Educators

Teachers in film gallery

School Tours

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth welcomes student groups FREE of charge for docent-guided and self-guided tours of the permanent collection, special exhibitions, and the architecture of the museum. Docent-led tours are a great way to introduce your students to modern and contemporary art. Museum-trained docents offer dynamic interaction with the works on view, providing insight into the ideas and techniques behind the art. Click here for more information and to request a tour.

Title 1 schools are eligible for reimbursement of up to $250 per tour. Funds will be reimbursed to the school after the tour has been completed and a tour evaluation has been received by the Modern. Reimbursement funds for school tours are made possible by a generous grant from the Walton Family Foundation and are available to Title 1 schools on a first-come, first-served basis to be used exclusively for direct costs related to substitute teachers and transportation to and from the Modern.

School Repeat Visit Programs

For more than a decade, the Modern has served area public schools through two repeat visit programs: Writing to Look and Gallery and Studio Connections. For these programs, six middle schools and six high schools each make three visits to the Museum over the course of the school year.

Teen/Artist Project

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth’s Teen/Artist Project (TAP) is an ongoing program in which regional and national teaching artists expand the knowledge of art, analysis, and techniques for young, aspiring artists.

Spring Break Art Camp

Each year during the FWISD spring break, 20 third and fourth graders from low-income elementary schools are invited to work closely with three visiting artists for Spring Break Art Camp at the Modern. From 8 to 3 pm, Monday through Friday, campers build new relationships with artists, camp counselors, and each other as they investigate and respond to the art and architecture of the Modern. Camp concludes with student-led tours of the galleries and an art exhibition and reception of student work in the education studio. 

Breakfast, lunch, T-shirts, and all materials are provided for campers. 

Museum Forum for Teachers: Modern & Contemporary Art

Dallas and Fort Worth museums collaborate to present a week-long summer program for educators that is designed to strengthen teachers’ understanding of modern and contemporary art and architecture and to develop strategies to teach, interpret, and use works of art in the classroom and on museum field trips. The program also provides teachers with an opportunity to connect with the collections and resources available to them at each museum, while meeting and sharing ideas with other classroom teachers.

Internships

Internships are available to students from high schools currently involved with the Modern’s education department through Repeat Visit Programs and Modern Collaborative Studies.

Each internship is a paid position developed to be flexible and adaptive to the responsibilities and schedules of high school students.

The goal of these internships is to provide professional work experience, academic credit, and an overall feel for how education departments operate in a modern and contemporary art museum. Education department staff will provide mentorship, assistance in developing hard and soft skills, and a collaborative professional environment for projects, programs, and events. 

Modern Connections

This special lecture caters to the arts education community in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Lecturers are selected based on their theoretical and critical contributions within the field of contemporary art and provide supplemental commentary on topics related to the Modern’s exhibition programming.

Modern Collaborative Studies:  Dunbar High School

This partnership between Dunbar High School and the Modern celebrates student achievements in art research and presentation. Selected students spend an academic year engaged in repeat visits to the Modern, collaborating with docents and assistant curators of education to gain a deeper understanding of a particular exhibition, selected works, and artists. Each visit is designed to assist students in gaining confidence in their research, interpretation, and presentation of modern and contemporary art in the form of public tours, creative writing, and an art installation. The program concludes with the Dunbar Community Night at the Modern, where students present their final research to their peers, friends and family, FWISD administration, and the general public. The formal celebratory event takes place in the Modern’s galleries, auditorium, and Grand Lobby, with food and beverages provided.

Educator Art Cards 

Art Cards provide an introduction to selected works in the Modern’s permanent collection. Produced specifically to help educators prepare their students for upcoming visits to the Museum, the Cards provide background information and broader contexts for understanding the individual works. Click here for printable PDF files.

Being There: Art Assignment

The Modern’s education department is pleased to offer supplemental art assignments to help educators and students engage with artists and ideas related to the Modern’s permanent collection and special exhibitions.These packets include resources, questions, instructions, and exercises to help students explore with art even when they’re not able to go see it in person. Please check in weekly for updates and new releases

Virtual Tours

Virtual Tours are FREE with registration. 

Virtual tours at the Modern introduce students to artworks in our permanent collection through pre-recorded videos. Join our volunteer docents as they guide discussions for students of all ages. All video content is offered in English and Spanish/Spanish subtitles. 

Continuing Professional Education Credits

The Modern is certified by the Texas State Board for Educator Certification to offer Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits. Museum Forum for Teachers qualifies as a CPE activity, as do many tours, lectures, studio classes, and workshops offered through the Modern’s education department. If you have questions about specific programs, or if you would like the education department to develop a custom workshop for CPE credit based around the Museum’s collection, call 817.840.2141 or send an email from the form below.

Educator Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive information relevant to educators through our Educator Email Newsletter. Please use the form below and include your name, school, and the grade level(s) and subject you teach.

CAPTCHA