The Art Gallery of Hamilton features fine art, curriculum connections, visual literacy skills and interactive learning for school classes, from kindergarten through high school. Our programmes encourage the experience of learning from original works of art, and working with professional artists. Come and experience how the AGH can enhance your class lessons!

Please plan your visit at least THREE weeks in advance ...

Turkstra Lumber School Tours
An hour-long exhibition tour led by Gallery Docents - available Tuesday through Friday, morning or afternoon sessions. For descriptions about current and upcoming exhibitions, click here.

Morning visits begin at 9:30 am, afternoon visits begin at 1:30 pm. A Tour-only visit is approximately one hour. Tour & Studio workshops are two hours. AGH Docents will greet you in the Reception Area.

Studio Workshops
An hour-long hands-on studio activity complements your tour, to make a complete two-hour Gallery experience - available Tuesday through Friday, morning or afternoon sessions.

Painting
Suitable for: All levels
Materials: Watercolour or acrylic paint, and chalk pastels as requested
Exhibitions: All, especially Canadian or European Collections - themes can be discussed when booking.

Printmaking
Suitable for: Elementary students, some advanced options available
Materials: Styrofoam printing plates, Plexiglas printing plates (for monoprints) printmaking ink, watercolour pencils, and simple tools
Exhibitions: All - studio will stress use of elements and principles of design, especially line and shape.

Drawing in the Gallery
Suitable for: Grades 7+, especially suited to Secondary Students
Materials: Artists pencils, kneadable erasers, and paper
Exhibitions: This activity can focus on any of the exhibitions, depending on teacher’s area of interest. It is important to note that the exhibition selected for this activity will not be included in the Guided Tour portion of the programme.

Collage & Mixed Media
Suitable for: Grades 5+, especially suited to Secondary Students
Materials: Various media, which can include charcoal, conté, oil or chalk pastel, and pencil
Exhibitions: All - selections from various exhibitions for subject, the creative use of line, and shading and use of colour.

NEW! Life Drawing
Suitable for: Secondary Students (groups up to 25 students)*
Time & Fees: Two-hour programme ($175 flat fee); three-hour intensive studio ($250 flat fee). An exhibition tour may be added to the programme at no additional charge.
Materials: Various drawing materials - charcoal, conté, pastel, pencil, and various papers.
Exhibitions: Blood, Sweat and Tears: Labour in Art and Baskin in Black and White.

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Questions and Activities before & after your visit

Please download the packages provided and use them to prepare for your Gallery experience. These are a starting point and should be adjusted to suit your grade and interests. During your tour, students will be able to share their ideas, and these questions and activities will give them things to think about. Remember, you might not have time to see all of these exhibitions, so be sure to tell us what you’d like to see. Also, please review below our Gallery Rules & Expected Behaviour with your class before your visit.

Click here for the FALL 2008 PRE-tour Planner (PDF)

Click here for the FALL 2008 POST-tour Planner (PDF)

Fall Exhibition Focus:

Canadian Historical Art
William Blair Bruce Memorial Donation
Home Again: Our Canadian Treasures Return
Inspiration Through Struggle: Leonard Hutchinson and the Great Depression

European and American Historical Art
In Motion: The Photography of Eadweard Muybridge
Blood, Sweat and Tears: Labour in Art
Baskin in Black & White: TD Great Masters Series
Light, Colour and Grace: The Romeo Collection

Contemporary Art
Pascal Grandmaison: Double Take (Canadian)
Story Time: Narrative in Contemporary Art
Carnival: Scenes from a Spectacle
Kim Adams’ Breugel Bosch Bus (Canadian)

*For descriptions about current and upcoming exhibitions, click here.

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Booking Information

Gallery Tour: $6.00 per student
Tour & Workshop: $7.00 per student

Free Preview Before You Visit: The AGH is pleased to provide a complimentary visit for any teacher wanting to preview the artwork on view. Please contact Laurie Kilgour-Walsh, Educator at 905-527-6610 ext. 272 to make preview arrangements and to discuss specific programme requirements. Click here for information about Teachers' Night!

Fees & Registration: To book a visit, please complete our faxable or email-able Registration Form, available below. Please plan your visit at least THREE weeks in advance.

Teachers and the required adult supervisors are admitted at no charge. Studio Workshops have a minimum group size of 15 students (smaller groups will be charged for 15). Final numbers are required 5 business days prior to your visit.

Method of Payment: Payment is due in full on the day of the visit, and can be paid at the front desk. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Debit, cash or cheque (payable to the 'Art Gallery of Hamilton').

Cancellation & Missed Visits: Any visits cancelled with fewer than FIVE business days’ notice must be charged to the school in full. No charge will be made for any visit missed due to inclement weather.

*Group Supervision: A minimum number of teacher or adult supervisors is required for all student groups. Supervisors must stay with their groups at all times and are responsible for the behaviour of the students.

        *Age 5 & younger : 1 adult for every 6 students
        *Grades 1-8 : 1 adult for every 10 students
        *Grades 9-12 : 1 adult for every 15 students

Register by E-mail: Click the REGISTER button and download the MSWord form. E-mail your completed form to laurie@artgalleryofhamilton.com. You will receive a confirmation e-mail within 3 business days.

by E-MAIL

Register by Fax: Click the REGISTER button and download the PDF form. Fax your completed form to 905-577-6940. You will receive a confirmation e-mail within 3 business days.

by FAX



For more information, please contact the Education Department at 905-527-6610 ext. 272, or e-mail laurie@artgalleryofhamilton.com.

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Gallery Rules & Expected Behavior

In order to ensure your group has the best visit possible, it is important that students understand the behaviour that is expected of them. Please note: The Docent (volunteer tour guide) is there to guide your students through an exploration of the Gallery and will look to you and your parent volunteers to manage your student’s behaviour and discipline.

In preparation for your visit, please discuss these important gallery rules with your class:

• Do not touch the artwork. Do not lean against walls or sculpture stands.
• During a gallery tour, only one person speaks at a time – sometimes this will be the Docent, sometimes this will be a student, but it is always important to listen when someone else is speaking.
• No photography is allowed in the Gallery, but is permitted in the Studio.
• No food or drink is allowed in the Gallery spaces (this includes gum).
• For school tours – ALL students’ purses, bags, coats etc. are to be left in the cloakroom with no exceptions. This room is locked when students leave so purses are secure.
• Horseplay, running and shouting are not tolerated.
• Pencils only in the exhibition spaces – no pens, coloured pencils or markers.

Suggested Activities:
Classroom discussion about artwork – Why Aren’t We Allowed to Touch?

"Did you know that a single fingerprint contains a variety of salts and oils that can damage a work of art? Accumulated salts and oils will stain wood, stone, paper and fabric, discolour paint and mar metal finishes. Fingernails, rings and even the lightest pressure from a touch can lead to loss and damage."

Start with a clean glass or window, and ask your class for a student who thinks their hands are clean to touch the glass or window and then look to see what has happened. You should see fingerprints left behind. Or pass a clean, clear object around the classroom. Once everyone has held it, look to see how clean it is (or isn’t).

Getting Everyone’s Attention Without Yelling
Many teachers have developed fun ways of getting their students’ attention without yelling over everyone else. Sometimes, a teacher will stand with their hand up. When the students see this they know that they should stop talking and raise their hand too. Once everyone’s hand is up, the class is quiet and the teacher can speak. Here at the Gallery, our artist-instructors clap a pattern of beats that the students repeat. Once everyone is listening and able to repeat the beat they have heard, the class is ready to continue.

What do you do to get your classes attention? We’d love to hear it, and to see it in action with your class. If you don’t already have this kind of activity in place in your class, try to think of one and share it with us!