My First
Visit
The National Gallery of Canada school programs are aligned with grade specific art curricula. Our programs promote careful and thoughtful looking at original artworks, emphasize learning through social interaction and critical thinking, and encourage students to use their personal experience to interpret art.
October 5, 2022 to June 30, 2023 (unless specified otherwise)
We offer different types of thematic programs for students from kindergarten to grade 12/Sec V that support your in-class learning objectives.
2022-23 school programs start October 5, 2022
Registration for school programs begins on Monday 29 August, 2022
If you have questions, please contact us by email at [email protected] or call 613-990-4888.
Check out the programs we offer:
Discovery visits Tours Workshops Relaxed tours
Thematic and engaging visits that activate young minds through close looking, inquiry and an art-making activity. Students will view 6 to 8 artworks in detail. Materials are included.
Cost: My First Visit: $4 per student.
Cost: How It's Made: $7 per student.
Tax not included.
My First
Visit
Kindergarten Grades 1–3
This visit is a lively introduction to the variety of artworks in the Gallery’s collection. Students become familiar with the museum and develop their visual literacy skills through play-based learning activities.
60-75 minutes:
- 15-minute welcome
- 45-60-minute program
ONTARIO curriculum links
Express responses to visual art forms (e.g., paintings, fabrics, sculptures, illustrations) by making connections to personal experiences.
Communicate ideas through the arts and exploring different elements of design (e.g., colour, line, shape, texture, form)
QUEBEC curriculum links
Construct an understanding of the world by showing interest and curiosity concerning the visual arts (e.g. modelling, drawing, painting, sculpture) and exposure to a cultural environment.
Develop emotional and social skills through by allowing extensive time for self-expression and personal opinion, while exposing young learners to the different elements of art.
How
It's Made
Grades 1–3 Grades 4–6
Students look carefully at the creative process of painters, sculptors and artists who work with beads. They discuss tools, materials and the elements and principles of design to inform their own work of art inspired by Indigenous beadwork. Materials are included.
1 hour 45 minutes:
- 15-minute welcome
- 90-minute program
ONTARIO curriculum links
Critically analyze the techniques and materials used to make a variety of art works from diverse cultures, times and places.
Create works of art on a theme or topic, using a variety of materials, tools and techniques.
QUEBEC curriculum links
Develop critical thinking and aesthetic sense through appreciation of works of art, traditional artistic objects, and media images from different artistic periods, places and cultures.
Produce creative works using the appropriate gestures, materials, tools and elements of visual arts language (e.g., shape, line, texture).
(75 minutes: 15-minute welcome + 60-minute tour)
Students will consider the diversity of works of art in the Gallery’s rich collection, participate in group discussions, and apply critical and creative thinking skills on thematic tours.
Cost: Grades 1-6: $4 per student; Grades 7-12: $8 per student.
Tax not included.
Enhance your students learning and extend their experience with a Guided Sketching Session in the galleries. Materials are included. (60 minutes. Additional fees)
Art
Adventure
Grades 1–3 Grades 4–6
A dynamic introduction to the Gallery’s collections. Through guided discussions and hands-on activities, students consider 6 to 8 artworks and develop their visual literacy skills.
Choose the collections that will best suit your students’ interests and your objectives:
Canadian, Indigenous and Contemporary Galleries
European, American and Contemporary Galleries
ONTARIO curriculum links
Consider the elements of art (line, shape, and colour) and the principles of design (contrast, rhythm, balance).
Creatively examine a variety of art works from diverse cultures, times and places.
QUEBEC curriculum links
Employ pertinent visual arts language (e.g., elements of art, spatial organization, gestures, materials) to communicate experience.
Appreciate works of art, traditional artistic objects, and media images from different artistic periods, places and cultures.
Gallery Highlights
Grades 4–6 Grades 7–12 / Sec I–V
An introduction to the National Gallery of Canada, its extraordinary glass building and several iconic artworks in the Gallery's collection. Throughout the tour, students consider the notion of originality, the role of a museum and what makes a work of art great using guided discussions.
ONTARIO curriculum links
Investigate and apply a critical analysis to a variety of art forms, styles and traditions from diverse cultures, times and places.
Use appropriate terminology to describe elements, principles and other components related to visual arts (e.g., techniques, materials, tools)
QUEBEC curriculum links
Appreciate works of art from the world’s artistic heritage, including cultural objects, media images or productions from different periods, civilizations and cultures, as well as their sociocultural and historical contexts
Apply visual arts language (e.g., elements of art, spatial organization, gestures, materials) to communicate visual arts experiences while exercising their critical and aesthetic response.
Highlights from the Indigenous and Canadian Collection
Grades 4–6 Grades 7–12 / Sec I–V
The Indigenous and Canadian Collection presents a broad range of artworks that date from time immemorial to today and includes artistic practices that operate outside the established western canons of art history. In this guided program, students will consider some of the iconic artworks that give voice to the artists’ visions.
ONTARIO curriculum links
Investigate and apply a critical analysis to a variety of art forms, styles and traditions from diverse Canadian and Indigenous cultures, time periods and places as well as their sociocultural and historical contexts, while using appropriate terminology to describe elements, principles and other components related to visual arts (e.g., techniques, materials, tools).
Analyze the historical perspective, significance and change and continuity in Canadian society while considering the perspectives of different Indigenous groups and communities.
QUEBEC curriculum links
Encounter a variety of works and learn how these works contain sociocultural references indicative of the periods in which they were created. Students will identify thematic, material and visual language elements, comparing the visual arts productions and associating them with sociocultural references.
Identify expressive or symbolic elements in images to construct and determine meaning and cultural relevance.
Indigenous Perspectives
Grades 4–6 Grades 7–12 / Sec I–V
First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists from Turtle Island/North America have been creating since time immemorial. In this facilitated program, students will be introduced to themes of Indigenous artwork so that they may appreciate the worldviews of First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists, past and present.
ONTARIO curriculum links
Investigate and apply a critical analysis to a variety of art forms, styles and traditions from diverse Indigenous cultures, time periods and places as well as their sociocultural and historical contexts, while using appropriate terminology to describe elements, principles and other components related to visual arts (e.g., techniques, materials, tools).
Analyze the historical perspective, significance and the change and continuity in Canadian society while considering the perspectives of different Indigenous groups and communities.
QUEBEC curriculum links
Encounter a variety of works from Canada’s Indigenous artistic heritage and learn that these works contain sociocultural references indicative of the periods in which they were created.
Observe and examine visual arts productions, identify thematic, material and visual language elements, compare these as they occur in different visual arts productions and associate them with sociocultural and historical references.
Identify the expressive or symbolic elements in images to construct and determine meaning and cultural relevance for Indigenous peoples.
Signs and Symbols in Art
Grades 7–12 / Sec I–V
The language of art can be a mysterious blend of signs and symbols. In this guided program, students decode and discuss the visual language that a diversity of artists use to communicate ideas.
From Modern to Contemporary Art
Grades 7–12 / Sec I–V
What is contemporary art and what role does it play? In this guided program, students investigate ideas and materials, including technology and new media, in artworks from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day.
(75 minutes: 15-minute welcome + 60-minute tour)
Students will be introduced to inspiring exhibitions that stimulate curiosity and creativity. Most special exhibitions, arranged by the Gallery’s curators, feature original artworks temporarily borrowed from museums across the globe
Cost: Grades 7-12: $8 per student.
Tax not included.
General Idea NEW
October 5, 2022 to November 18, 2022
Grades 7–12 / Sec I–V
Discover General Idea, whose witty and eccentric work challenged the art world and the world at large during their decades-long career. Students will learn about the varied language of contemporary art, and how General Idea used art to address important social issues.
Learn more about the General Idea exhibition
Movement: Expressive Bodies in Art NEW
October 5, 2022 to February 24, 2023
Grades 7–12 / Sec I–V
Experience a variety of artworks - from seventeenth century prints to contemporary performance, paintings, photographs and sculpture - that celebrate the expressive energy of the human body. Students will recognize different visual vocabularies and how the expression of body in space communicates meaning.
Learn more about the Movement: Expressive Bodies in Art exhibition
Grades 4–6 Grades 7–12 / Sec I–V
(60 minutes)
Add an in-gallery sketching session to your guided tour to inspire your students’ creativity. They will learn drawing techniques and cultivate their observation skills with a preferred artwork . All materials are included.
Cost: $6 per student. Tax not included.
This session is only offered to groups who have reserved a guided tour. The session takes place in the Gallery’s Collection.
ONTARIO curriculum links
Investigate and apply a critical analysis to a variety of art forms, styles and traditions from diverse cultures, times and places, as well as their sociocultural and historical contexts.
Use appropriate vocabulary to describe techniques, materials, and tools when creating and presenting visual art works.
Incorporate various elements and principles of design to create art works that express personal feelings and/or communicate emotions to an audience.
QUEBEC curriculum links
Appreciate works of art or artistic productions from the world’s artistic heritage, including cultural objects, media images or productions from different periods, civilizations and cultures so that they can then create a complete, complex and meaningful learning situation.
Correctly use visual arts language (e.g., elements of art, spatial organization, gestures, materials) to communicate visual arts experiences
Create personal images (i.e., drawing with pencil) using the appropriate materials, tools, methods and visual arts language in order to inform, persuade or entertain
(180 minutes)
Hands-on introduction to art-making. A workshop includes a tour of original artworks in the Gallery’s collection, discussion, and in-studio instruction for students to make an original artwork to take home. Workshops can accommodate 35 to 52 students plus chaperones for a maximum of 58 participants. The chaperone ratio is 1 adult per 10 students. Materials are included.
Workshops can be booked weekdays from 10 am beginning October 5, 2022 to April 28, 2023.
Cost: $13.00 per student.
Tax not included.
Play with Clay
Grades 1–3 Grades 4–6
The Gallery’s rich collection of sculptures include works made from metal, stone, wood, bone and lots more. Students see a variety of sculptures and recognize how artists use the elements and principles of design to create a three-dimensional object. Using critical inquiry and hands-on activities, students visit a selection of sculptures throughout the Gallery to inspire their own clay sculpture.
ONTARIO curriculum links
Assess how the elements and the principles of design (e.g., shape, form, texture, and balance) are used in sculpture.
Investigate and apply a critical analysis to a variety of three-dimensional art forms from diverse cultures, times and places and the techniques and materials used to make them
Create a three-dimensional art work on a theme or topic using a variety of materials, tools and techniques.
QUEBEC curriculum links
Develop critical thinking and aesthetic sense through appreciation of works of art, traditional artistic objects, and media images from different artistic periods, places and cultures.
Produce of creative works from memory, observation and imagination and the account of various viewers, using the appropriate gestures, materials, tools and elements of visual arts language
Printmaking Stories
Grades 1–3 Grades 4–6
For the Inuit, prints are a compelling extension of a rich storytelling tradition full of fascinating transformations, beautiful and frightening legends, otherworldly creatures, and practical and peaceful depictions of everyday life. Students will take inspiration from the Gallery’s rich collection of Inuit prints and be guided through the printmaking process to visually convey a personal story using a technique similar to that of Inuit artists.
ONTARIO curriculum links
Investigate and apply a critical analysis to a variety of art forms, styles and traditions from diverse cultures, times and places, and the techniques and materials used to make them.
Create a narrative art work on a theme or topic, using elements, principles, and techniques of visual arts.
QUEBEC curriculum links
Develop critical thinking and aesthetic sense through an appreciation of works of art, traditional artistic objects, and media images from different artistic periods, places and cultures (including those of Indigenous peoples).
Produce a creative work from memory, observation, imagination, and the accounts of various viewers, using the appropriate gestures, materials, tools and elements of visual arts language.
(75 minutes: 15-minute welcome + 60-minute tour)
These interactive and multi-sensory tours are intended for groups with additional needs. The tour design focuses on creating a learning environment that is open and accessible to all students, regardless of age, skills, or situation to look at and engage with a variety of artworks.
Group Size: Up to 12 students plus assistants as needed
Cost: free
The Sense of Art
Elementary Secondary
This tour introduces and familiarizes students to the Gallery’s remarkable building and collection. Students focus on a handful of artworks that engage their sense of sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch and imagination. Our flexible guides adjust the tour to meet the different needs of each student.
Big Art
Elementary Secondary
This tour introduces students to oversized artworks that immerse us, invade our space, or stretch our visual boundaries. Students will discuss and experience a variety of large-scale works of art. Our flexible guides adjust the tour to meet the different needs of each student.
ONTARIO curriculum links
Special Education in Ontario Kindergarten to Grade 12 – 2017
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
An approach that focuses on creating a learning environment that is open and accessible to all students, regardless of age, skills, or situation. Instruction based on principles of universal design is flexible and supportive, can be adjusted to meet different student needs, and enables all students to access the curriculum as fully as possible.
QUEBEC curriculum links
Competency-Based Approach to Social Participation (CASP)
The CASP Education Program aims to customize the learning experience of students who have moderate to severe intellectual disabilities according to their needs and abilities. Specifically, the program helps prepare each student for a smooth integration at school, in society and perhaps eventually in the workplace. In time, students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities will be able to play a meaningful and valued role in society, in accordance with their capabilities.