from TexasTejano.com
• Courtesy of Prints and Photographs Collection, di_03371, The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas Austin
• Map of the State of Coahuila and Texas . Engraved by W. Hooker, 1833. Courtesy of Texas State Library and Archives Commission [01607b]
• Leather Jacket Around 1850s. Autry Museum; 90.107.1, donated by Mrs. Roblay McMullin
• 1848. Courtesy of ART Collection / Alamy Stock Photo
• “To Arms! To Arms! Volunteers for the Mexican War!” 1846. Courtesy of University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History
• Gate of Belen: Mexico, the 13 th September, 1847 Garita de Belen: Mexico, el dia 13 de Septembre de 1847. 1847. Courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division [LC-DIG-pga-08752]
• Guerrilleros mexicanos (Mexican guerrillas). Around 1848. Courtesy of Division of Cultural and Community Life, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
• Mexican Cavalryman’s Cuirass. Manufacture de Klingenthal, 1832-1839. Loan from the Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis
• Map of the United States of America. J.H. Colton, 1848. Courtesy of David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries
• Courtesy of Security Pacific National Bank Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
• Doña Tules. Diana Bryer. Courtesy of Diana Bryer
• Straggling Emigrants: fall of 1849. Joseph Goldsborough Bruff, 1849. Courtesy of journal and drawings of J. Goldsborough Bruff, 1849-1853, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California [mssHM 8044 (123) 6715]
• American Progress. John Gast, 1872. Autry Museum; 92.126.1.
• Portrait of Pío Pico and Family. 1852-1854. Courtesy of Seaver Center for Western History Research, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• Pío Pico’s Telescope 1852–1892. Autry Museum; 93.21.13.2, acquisition made possible by the Ramona chapter, Native Sons of the Golden West
• Joaquin Murieta, 1859. Charles C. Nahl, 1859. Courtesy of UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library [1963.002.1321-FR]
• Poster Advertising the Display of Joaquín Murrieta’s Head. Autry Museum; 94.22.38
• Around 1895. Courtesy of History and Art Collection / Alamy Stock Photo [PBN5MA]
• The Squatter and the Don. María Amparo Ruiz de Burton (C. Loyal), San Francisco, 1885. Loan from the University of Houston Arte Público Press / Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Program
• Hanging of the Mexican woman [Josefa Loaiza]. San Francisco, Cal.: California Publishing Co., 1893. Courtesy of California State Library [(C)001541367CSL01-Aleph]
• Sin título [Rendición de William Walker] (Untitled [Surrender of William Walker]). Oscar Vargas González (attributed), 1982. Courtesy of John Mitchell / Alamy Stock Photo [AP93CX]
• The War in Nicaragua. William Walker, originally published in 1860.
• Bombardment of San Juan, Porto Rico [i.e., Puerto Rico]. Around 1898. Courtesy of Library of Congress [LC-USZC4- 8328]
• Sotero Figueroa. Rafael López, 2021.
• Cuba addressing Uncle Sam: “I come to buy, not to beg, sir,” a 1903 cartoon. William Allen Rogers, 1903. Courtesy of North Wind Picture Archive [SOCI2A+00039]
• School begins. Louis Dalrymple, 1899. Courtesy of Library of Congress [LC-USZC2-1025]
• Boy in Costume, Selling Food and Drink on Street Outside Wood Frame Building APR 1901. Helen H. Gardener, 901. Courtesy of National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution [NAA INV 04331600]
• Lucila Santoni (seated) and “la Valdinisa” de Ponce. Around 1910. Courtesy of Teodoro Vidal Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
• Two Non-Native Women, School Teachers? With Schoolchildren, Outside School. Courtesy of National anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution [NAA INV 04357200]
• A native Porto Rican thatched hut. Around 1904. Courtesy of Library of Congress [LC-DIG-stereo-1s16234]
• El genio del ingenio (The demon of the sugar mill). Julio Tomás Martínez, 1910. Courtesy of the collection of Arnold Benus
• Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. Wife of a sugar mill worker who is on strike at the mill. Jack Delano, 1942. Courtesy of Library of Congress, [LC-USF33- 021493-M1]
• Handheld Drum. Puerto Rico, 1900s. National Museum of American History
• Machete National Museum of American History
• Motor and Pestle for Grinding Coffee Beans. Puerto Rico, around 1970. National Museum of American History
• Jataca or ladle Puerto Rico, mid-1900s. National Museum of American History
• Silver Soup Ladle. Puerto Rico, probably late 1800s. National Museum of American History
• Coconut shell spoon. Puerto Rico, late 1800s. National Museum of American History
• San Juan (vicinity), Puerto Rico. In a needlework factory. Jack Delano, 1942. Courtesy of Library of Congress [LC-USF34- 048414-D]
• Sewing Basket. Late 1800s. National Museum of American History
• Garment Iron. National Museum of American History
• Vergüensa [sic] Contra Dinero (Honesty versus Money). 1940s. Courtesy of The Luis Muñoz Marín Foundation
• 3c Puerto Rico Gubernatorial Election single. Post Office Department, 1949. Courtesy of National Postal Museum, Smithsonian Institution
• Luis Muñoz Marín, June 23, 1958 ( TIME Magazine cover). Bernard Safran, 1958. Courtesy of TIME, © 1958, TIME USA LLC, all rights reserved, used under license
• Albizu Campos Speaks: Habla Albizu Campos (Paredon P-2501). Don Albizu Campos (Artist), Jorge López
• Pedro Albizu Campos. Rafael López, 2021.
• Sanchez family. 1921. Courtesy of Anna Ríos Bermúdez
• Raft used by Cuban balseros , Around 1992. Loan from Anacostia Community Museum, Gift of Humberto Sanchez
• Around 1900. Loan from Anna Ríos Bermúdez
• Under the Texas Sun. Conrado Espinoza, Spanish-language edition originally published in 1926, English translation by Ethriam Cash Brammer de Gonzales, published by Arte Público Press in 2007.
• 4th of July from the south border. Felipe Galindo, 1999. © Felipe Galindo / Feggo
• Cuban refugees onboard the first Freedom Flight arrive at Miami International Airport, 1965. Courtesy of HistoryMiami Museum [1989-011-4510]
• Child Refugee Dress Cuba. National Museum of American History
• Pan American Airlines, United States, 1960. National Museum of American History
• Army Airborne Troops Frisking Suspect. 1965. Courtesy of Hulton Deutsch / Getty Images
• No Aid for Contra Terror. Mark Vallen, Shock Battalion, 1986.
• El Pulgarcito: Órgano informativo del Comité de Salvadoreños Progresistas (El Pulgarcito: Information Body for the Committee of Progressive Salvadorans). Vol. II, No. 17, 1977.
• Smith-Corona Coronet Automatic Electric Blue Typewriter. Around 1960. Loan from Mario Bencastro
• Odyssey to the North. Mario Bencastro, 1999.
• José González’s first communion day. Courtesy of Dr. José B. González
• Tampa: Impresiones de Emigrado (Tampa: Impressions of an Emigrant). Wenceslao Gálvez, 1897. Loan from the University of South Florida Libraries
• Black Cuban, Black American: A Memoir. Evelio Grillo, 2000.
• Grillo Family Photo. Washington, D.C., 1947. Loan from Rosa Grillo
• Evelio Grillo. Rafael López, 2021.
• General Store. 1920s. Courtesy of Anna Rios Bermudez
• A bracero stoops down with a short-handled hoe to cultivate a pepper field in California. Leonard Nadel, 1956. Courtesy of Leonard Nadel Photographs and Scrapbooks, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
• Braceros Listening to Radio. Leonard Nadel, 1956. Courtesy of Leonard Nadel Photographs and Scrapbooks, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
• Radio. National Museum of American History
• XLR8 3M hard hat painted by Elias Zapata, Eli’s Collision, Austin, TX. Loan from the private collection of María Rios, President + CEO, Nation Waste, Inc., Houston, TX, www.nationwaste.us
• Carolina Herrera, 1987–1992. National Museum of American History
• Sazón Garifuna food truck. 2020. Photograph by John Nova Lomax for the Brays Oaks Management District, Houston TX
• Teresa Ruelas (born Guerra). Rafael López, 2021.
• Teresa Ruelas’s Bible. 1989. Loan from the Collection of Abraham Ruelas, PhD
• Peru, 1923. Clotilde Arias Papers, 1919–1957, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
• Music sheet for “The Star-Spangled Banner” in Spanish, 1945. Clotilde Arias, 1945. Courtesy of Clotilde Arias Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
• Demonstrators against bilingualism at Metro Center. Dade County, 1987. Courtesy of HistoryMiami Museum [1995-277-5100]
• Jairo Jaime Graduation Cap and Stole. 2019. National Museum of American History
• My Dreams Are Not Illegal. Yocelyn Riojas, 2017.
• Sneakers. Recovered from the Sonoran Desert, 2009. Loan from Undocumented Migration Project
• Backpack Recovered from the Sonoran Desert, 2010. Loan from Undocumented Migration Project
• MP3 Player Recovered from the Sonoran Desert, 2009. Loan from Undocumented Migration Project
• Celebración de 4 de Julio (Fourth of July Celebration) [screenprint poster]. Miguel Antonio Lebron, 1984.  Courtesy of Puerto Rico Division of Community Education [DIVEDCO] Poster Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
• La Insurrección de los Reyes Magos (The Insurrection of the Three Kings) [screen print poster]. Antonio Maldonado, 1973. Courtesy of Puerto Rico Division of Community Education [DIVEDCO] Poster Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
• Jesús Colón. Rafael López, 2021.
• Viajando con Mis Raíces (Traveling with My Roots). Samuel Miranda, 2010. Loan from Samuel Miranda
• Cuatro. Puerto Rico, 1900s. National Museum of American History
• Navy Starts Last Round Of Training Exercises On Vieques. Humberto Trias/Getty Images, 2003. Courtesy of Getty Images
• La Semana del Emigrante (Week of the Emigrant). José Melendez Contreras. Courtesy of Puerto Rico Division of Community Education [DIVEDCO] Poster Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
• The Gathering. Hiram Maristany, 1964. Courtesy of
• Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center, © Hiram Maristany
• Desde Puerto Rico A Nueva York (From Puerto Rico to New York). La Sonora Ponceña, Inca Records, 1972.
• Taller Boricua. Jorge Soto, 1974. Courtesy of Jorge Soto Sánchez, © Betty González-Soto, reproduction courtesy of El Museo Del Barrio (Photography by Martin Seck)
• Tracksuit worn during a 1995 performance. National Museum of American History
• Latin N.Y. 1977.
• Down These Mean Streets. Piri Thomas, originally published in 1967.
• Palante, Volume 3, Number 3. 1971. Loan from Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Sassy Girls: Puerto Rican Day Parade dancers on Fifth Avenue in New York in summer 2003. Wanda Benvenutti, 2003. Courtesy of Wanda Benvenutti
• Antonia Pantoja. Rafael López, 2021.
• Rising Up After Maria. Monica Paola Rodriguez, 2019. Courtesy of Monica Paola Rodriguez
• Raíces, historia y justicia latinas (Latino Roots, History, and Justice). Verónica Castillo
• Kite Flying on Rooftop [Boy pictured: Carlos (Charlie) Diaz]. Hiram Maristany, 1964. Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center © Hiram Maristany
• Padre Varela stamp © 1997. © United States Postal Service, reproduction courtesy of the National Postal Museum
• En defensa de mi raza I (In Defense of My People I). Alonso S. Perales, 1936. Loan from the University of Houston Arte Público Press / Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Program
• First LULAC Convention - Corpus Christi, TX - 5/17/1929? Courtesy of Benson Latin American Collection, LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections, The University of Texas at Austin
• Leonor Villegas de Magnón and Aracelito Garcia with flag of La Cruz Blanca. 1914. Courtesy of the Leonor Villegas de Magnón Collection, Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Program, University of Houston
• Healthcare Icon photograph. 1980s. Courtesy of Dr. Martha Molina Bernadett
• Physician’s Bag and Stethoscope. Loan from the collection of Dr. Martha Molina Bernadett, daughter of C. David Molina, MD
• Opon Ifá divination tray. Adrian Castro, 1999. Loan from Adrian Castro
• Silver Opele divination chain. Adrian Castro, 1998. Loan from Adrian Castro
• The House on Mango Street. Sandra Cisneros, 1984. Loan from Susan Bergholz
• “Discrimination in the school system,” Report No. 1, Spanish American League Against Discrimination (S.A.L.A.D.), 1974.  From the Vertical File, Courtesy of the Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries, Coral Gables, Florida
• Carlos Cooks: Black Power. Moses Ros, 2013. Loan from Moses Ros (Suárez)
• Barbershop, Washington Heights, New York. Winston Vargas, 1961. Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum, museum purchase through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center, and through the Frank K. Ribelin Endowment
• Activists in Puerto Rico raise their fists in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Joaquín Medina, 2016. Courtesy of Joaquín Medina
• Jaime Escalante. Rafael López, 2021.
• Tinku Outfit. 1977. Loan from Julia García
• Rick Reinhard, 1987. Courtesy of Rick Reinhard
• Concert Poster. Printed by Woolever Press Los Angeles, California, 1950s. Loan from Mark and Dan Guerrero
• Around 1974. Courtesy of the Pura Belpré Papers, 1897-1985, at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies Library & Archives, Hunter College, City University of New York
• Teatro SEA, 3D printed reproductions of the originals made in 2021, costumes by Ingrid Harris, paint by Keith Saari. Loan from Collection of the Society of the Educational Arts/Teatro SEA, www.teatrosea.org
• Bananhattan, from the portfolio Manifestaciones. Dominican York Proyecto GRAFICA, Yunior Chiqui Mendoza, 2010. Courtesy of Smithsonian American Art Museum, museum purchase made possible by the R.P. Whitty Company and the Cooperating Committee on Architecture
• Primitivo Santos y Su Combo en Washington . 1967
• Dominoes. Acquired in 2018. Loan from HistoryMiami Museum
• The Poet X . Elizabeth Acevedo, 2018.
• Frank Espada. Around 1954. Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquisition made possible through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center, unidentified artist [NPG.2018.77]
• Latina Lesbians, Carla Barboza. Laura Aguilar, 1987. © Laura Aguilar Trust of 2016
• 1970. Copyright Joe Razo and Raúl Ruiz. From the La Raza Photograph Collection. Courtesy of the
• UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center
• White Shawl. National Museum of American History
• Boycott Lettuce and Grapes Women’s Graphic Collective, Illinois, around 1972. National Museum of American History
• NFWA leader Larry Itliong call out to scabs to leave struck vineyard near Delano. Ernest Lowe, 1965. Courtesy of University of California, Merced Library, © The Regents of the University of California
• Hijas de Cuahtémoc (Daughters of Cuahtémoc) Long Beach, California, 1971. National Museum of American History
• Boycott Non-Union Lettuce. National Museum of American History
• Boycott Chiquita. National Museum of American History
• Viva Kennedy . National Museum of American History
• Cubans for President Nixon. National Museum of American History
• Viva Reagan! National Museum of American History
• National Rainbow Coalition. 1983
• Recorded Live at Sing Sing. Eddie Palmieri with Harlem River Drive, 1972. Tico Records.
• Frank Espada, New York, 1964. Courtesy of Frank Espada Photographs, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
• Fighting for Gay & Lesbian Health . 1993. Loan from the José Gutiérrez Archive and Collection
• Roberto Clemente. Around 1970s. Courtesy of Focus on Sport / Getty Images
• Gay rights activists at City Hall rally for gay rights (Detail), 1973. Courtesy of the Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library, photo by Diana Davies
• Dr. Roberto Davila. 2015. Courtesy of Dr. Roberto Davila
• Custom hand-painted Krooked skateboard. 2018. Loan from Mark Gonzales
• Judy Baca Brushes. Around 1980. National Museum of American History
• Judy Baca Boots. Around 2011. National Museum of American History
• Judy Baca. Rafael López, 2021.
• Love and Rockets #1 . Gilbert, Jaime and Mario Hernández, 1982.
• José Julio Sarria. Rafael López, 2021.
• José Julio Sarria blue dress. Loan from the José Gutiérrez Archive and Collection
• Rosa Cervantes U.S. Air Force Uniform. National Museum of American History
• Superman. Noé Reyes from the State of Puebla, Mexico works as a delivery boy in Brooklyn, New York. He sends 500 dollars a week. From the Real Story of the Superheros series, 2005-2010. Courtesy of the artist, Dulce Pinzón
• Sonia Sotomayor. Timothy Greenfield- Sanders, 2010. Courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, © 2011 Timothy Greenfield-Sanders [NPG.2015.27]
• Rumba Dress. Sully Bonnelly, worn by Cruz at the 2002 Latin Grammy Awards. National Museum of American History
• Gwen Ifill: Black Heritage © 2020. Courtesy of United States Postal Service, All Rights Reserved, Used with permission
• Aviator’s Helmet. NASA, used between 1990–2007. Loan from Ellen Ochoa
• Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. Gloria Anzaldúa, originally published in 1987.
• The Afro-Latin@ Reader: History and Culture in the United States. Edited by Miriam Jiménez Román and Juan Flores, 2010.
• Surviv e. Dangerhouse, 1978.
• La Horchata: En los tiempos de cuarentena (In Times of Quarantine). Issue #8, 2020–2021.

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Chrissy Teigen Shares Snaps of ‘Beautiful, Chaotic’ Museum Trip with John Legend and Their Kids

The family of six visited the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles

Chrissy Teigen/Instagram

Chrissy Teigen is having a family day out at the museum!

The model and cookbook author, 38, posted her “beautiful” and “chaotic” time at the Natural History Museum on Instagram on Memorial Day as she and her husband John Legend brought their children along with them.

“Beautiful, chaotic hour at the Natural History Museum!” Teigen wrote in the caption of the carousel post. 

The mom of four appeared slightly flustered in the first photo shared as she closed her eyes and flicked her hair while holding her 16-month-old daughter Esti in a room at the museum.  

Legend, 45, appeared in the second snap alongside Teigen as she continued to hold Esti, while he carried their 11-month-old son Wren on his shoulders as they all gazed at a large gem inside a glass case in another room.

The "All of Me" singer was seen again with Wren sitting on his shoulders as he stood in a conservatory space filled with trees and plants. The singer was also snapped sitting on a bench outdoors as Wren sat on his lap while Teigen sat beside them and gazed at her baby boy.

Teigen and Legend then posed for a family photo with their four children as they stood in front of the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton at the museum. In the snap, their daughter Luna , 8, and son, Miles , 6, smiled as she carried him on her back in front of Teigen, who held Esti while Legend carried Wren. 

Other photos showed Wren excitedly pointing at a nearby tree in the conservatory space in a cute moment and Teigen taking a selfie next to some purple flowers.

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Teigen’s latest post comes a day after she and Legend revealed that they had had an unwelcome visitor at their Los Angeles home.

On Sunday, May 26, Teigen told her Instagram followers that a skunk had stunk out their Beverly Hills property in several posts on her Instagram Stories.

"I cannot explain the stench this being shot into our home," the  Cravings  author wrote alongside a blurry photo of the animal that appeared to have been captured on CCTV.

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A catalyst for the arts in Atlanta arose from a horrific moment in aviation history, remembered this week

June 07, 2024

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This week marked the 62nd anniversary of a tragedy altering the trajectory of modern Atlanta.

On June 3, 1962, Atlanta’s civic and cultural leaders were returning from a museum tour of Europe sponsored by the Atlanta Art Association when their chartered Boeing 707 crashed upon takeoff at Orly Field near Paris, France.

122 passengers died.106 were Atlantans affiliated with the arts and civic communities.

It was then the worst disaster in aviation history.

Among the dead, 26-year-old David Cogland of Atlanta, the youngest artist of the group.

Cogland was an abstract painter who found himself moved to share his passion through art therapy.

He was known to travel by bus to Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Ga. to give art instruction to patients - all without asking for compensation.

Cogland worked with those in the mental hospital as well as those in the prison section of the facility in an attempt to bring joy and freedom of expression.

Dr. Timothy Harris Thomas, a pediatric surgeon and Georgia Tech alum, reached out.

“My father was given a painting by the mother of David Cogland," Thomas recalls. "Several years after the crash, my father [a Methodist pastor] had been asked to visit David’s mother.  After the visit, my dad commented that he liked her son’s art. She told my father to go into another room of the house and pick out any painting he liked. My father chose this one, and she gave it to him on the spot. It has been a meaningful piece to our family for over 50 years and remains so today."

Cogland’s niece, Debbie Cogland Trapp, lives in Douglasville. “I was 10 years old in 1962. My uncle was also a window designer for some of the stores in downtown Atlanta, including Davison’s [which would become Macy's].”

Cogland was a young man of Atlanta artistic influence with gallery showings. He was rising, on his way, involved in many local projects of his hometown.

“There is a brochure from the Atlanta Civic Ballet's 33rd season where he is listed as a set designer,” offered Trapp; “and from the Atlanta Arts Festival May 1961, a brochure [list him] as an exhibitor.”

Cogland's Atlanta future was growing exponentially and the invitation to accompany the local leaders to Europe was an endorsement of his talent and possibilities. The crash ended the Cogland dreams.

Still, today the 26-year-old who died in Paris and is buried in Decatur at Resthaven Cemetery, is remembered and honored for his goodness and talent.

“I don’t think about it every day anymore, but it is there,"  said 81-year-old Pat Reynolds of Atlanta, her voice pausing. "They’ve been gone a mighty long time.

“When I saw our pastor walk in to the house, I knew it.”

She was a teenage newlywed living with her teen husband Charles In the basement of her in-laws Atlanta home that Sunday morning.

“Had we not been married, I don’t know what would have happened.”

Reynolds' parents, Charlotte and Tom Little Sr., were killed in the crash.

“We immediately made our way over to my parents' home address [behind the current location of The Church of the Apostles], where my 12-year-old brother [Tom Jr.] was being looked after by my father’s elderly sister.”

The teenage couple wanted to break the devastating news before the young boy heard from another source.

“When we pulled up to the house, crowds had already gathered on the driveway," Reynolds recalled with vivid clarity. "Everyone had heard the news."

Tom Jr. was watching cartoons in his parents' bedroom when the phone rang.

He answered the same time his aunt picked up the extension in the kitchen and listened as another relative was crying, saying between tears that the Air France plane had crashed.

Tom Little Sr. was one of Atlanta’s best-known architects. He restored 18th-century buildings; and his wife, Charlotte, decorated the interiors with period furnishings.

Weeks before, Reynolds had joyfully taken her parents to Atlanta Municipal Airport for their month-long trip to Europe.

“It was May 9th when they departed, and we took a picture at the gate, putting a coin in the photography machine. They squeezed in smiling, laughing. It was the last picture I have of them together.”

The photo sits framed in both homes of the Little’s children.

Tom Jr. has said he and his older sister rarely spoke of the crash.

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“We never talked about it," Reynolds affirmed. "Children kept comments to themselves as not to upset the adults. And adults kept comments inward as not to upset the children."

“You shove it down and moved forward. I put on my big girl pants and did my job.”

Her job as a teenage wife was to now take care of little brother, Tom Jr. He moved in with the couple at her in-laws' home.

“We, as young people, had never been to a funeral. But we began preparing for my parents service and burial.”

It took weeks for the FBI to match up the deceased with names. Without sophisticated technology, the forensics were painstakingly laborious.

The grief played out in slow motion.

Finally, the remains were released to the families in Atlanta.

“The day of the funeral at Westview Cemetery, there were services everywhere, it was as though one large party was going on,” Reynolds said again pausing. “The place was alive with people wherever you looked in all directions.”

Atlanta was smaller in 1962. The dead were connected to what seemed like everyone.

“The list of victims, not unlike 9/11, were plastered everywhere you went and wherever looked, you knew who was grieving, it was an incredible time,” Reynolds continued.

The issues for her family were far from over after the burial. A protracted guardianship legal battle would play out between the family of her late father and the family of her husband.

(“They gave us fits," Reynolds says.)

The Reynolds won.

Pat and Charles Reynolds have now been married 63 years. A remarkable teenage marriage of longevity with Atlanta history in tow.

The couple raised Tom Jr. successfully.

“He was a delight, a fabulous brother, an easy kid.”

Pat Reynolds was a teacher in Atlanta Christian education 50 years, Charles has been in the pipeline business.

“The aftermath of the Paris crash was the most painful time of my life," Reynolds says.

A lifetime later, a life of triumph rising from unspeakable tragedy.

“I am a woman of faith, I was a rebellious kid, ran off and got married in 1961 to a much older man of 17,” Reynolds offers with a laugh. “But I see God’s hand in all this, and the lives of my remarkable in-laws. It’s been a great life.”

This horrific aviation crash has always been civically framed as a catalyst for the arts in Atlanta.

The Woodruff Arts Center and Center Stage Theatre were created in memory of those who died.

And the Rodin gift from the French government, too.

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About the author.

In addition to hosting special programming and interviewing Georgia newsmakers, Jeff also writes a blog for GPB featuring musings from in and around Atlanta and across the state from a self-described "curious soul." 

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