K-12 School and Teacher Programs

K-12 Guided Tours and Field Trips

Ignite your students’ curiosity while discovering 5,000 years of human creativity through guided and self-guided tours of the UMFA galleries.

Learn more about each tour and field trip option below.

Schedule a visit

Self-guides

Beginning with works of art and their stories, we encourage discussion extending across cultures to foster awareness and understanding. We believe that we learn together by asking questions to arrive at new perspectives about art, each other, and the world.

Transportation funding is first come, first served.
Tours and field trips are adapted to the interests and age range of the group.
Guided tours are available by appointment Tuesday–Thursday, schedule at least 2 weeks in advance.
Tours and field trips are 90-minutes: one-hour in the galleries and 30-minute art-making activity in UMFA’s classroom. They can be adapted to shorter or longer periods of time by request.
Self-guided tours are limited to 40 students and scheduled according to Museum hours and capacity.
Guided-tour groups are limited to 60 students.
One responsible adult must accompany every 10 students for grades 1–12. One responsible adult is required for every 5 students for pre-K and kindergarten groups.
Admission is FREE for public and charter schools. Private and parochial school group rates are $9.95 per person.
Fee waivers may be available to groups demonstrating need.

While at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, you may be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded. Please let us know if there are specific students, teachers, or chaperones who do not give their consent.

Tour Themes

Pick from one of the themes detailed below, or request a specific theme or topic.

UMFA Special Exhibitions and Highlights (grades K-12)

Utilizing our global, diverse collection and temporary exhibitions, this guided tour highlights notable artworks through conversation, questions, and engaging activities.

Current Exhibitions

How to Look at a Work of Art (grades K-12)

Train your artistic eye and develop visual literacy as we practice looking closely at details to interpret works of art using visual evidence. Our world is full of images and it is important that we can read them, discover their meaning, and examine why artists make the choices they do. We will discover how to look at a work of art through sketching, storytelling, and games, asking questions about what we see, and making looking at art fun!

PRE-LESSON

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Art and What We Eat (grades K-2)

Whether it’s a juicy watermelon in a painting or a ceramic pot that holds a special chocolate drink, food is often a part of art! In this tour, K-2nd grade students will explore works of art from UMFA’s global collection with an eye toward what people eat and how food – just like art – connects us to one another. In this interactive tour intended to support Utah Core Standards, students will have fun using their imaginations, learning new art vocabulary, and creating their own artwork inspired by what they learn.

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Elements of Art (grade 2-5)

Let’s explore line, shape, color, texture, and space! This guided tour will highlight the elements of art as building blocks for artistic expression and investigate different ways artists use these elements to create works of art, communicate ideas, and tell stories. Students will gain confidence in their own ability to connect with and talk about works of art, as well as use the elements to kickstart their own creativity.

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Storytelling (grades 3-5)

Come explore a world full of stories at UMFA! Students will experience different types of stories and storytelling methods from around the world to look at and discuss art. Students will learn about visual narrative to uncover clues and details hidden in works of art that reveal secrets, mysteries, facts, and questions. Thanks to our friends at the UofU Book Arts Program, each participant will make a comic book and create their own incredible story!

PRE-LESSON

pARTners

The pARTners program brings every fourth-grade student in the Salt Lake City School District to the UMFA each year. Tours explore creativity in our world through hands-on, engaging experiences that connect the Museum’s global and diverse collection to Utah Core Standards and students’ personal experiences. Teachers prepare students for their field trips with short creativity warm-ups in their classrooms; at the end of their visits, students wrap-up with an in-museum art-making activity. As one of UMFA’s longest-running programs, the goal of pARTners is to provide valuable arts learning experiences that foster visual literacy, creativity, critical thinking, and effective communication.

pARTners tours are:

Interactive, engaging, question-based, object-centered.
Aligned with Utah Core Standards for fourth-grade and 21st-century learning skills promoting critical thinking, creativity, and communication.
Available by appointment Tuesday–Thursday, and need to be scheduled at least 2 weeks in advance. Limited space is available.
Tour lasts an hour but can be adapted to shorter or longer periods of time by request.
30-minute art making activity after tour.

Tour Theme: Elements of Art

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Creative Leaps: Inspirations from Contemporary Art and Dance (grades K-6)

Join Ririe Woodbury Dance Company and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts as we dance, doodle, and discover the dynamic world of contemporary art and dance! This special program will be held in person at UMFA and will guide students on a diverse journey to react and respond to amazing works of performing and visual art. The program will include a guided tour, art and movement workshops, and a performance by Ririe Woodbury Dance Company.

There is limited availability for this program.

Creative Leaps Field Trip Dates:

December 16-18, 2025 | 10 am – 12 pm
February 3-5, 2026 | 10 am – 12 pm

Pre-lesson

Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) | Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU) Partner Field Trips (grades 4-6)

Explore two museums in one day with this exciting adventure of art and culture! Students practice critical thinking skills and discover cultural connections through art and artifact discoveries at the UMFA and NHMU! Groups larger than 60 will be split into two groups and start at different locations. Limited to a total of 120 students.

UMFA | NHMU field trip dates:

November 12 and 13, 2025
December 3 and 10, 2025
January 8 and 22, 2026
February 11 and 26, 2026
March 12 and 18, 2026

Pre-lesson

Schedule A Partner Field Trip

Virtual Visits

Use video conferencing technology for real-time art tours of UMFA’s galleries, no matter your distance from the museum. These experiences are:

interactive, engaging, question-based, and object-centered.
aligned with Utah Core Standards and 21st-century learning skills promoting critical thinking, creativity, and communication.
full of art-making opportunities, from sketching to larger projects, with museum-supplied materials when available.
for all K-12 students with lessons adapted to the interests and age range of the group.
flexible with any teaching situation.
offered by appointment Tuesday–Thursday and scheduled at least two weeks in advance.
typically 45–60 minutes, but can be adapted upon request.

Explore the themes detailed below, or request a specific theme or topic. Each presentation can be adapted to shorter or longer periods of time by request.

Amplifying Voices (45-60 minutes)
Students will learn about the power of art to amplify their voices while engaging with the Create, Respond and Connect Visual Arts strands.

Art History Classroom Connections (45-60 minutes)
The UMFA is an ideal asset for students and teachers of history and art history. With our global collection, experience more than 5,000 years of human creativity. When requesting please specify a focus or theme (Geographic Area, AP Content Unit, etc.).

Special Exhibition: See Schedule (45-60 minutes)
The UMFA is committed to bringing quality exhibitions from around the world. See our schedule and give your students the opportunity to experience these virtually while they remain on view.

See all current exhibitions here and future exhibitions here.

Artwork Deep Dive (20-30 minutes)
Thoroughly examine an artwork as a group and build 21st Century skills, learning how to critique and understand through the practice of close looking.

Schedule visit

Zooming into Art

Use your school’s preferred video conferencing technology (Zoom, WebEx, etc.) to explore art through real-time interactive arts-based experiences. These are:

interactive, engaging, question-based, and object-centered.
aligned with Utah Core Standards and 21st-century learning skills promoting critical thinking, creativity, and communication.
full of art-making opportunities, from sketching to larger projects, with museum-supplied materials when available.
for all K-12 students with lessons adapted to the interests and age range of the group.
flexible with any teaching situation.
offered by appointment Tuesday–Thursday and scheduled at least two weeks in advance. Limited space is available.

Chakaia Booker, American, born 1953, discarded Memories, 2008, tires, wood, metal, and paint, Purchased with funds from the UMFA Young Benefactors and The Phyllis Cannon Wattis Endowment Fund, UMFA2009.15.1A, B

You may pick from one of the themes detailed below or request a specific theme or topic. Please note that grade levels are recommendations—each curriculum can be adapted for any age/grade level.

Elements of Art (3rd-5th)
Use your artistic tool belt as we discover the elements of art: line, shape, color, texture, and space! This digital field trip will introduce the elements of art as building blocks for artistic expression and investigate different ways artists use these elements to communicate ideas and tell stories. Students will gain confidence in their ability to connect with and talk about works of art, as well as cultivate their own creativity as they use the elements for inspiration and relaxation.

Life in Death: Exploring the Afterlife Around the World (6th–8th)
In this presentation, art will transport students across the world into different cultures examining many different beliefs around the afterlife. With the help of the UMFA’s global art collection, this presentation can be adapted for grades 6th-8th and aligns with state core social studies standards.

Robert Smithson and Spiral Jetty (9th–12th)
Robert Smithson’s monumental artwork, Spiral Jetty, located off Rozel Point in the north arm of Great Salt Lake is made of black basalt rocks and earth gathered from the site. Spiral Jetty is a 15-foot-wide spiral that stretches more than 1,500 feet into the lake. Celebrate this incredible work of art through an exciting and engaging digital tour that explores Spiral Jetty and its artist, Robert Smithson. We will take an in-depth look at the concept and building of the earthwork and explore themes important to Smithson’s work: color, entropy, spirals, and materials. This tour includes hands-on and artmaking components.

Schedule visit