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11 am – 5 pm

School & Teacher Programs


Dear Colleagues,

We invite you and your students to join us at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art to look, discover, question, and explore art through lively discussion, careful observation, and hands on artmaking. In a time when technology and AI are much in the news, we remind you that art sparks creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and innovation. In a time when social emotional learning is key to student well-being, we remind you that evidence shows that art making, and visiting art museums, can benefit mental health; supporting emotional resilience, helping us to understand who we are, and how we connect to others.

What can art do? Art can make us think: about history, the future, where we live, and how we live. How have artists used art to better communicate ideas? What can we learn from the past? How can art help make and build connections? How can bringing people together through art experiences inspire celebration, compassion, courage, and the will to act?

We hope students of all ages and abilities will feel welcome and confident expressing themselves in the safe, open, creative environment of the Museum, and that you as teachers will see us as a resource for your classroom as well; a place for inspiring personal connection.

Through our Educator Open House, online lesson plans, special programs, and workshops we hope you will gain skills and find new resources to enhance your teaching. In addition to our regular offerings, we look forward to the opportunity to work with you to develop a program that best fits your curricular needs.

“I am sure I speak for all of us when I say thank you for filling our cups!! What a pleasure to spend a day surrounded by art, artists, art teachers, art lovers, and actually get our hands back into creating something ourselves! I appreciate all of you and am grateful for the time we spent together, I feel uplifted!” –Teacher workshop participant

We are grateful for your continued commitment to your students and to art as an important part of your teaching. You recognize that art is not a "nice to have” but a “have to have.” You see art as the transformative vehicle it has always been.

Courage, compassion, creativity, curiosity, and community—you foster all these qualities in your classrooms. We hope you find that they are amplified and nurtured by your connection to the Museum and to art.

Sincerely,
Patsy Hicks
Director of Education
Santa Barbara Museum of Art

Educator Open House

Register today to join us on Wednesday, September 25, 2024

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art

SBMA’s fall Educator Open House introduces teachers to the special exhibitions and permanent collection on view during the 2024–2025 academic year. Starting at 4 pm, join us for opening remarks in the Museum's auditorium to hear about suggested themes and strategies for incorporating the visual arts into the classroom.

Register for the Educator Open House


Transportation Reimbursements Available

For more information on the Museum’s School and Teacher programs, please contact the Education at 805.884.6441 or email education@sbma.net.


SBMA Education Donors

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art gratefully acknowledges the generosity of our donors for their contributions to the Museum's Education Programs:

Nancy B. Schlosser and the Schlosser Family Trust
Carol MacCorkle
SBMA Women’s Board
Audrey Hillman Fisher Foundation

Rose Community Foundation
Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation
George H. and Olive J. Griffiths Charitable Foundation
Stone Family Foundation
David and Stefanie Jackson
Ridley-Tree Foundation
Kathleen Feldstein
Montecito Bank & Trust
Mary Lynn and Warren Staley

Jane and Ken Anderson, Bernadette Bagley, Betsy Blankenship, California Arts Council, Darryl Curran and Carole Brieant, Connie Frank and Evan Thompson, Martha Gabbert, Rosemarie and Bill Gebhart, Loree and Alan Gold, Beth Higbee, Mary Ellen Hoffman, Christy Jacobs, Lucille and Richard Janssen, Judy Jones, Jere and Fima Lifshitz, Loy Lytle and Sabina White, Mary McGrath, Ellen Morales, Rosemary and Nick Mutton, Michael O'Brien, Oshay Family Foundation, Debbie Pack, Diane Dodds-Reichert and David Reichert, Stephanie Reiss, Irene and Robert R. Stone, Sarah and Phillip Vedder, Maryan Schall, Kathy and Brian Schultz, Jacqueline and Stephen Simons, Ronald W. Steele, Candace Waid and David Marshall, Gary Wasserman and Sheila Greenbaum, Sharon Westby, Carla and Leslie Wilson, John T. Woodward IV, Maxine & Jack Zarrow Family Foundation, Zegar Family Fund in Honor of Betsy Newman, Ellen and Gregory Zeiger, Shiela and Bradley Zeiger, Christopher Zyda, and donations made to the Annual Fund.