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Art Preserve Experiences

Art Preserve visits are available to groups of up to 36 students. Students will be divided into groups of 12 or fewer. One adult chaperone per 12 students is required.

Want to bring more than 36? Not a problem! A group of up to 72 students can enjoy a full-day experience including both the Art Preserve and Arts Center. The education department will help you plan your visit. Examples of different options/schedules can be found here: Sample Field Trip Schedules

Art Preserve tour options are below. All tours are led by museum educators and focus on engaging students with interactive activities and growing their museum literacy.

Hands-on workshops inspired by the art and artists of the Art Preserve can be included in your visit. Workshops are conducted at Arts Center in downtown Sheboygan, WI (less than 10 minutes from the Art Preserve).

All About Animals
Recommended for K–2 grade visitors / 1 hour
From cave paintings and pyramids to Dogs Playing Poker and today’s funniest memes, our feathered and furry friends are perennial subjects and inspiration for artists everywhere. On this tour students will explore collections in which animals are the star.

Faces & Figures
Recommended for K–2 grade visitors / 1 hour
Our faces and bodies are expressive and powerful, able to communicate joy, sorrow, fear, anger, and surprise. It’s no wonder 9 of the 10 most searched paintings on Google feature the human body or face! On this tour students will examine the faces and figures created in a variety of media by several art environment builders in the Art Preserve.

Wonderful Wisconsin
Recommended for 3–6 grade visitors / 75 minutes
Artist-built environments exist all over the world and in all 50 states—but we have A LOT right here in Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest. On this tour students will explore how Wisconsin geography and culture shaped the work of five artists on the first floor of the Art Preserve.

Creative Collectors
Recommended for 3–6 grade visitors / 75 minutes
An album of meticulously organized Pokémon cards. A bed piled high with fluffy stuffed animals. Boxes of rocks, matchbox cars, beach glass, or bottle caps. We’ve all been collectors at one point in our lives. On this tour students will see how the act of collecting played an important role in the creative process of different art environment builders—and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.

The Art & Science of Preservation
Recommended for 5–12 grade visitors / 1.5–2 hours
From the design of the Art Preserve itself, to how objects are catalogued, stored, moved, and displayed, to the technology used to monitor the environment inside the building, this tour explores collections through the lenses of preservation and conservation. Students will hear from staff who work behind the scenes and learn about museum careers. Available Spring 2022!

Art as a Response
Recommended for 6–12 grade visitors / 1.5 hours
Art Preserve artists created their environments in response to their history, place, culture, ideas, or imagination; the Art Preserve building is a space for contemporary artists to respond to those environments. On this tour students will experience both the visual, digital, and performance art created by contemporary artists in response to the Art Preserve collections AND the artist-built environments that inspired them.

Girl Power: Female Representation at the Art Preserve
Recommended for 6–12 grade visitors / 1.5 hours
Women are traditionally under-represented in museum collections. On this tour we’ll discuss why and take a closer look at environments created (or inspired) by women.

The Healing Power of Art
Recommended for 8–12 grade visitors / 1.5 hours
Creating art is a natural way to process and respond to our experiences. On this tour students will examine work by artists whose experiences with war, loss, or other personal challenges compelled them to completely transform their environments—and sometimes themselves.

Let Us Help You Plan…

See an interesting tour option that’s a little too long, too short, or not recommended for the grade level you teach? Is there a specific state standard or curriculum objective you’d like to incorporate into your field trip experience? Contact the Education Department to discuss how we might customize your visit to meet your scheduling, curriculum, or student needs.

Ready to Schedule?

Use our online scheduling to request a date. A member of our education team with reach out to discuss options and confirm your request.

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