The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts offers a diverse selection of educational opportunities that help students explore math, science, reading, music and more through the arts.
AMFA Amplified is supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Arts Council, a division of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts, and is presented in partnership with the Central Arkansas Library System. Additional funding is provided by Nucor Divisions – Arkansas and a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Virtual Field Trips
Virtual field trips offer interdisciplinary learning opportunities focused on the visual and performing arts.
Under Construction! All About Architecture
Elementary School | Grade 2
Learn about the new building in this interactive STEAM-based program that introduces art, design, and architecture through a virtual exploration of the construction of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts’ new building. Throughout the 45-minute virtual field trip, a trained volunteer educator will guide your class through an interdisciplinary lesson that connects architecture, art, math, and reading.
Students will be led through open dialogue and…
Receive an introduction to architecture and art vocabulary.
Learn about architecture by watching building footage of our new facility.
Apply math and reading principles they learned in the classroom in new ways to see how these disciplines connect to the arts.
This is a free program for schools and registration is required in advance. A digital guide, created in partnership with curriculum specialists at Little Rock’s Episcopal Collegiate School, features art, reading, vocabulary, and math activities to utilize before/after the virtual field trip is included.
Virtual Studio Learning
Elementary School | Grades K – 5
Explore the arts from anywhere in Arkansas! In this two-week program, local artists and AMFA staff will introduce students to works from the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Foundation Collection and performing arts activities. Students will learn about artists, build skills in both performing and visual arts, and spend each week working towards Play and Display, a culminating celebration where students will virtually perform and showcase their art.
This two-week program cost schools $500 for each group of 25 students. Included in the package are four 60-minute live virtual programs and four pre-recorded videos featuring Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts staff to be used in the classroom. A list of supplies for all activities will be provided in advance.
Virtual Theatre Lab
Middle & High School | Grades 6 – 12
Take to the virtual stage from wherever you are in the state! In this two-week program, students in grades 6-12 participate in solo and ensemble work from your classroom and/or online via Zoom. Students will receive weekly performance and design prompts and check-ins from theatre teaching artists while exploring skills in creative problem solving, collaboration, communication, creativity, empathy, and resilience.
Teachers receive an AMFA Virtual Theatre Lab Guide Sheet with corresponding education standards and methods to inspire creativity and maximize students’ potential beyond the scheduled virtual instruction time.
This two-week program costs schools $500 for each group of 25 students.
For 60 years, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts has opened a door for young people to showcase their artistic talents and skills through the annual Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition. Arkansas students – from kindergarten through 12th grade – submit works of art in a variety of media. A grand juror awards a Best of Class and two Honorable Mentions per grade, as well as the Ray Smenner Award for Painting and the Mid-Southern Watercolorists Award for Watercolor. The Young Arkansas ArtistsExhibition also rewards each winner’s schools to benefit their art programs and encourage further engagement with the arts.
In 2020, the 59thYoung Arkansas Artists Exhibition moved to an online format. This year’s online gallery will be expanded to include more artworks on view, allowing more students to see their hard work on display.
The 60th Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition is supported by Isabel and John Ed Anthony; the Deer Family Joint Trust in memory of Mrs. Florence Deer; Ces and Drew Kelso; Judy C Thompson Trust; and Edafio Technology Partners. The awards are supported by Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Mid-Southern Watercolorists.
