Self-guided Tours (NEW!)
Wednesdays-Saturdays
11am-5pm
This fall the AGA is introducing a new program option for School Groups – self-guided tours! School groups and groups of school-aged children can come anytime during AGA public hours for up to 3 hours and enjoy the current exhibitions. Enjoy the flexibility to come and go on your own schedule! The self-guided option will include an orientation from an AGA staff or volunteer when you arrive and a place to store bags and coats.
In-Person Tours
Join us in-Gallery for close looking and thoughtful reflections. Each tour is 90-minutes in length.
Tiny Art Adventures (K-Gr.1)
This interactive visit introduces young students to art and the museum through age-appropriate multi-sensory investigations and art activities. Students examine how artists use the elements of art (a visual vocabulary or alphabet) to create meaning in their work.
Making Sense of Art (Gr. 1-3)
Students interpret featured artwork using their senses. This tour builds on key concepts in current exhibitions through visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile vocabularies and full body experiences. Each stop features art activities or games, and moments of playful reflection.
Science of Museums (Gr. 1-6)
Art and science connect in this inquiry-based program. Students investigate art, architecture, engineering and conservation through a variety of open-ended exercises and close observations. Students explore exhibitions using the scientific method (asking questions, making predictions, gathering clues and testing theories) to discover what these two disciplines have in common.
Artist as Storyteller (Gr. 2-6)
Through multi-sensory discovery and play, students explore the connection between visual and written texts, including strategies for interacting with art, and the development of creative narratives in response to visual imagery. This thematic visit includes brainstorming, story sequencing and oral storytelling activities.
Learning to Look (Gr. 2-12)
Students explore the art and architecture of the AGA to practice close-looking and observation strategies while strengthening their visual literacy and visual thinking skills. This program introduces multiple ways of looking at art while focusing on how students can connect art and ideas to their own lives and experiences.
Art Beyond Borders (Gr. 7-12)
Students explore art through a variety of contextual lenses including historical, geographical and cultural to identify how art and images change across cultures and throughout time. This program explores the concept of ‘worldview’ challenging students to consider their personal worldview, the worldview of the artist or curator and how artwork can both influence or be influenced by worldview.
Exhibition Explorations (Gr. 10-12, post-secondary)
Students choose 2-3 exhibitions to explore alongside our knowledgeable Educators. Students are prompted to consider the curatorial key messages and artist statements while forming their own appreciation for the artwork through visual literacy strategies, thoughtful discussion in small groups, drawing and/or writing prompts, and personal reflections.
Meet the Artist: Tom Thomson | Feb 17-May 26 (Gr. 1-12)
Embark on a captivating journey into the world of Tom Thomson with this interactive exhibition visit, where the life and artistry of this iconic Canadian painter comes to life. Immerse yourself in his breathtaking landscapes of the Canadian wilderness. Delve into the profound impact of Thomson's legacy, as you explore his life, passion for nature, and the lasting influence of his works on the Canadian art scene. Exhibition activities shed a light on the story behind his works, which have left an indelible mark on generations to come.
In-Person Studio Sessions
Come visit the AGA Education Studios for an art-making experience! Each studio session is 2-hours in length.
Colour Play (K-2)
Students explore their world through colour with multi-sensory and experimental colour exercises. Starting in the studio, students combine, share, and play to learn about colour mixing. Students then use their five senses to explore colour in Gallery spaces through search games and movement activities. Back in the studio, students work in groups to create a large scale mural inspired by different types of music.
Play on Architecture (K-3)
Students examine the art and architecture of the AGA focusing on lines, shapes, colour, and textures. Students compare and contrast architectural elements in the gallery before creating their own 3D architectural sculpture in studio using wood-blocks.
My Place (Gr. 1-6)
Students explore the idea of ‘place’ and their own place in the world through storytelling, gallery explorations and a mixed-media sculpture project. Students investigate the basic elements of landscape art including foreground, mid-ground and background, and visit gallery spaces to discover how artists tell stories about ‘places’ in their artwork. In the studio, students work with a variety of materials to build their own 3-dimensional relief sculpture based on a place that is important to them.
Architecture Olympics (Gr. 3-9)
How can design be used to make our lives better, easier, or more fun? Students will discover how design is all around us and shapes our lives and lifestyle. Design learning, inquiry-based activities, critical and creative thinking are all key concepts. Students will engage in a process of design which will have them looking at and thinking critically about the built and artistic world that surrounds us.
Curating Collections (Gr. 7-12)
Students look more closely at how art is collected and curated through a series of in-gallery discussions and activities. Students identify artistic subject matter and themes, experiment with mixed media techniques to create miniature artworks on paper, and try their hand at writing a curatorial statement. How meaning is constructed and manipulated by artists, curators/collectors and viewers.
Collector’s Cosmos | Nov 4, 2023-Jan 28, 2024 (Gr. 1-12)
Students will explore how prints, with their unassuming lines and monochromatic essence, possess the remarkable ability to capture knowledge. Despite their simplicity, prints can serve as a captivating form of documentation, capable of vividly depicting events that were forged in the vastness of stars or through their vast and varied assemblage that resembles a cosmos. In the studio, students will apply concepts studied in the exhibition to create a unique relief print
Virtual Conversations
These 30-min artful conversations are facilitated online through Google Meet or Microsoft TEAMS.
Art & Music (Kinders)
Investigate BIG IDEAS through colour, music, mood and imagination. In this session for Kinders, students use their senses and body expression to examine how artists share their thoughts about the world around them.
Art Collection Adventure (K-3)
The AGA has over 6,000 objects in our collection. In this session, students get a behind-the-scene look at how we store ALL of that art while uncovering a few gems hidden in our vaults.
Art in My Neighbourhood (Gr. 1-3)
A celebration of public art in the city and local artists in the AGA collection. Students explore how landscape and geography inform the type of art that is made and how it holds meaning for a community.
Indigenous Artists in the Collection (Gr. 4-6)
Shining a light on Indigenous artists in the AGA Collection, students investigate the art practices of celebrated icons Jane Ash Poitras, Alex Janvier, Brian Jungen and Dana Claxton.
Through the Lens (Gr. 7-9)
Students examine the photographs of artists Edward Burtynsky and Tanya Harnett to discover how each artist/photographer relates to the land and environment through their unique perspective.
New Acquisitions (gr. 10-12)
As a collecting museum, the AGA has a holding of over 6,000 art objects. In this session, students learn about how artworks are obtained, how they are conserved and get a first look at our newest acquisitions.
Virtual Studios
These 60-minute online sessions include discussions and art-making activities. These programs are facilitated on Google Meet or Microsoft TEAMS
Layered Landscapes (Gr. 1-3)
Landscapes have long captivated artists and viewers alike. This session introduces students to the basics of landscape composition and invites them to create a one-of-a-kind layered painting.
Artists for a Better World (Gr. 4-6)
Artists are in a unique position to understand the injustices of the world and use their art as a platform to speak out for the ideas they believe in. Students will look at artist/activists in the AGA collection before creating a poster or zine about a social justice topic they feel strongly about.
Barn Skull (Gr. 7-9)
Students are introduced to artist Jude Griebel through Barn Skull, a large-scale anthropomorphic barn that playfully contemplates the past and future of rural communities. Students will create their own anthropomorphic portrait inspired by their own experiences of our vastly changing world.
Sketchbook Retreat (Gr. 10-12)
These sessions begin with a look at two contemporary artists from current exhibitions and/or from the AGA Collection. Students are invited to participate in fun and informal conversations about the art while drawing in their sketchbooks.