Each year we invite all 5th graders in Josephine County to come to the museum for a field trip adventure. The students arrive one class at a time – usually with about 30 in the group. The event begins with a dialog between the executive director and the students. Questions like “What is a museum? What is perception? What is the definition of art?” (The answer to that question is Communication.)
That answer segues to the presentation of 40,000+ years of art history, beginning with cave paintings and continuing to the present. The presentation is accompanied by slides of various pieces of art.
After the presentation, a hands-on project about color theory using pointillism is introduced to the students. They are given magic markers and the outline of a chameleon and are asked to “dot” the chameleon and include the ideas they have learned about combining primary colors.
At the very end, we give each student a bag full of art supplies. We feel that if we invite the students to appreciate art – they need the tools to create their own art.
The following images help describe what the field trips are all about.

THE ASSEMBLY LINE