There are many ways to connect to your AGA! Choose from the options below to explore exhibitions, create in the studio or enjoy a Full Day Experience.
Exhibition Visits
Exhibition visits offer in-depth opportunities for students to connect to artworks in a gallery setting. Each program is based on a thematic exploration of artwork and connects to multiple areas of the Programs of Study through a variety of activities and exercises.
Program Length
90 Minutes
Program Times
Offered Tuesday-Friday:
9:30-11 am; 11 am-12:30 pm; 12:30-2 pm
Weekend programs are also available upon request
Program Cost
$84 for a group up to 10 students
$126 for a group up to 20 students
$168 for a group up to 30 students
On-going Programs (September 12, 2011-June 22, 2012)
| Program Name | Age Range & POS Connection |
Description | Download Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny Art Adventures | Pre-School-Kingergarten Fine Arts, Early Childhood Learning |
Search, move, play and discover in this interactive Gallery visit. Tiny Art Adventures introduces young students to art and the museum through a variety of interactive, multi-sensory exercises. |  |
| Learning to Look | Gr. 1-12 Fine Arts, Language Arts, and Social Studies |
How can we ‘read’ a work of art? Students explore the art and architecture of the AGA to practice close-looking and observation strategies while strengthening their visual literacy and visual thinking skills. This program introduces multiple ways of looking at art while focusing on how students can connect art and ideas to their own lives and experiences. | |
| Artist as Storyteller | Gr. 1-6 English Language Arts, Fine Arts |
Explore the art at the AGA through story in this exploratory visit. Discuss setting, characters, and narrative to learn all about the art of storytelling. This thematic visit includes brainstorming, story sequencing, and oral storytelling activities. | |
| Art Texts | Gr. 7-12 English Language Arts, Fine Arts |
Investigate art as text with this exploration that focuses on developing critical viewing strategies and skills by connecting to student experiences with visual imagery. Through group discussions, creative writing exercises and visual representation games, students investigate several visual texts throughout the Gallery. This program is also offered for English Language Learners. |
|
| The Science of Museums | Gr. 3-9 Science, Fine Arts |
Art and science connect in this inquiry-based program. Students investigate the science of art and the art museum through a variety of open-ended exercises, drawing, labeling, searching, questioning and hypothesizing about environments throughout the Gallery. | |
| Art Beyond Borders | Gr. 7-12 Social Studies, Fine Arts |
Students explore how artists use the visual arts to communicate cultural influences and how artists have responded to the impact of major world events through their art over time. This program explores the idea of ‘worldview’ challenging students to consider their own worldview and how it connects to those of artists from the past and present. | |
| Shifting Perspectives: Connecting to Contemporary Art | Gr. 10-12 Fine Arts |
Contemporary artists often use unconventional methods, media, and messages that push the boundaries of traditional art forms. Challenge your students to investigate how contemporary artists blur the lines between opposing ideas to alter and shift perspectives in art. | |
| Lire L'Art | Gr. 1-12 Fine Art (French Immersion), French Language Arts, French as a Second Language |
Lire l’art stimule l’appréciation et la compréhension des arts visuels, et crée un forum où l’on peut échanger des idées personnelles en français. Les étudiants apprennent à interpréter les œuvres d’art en participant à des activités uniques et amusantes qui leur stimuleront l’esprit critique. | |
| ImaginArte | Gr. 1-12 Fine Art (Spanish Immersion), Spanish as a Second Language |
Es Posible "Leer" una obra de arte? En esta visita, los estudiantes podrán establecer estas conexiones y muchas más "leyendo" el arte y la arquitetura de la AGA mientras practican la observación detallada y razonada, a la vez que afinan su sentido de la observacion estética fortaleciendo sus habilidades visuales y cognitivas. | |
Click here to request a School Program Booking, or view the School Programs FAQ.
Studio Projects
Studio projects at the AGA offer an opportunity for students to experiment with media in order to better understand the process and concepts explored by specific artists. Projects focus on the conceptual and technical side of art-making and include a brief visit into the exhibition spaces to investigate specific artworks that relate to the studio project concepts.
Studio Projects encourage students to explore new concepts, materials and strategies that can be applied towards projects in the classroom. Meaningful artworks often take a lot of time to produce. The studio art that your students will be producing is a hint at or a starting point to something much bigger. Teachers are encouraged to expand upon their Studio Project and the concepts learned at the AGA in the classroom.
Program Length
2 Hours
Program Times
Offered Tuesday-Friday:
9:30-11:30 am; noon-2 pm
Late afternoon, evening and weekend times are also available upon request
Program Cost
$146 for a group up to 15 students
$198 for a group up to 30 students
| Program Name | Grade Levels | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Colour Play Sept. 12-June 22 Mixed exercises: Collage & Painting Download: |
Pre-School-Grade 2 Fine Arts, Early Childhood Learning |
What sound does red make? What does blue smell like? How does purple move? Students explore their world through colour in this multi-sensory, experimental studio workshop. Starting in the studio, students combine, share and play to learn about colour mixing. Next, students use their five senses to explore colour in the Gallery spaces through search games and movement activities. Back in the studio, students work in groups to create a large scale mural inspired by different types of music. Each student takes away their own piece of the mural which can be displayed with the others as a class or individually! |
| Play on Architecture Sept. 12-June 22 Wood-Block Architectural Sculpture Download: |
Pre-school-Grade 2 Fine Arts, Early Child |
Explore the architecture of the AGA from the inside out before creating your own abstract architectural sculpture! Investigate architecture through movement activities and Gallery explorations focused on shape, colour and the relationship between art and the built environment. In the studio, plan, build, glue and paint to create a 3-D architectural sculpture from wood blocks and tempura paint. |
| Architecture Olympics Sept. 12-June 22 Building Exercises and Abstract Wood Sculpture Download: |
Gr. 3-9 Science, Fine Arts |
How can design be used to make our lives better, easier, or more fun? Students will discover how design is all around us and how it shapes our lives and lifestyle. Design learning, inquiry- based activities, critical and creative thinking are all key concepts as students investigate the architecture of the AGA through design challenges, draw inspiration from museums around the world and work in small teams to design and build architectural models. Students will engage in a process of design which will have them looking at and thinking critically about the built and artistic world that surrounds us. |
| Alberta Stories Sept. 12-June 22 Watercolour & Block Printing Download: |
Gr. 4-9 Fine Arts, Early Childhood Learning |
Discover Alberta stories by exploring the work of Alberta artists from the past and present. In the gallery, students explore current exhibitions to discover connection between art and story and gather inspiration to develop their own Alberta story. In the studio, students create a small watercolour and block print based on their Alberta Story. Grade 4 students can enter this project in the ATB Young Artists Competition. |
| My Place: Landscape Sept. 24-June 3 Mixed Media Relief Sculpture Download: |
Gr. 1-6 Fine Arts, Social Studies |
Landscape art becomes more than just physical space in this fun studio project! Students explore the idea of ‘place’ and their own place in the world through storytelling, Gallery explorations and a mixed-media sculpture project. Students investigate the basic elements of landscape art including foreground, mid-ground and background and visit Gallery spaces to discover how artists tell stories about ‘places’ in their artwork. In the studio, students work with a variety of materials to build their own 3-dimensional relief sculpture based on a place that is important to them. |
| Drawing with Light Sept. 24-Jan. 20 Ink and Charcoal Experimental Drawing Download: |
Gr. 4-12 Fine Arts |
How do artists draw with light? Find out by experimenting with light and shadow, tonal studies and positive and negative space in this drawing studio. Inspired by the dramatic lights and darks of 19th Century photography, students will play with tone using ink washes, charcoal and conte. Starting in the Gallery, students create tonal studies using graphite. In the Studio, students develop their own composition by lighting still life objects to create positive and negative spaces. Using ink washes, charcoal and conte, students drip, blend, highlight and smudge to explore drawing with light. |
| Appropriate This! Oct. 18-Feb. 20 Chalk Pastel Painting and Collage Download: |
Gr. 7-12 Fine Arts, Social Studies |
Artists don’t steal, they appropriate! In this studio project students investigate the art of appropriation by re-envisioning and re-imagining historical artworks found in the Gallery. Students begin by learning about appropriation techniques used by artists from the past and present including intertextuality, parody and re-interpretation. Students then move to the Gallery for explorations and sketching exercises. Back in the studio, students use their Gallery sketches to create a 2-D work of art based on a historical work in the Gallery. Using chalk pastels, students ‘paint’ their image, focusing on colour mixing and blending. Students will re-interpret the historical image to reveal a personal perspective in the work, adding collage elements based on contemporary images. Students question how the work changes and the new meaning created in their own work. |
| New Ways in Painting Jan. 27-May 27 Acrylic Painting and Mixed media |
Gr. 3-12 Fine Arts |
Painting is just paint and paper, or is it? Students discover new ways of thinking about painting through Gallery explorations and painting experimentation in this studio project. Students begin by exploring the Gallery spaces to view ‘paintings’ that challenge the way we think about the medium. In the studio, students stretch, layer and build using acrylic paint in order to create a visual story of their own. |
| Modern Mapping Feb. 14-May 27 Abstract Collagraph Printmaking |
Gr. 4-12 Fine Arts, Social Studies |
Mapping takes on abstraction in this fun print-making studio! Inspired by modernist painters in Alberta during the 20th Century, students discover the art of abstraction by creating their own modern map. Starting in the Gallery, students learn about abstraction and the modernist movement through sketching and group collage activities. In the studio, students use maps as inspiration to create a collograph plate that is then printed on coloured paper. Students finish their abstract composition by drawing back into their work with oil pastel. |
| Readymade Assemblage Feb. 14-May 27 3-D Assemblage |
Gr. 4-12 Fine Arts |
Turn objects from your everyday into a work of art! Drawing from inspiration from the past and present, students create a mixed-media assemblage using found objects. Through this assemblage sculpture project, students bring together objects, including those that are personally relevant, in order to reflect upon their own worldview of art and readily consumable objects. |
| Investigate ISMS! Feb. 10-May 21 Drawing, Collage and Sculpture |
Gr. 7-12 Fine Arts |
Investigate the art ISMS of the 20th Century! In this studio project students explore three of the big art ISMS of the 20th Century and the changing role of technology over time. Students begin by exploring the Gallery spaces to discuss different examples of Cubism, Dadaism and Surrealism. In the studio, students work in groups to create three different projects that explore the connection between art and technology. Students create a cubist drawing, a word collage inspired by the Dada movement and a surrealist landscape using ink, automatic thinking and chance! |
| Abstract Memories May 22-June 29 Experimental Drawing & Painting |
Gr. 4-12 Fine Arts, Social Studies |
Embark on a journey to discover how memories of place are created in this experimental painting studio. In the Gallery, investigate the work of Alex Janvier, Albertan artist of Dene Suline and Saulteaux heritage, through discussions and drawing activities. In the studio, work to explore concepts of memory, abstraction, and traditional mapping connected to Janvier’s work. For this studio project, students brainstorm their own memory maps of personal landmarks, focusing on how memory influences representations of place. Next, students use experimental drawing and painting techniques to explore colour, abstraction, line and form. |
Full Day Program
Pick and choose your program to create an all-immersive day of art and fun! This program includes a choice of an Exhibition Visit and a Studio Project (see above for descriptions). The program also includes an additional gallery activity connected to your Studio Project. All Full Day Programs include use of the studio lunch facilities.
Program Times
Offered Tuesday-Friday:
9:30 am-2 pm
Weekend times are also available upon request
Program Cost
$280 for a class up to 20 students
$320 for a class up to 30 students
*All prices are before GST
A Typical Full Day Program includes
9:30-11 am Exhibition Visit(with Educators)
11:00-11:30 am In-Gallery Activities
11:30 am-noon Lunch in Studios
noon-2:00: Studio project
Art Apprenticeship
The Art Apprenticeship Program allows students to experience an in-depth three days of art and excitement at the AGA! Taking the role of artists and curators, students experience a variety of Exhibition Visits and Studio Projects related to a theme developed in partnership between the Education Programs Manager and the classroom teacher. For more information and further details on this program, please contact the Education Programs Manager at Jessie.beier@youraga.ca
Program Times
Three day program offered Tuesday-Thursday or Wednesday-Friday:
9:30-2 pm daily
Program Cost
$960 for a group up to 30 students
**All prices are before GST
Booking for 2011-2012 is open now so reserve your spot early!
