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Through our complicated history, through light and shadow, we have persevered – humanity intact.
Art is the reason.

PREK—12 STUDENT TOURS

In compliance with current CDC guidelines and regulations on group sizes the Gibbes is not currently offering PreK-12 tours. We are developing digital initiatives and opportunities for all ages to bring the Gibbes Museum into schools. Please contact Becca Hiester, Associate Curator of Education, for more information about virtual programs.

As guidelines for groups change, we will update information about group opportunities at the Gibbes. If you have any questions about tours in the future, please contact Chase Quinn, Program and Tour Coordinator

$7 per student; Title I school groups are free

Student groups must have one chaperone for every ten students. These chaperones are required and their admission is free; additional chaperones will require a fee. Guided tours must be scheduled at least three weeks in advance. Choose from the tours below. Depending on your schedule, tours can include hands-on and interactive activities. Please see our tour form for full details.

All tours build world class skills as defined by the Profile of the SC Graduate: Creativity and innovation; Critical thinking and problem solving; Collaboration and teamwork; Communication, informations, media and technology; and Knowing how to learn. Tours relate to South Carolina Learning Standards in the following subjects: Visual Arts (VA), English Language Arts (ELA), Social Studies (SS), and are infused with STEM subjects.
Download an orientation presentation to prepare for your visit.

To request a tour, download a Group Tour Request form (PDF) and send it to [email protected].

PreK—2: Where the Real Things Are

What does it mean to collect works of art? What is a museum and what makes the Gibbes special from other museums in town? Students will be introduced to museum etiquette and the many different types of art found in an art museum. They’ll also explore portraits, landscapes, still lifes, and genre scenes in a variety of media.

Curriculum Connections:

VA, SS, ELA
Download a list of SC Learning Standards addressed. (PDF)

  • Major Goals:

  • Examine the different kinds of objects that can be found in an art museum
  • Recognize that items created by an artist are original and unique
  • Discover how art objects connect to our lives
  • Become familiar with museum etiquette and have a fun museum experience

PreK—5: The Artist’s Eye

Tour the Museum and learn to look at art with an artist’s eye. Students will learn to recognize different media, techniques, and art styles, while focusing on the basic elements of art: shape, line, color, form, space, and texture. Discussing the elements of any work of art is a great way to get students to look at and talk about art.

Curriculum Connections:

VA, ELA, SS
Download a list of SC Learning Standards addressed. (PDF)

  • Major Goals:

  • Learn unifying characteristics of paintings, sculpture, decorative arts
  • Learn how artists use different techniques to create a work of art
  • Analyze differences between 2D and 3D shapes/works of art
  • Look at different materials, how they vary, and why the artist chose them

PreK—12: Face Time

Get face to face with the many people who live at the Gibbes. This interactive tour, featuring gallery discussions and hands-on activities, takes students through the Museum to explore the characteristics and language of portraiture. The portrait is not only an important element in the arts; it also plays a key role in history and cultural and individual identity.

Curriculum Connections:

VA, ELA
Download a list of SC Learning Standards addressed. (PDF)

  • Major Goals:

  • Understand why artists create portraits
  • Recognize the variety of ways a portrait can be executed
  • Trace the evolution of portraits through time

Grades 4—12 One More River to Cross: Journey through African American Art at the Gibbes

Explore the collection’s wonderful works by African American artists and those depicting African Americans from colonial to contemporary art. Students will examine and discuss how the visual language of African Americans has evolved over time.

Curriculum Connections:

VA, ELA, SS
Download a list of SC Learning Standards addressed. (PDF)

  • Major Goals:

  • See African Americans represented in the museum as artists and subjects
  • Learn the different paths to becoming an artist
  • Make connections between artwork and artists’ lives and their own experiences

Grades 3—12 The Tell Tale Art

Every work of art tells a story. Sometimes these stories are about the people and places represented; sometimes they’re about the artists who made them. On this fun and interdisciplinary tour, students will use works of art in the Gibbes’ permanent collection to write their own imaginative stories. They will learn to look for clues in the artwork as they identify key aspects of stories like setting, characters, plot, and sequence.

Curriculum Connections:

VA, ELA, SS
Download a list of SC Learning Standards addressed. (PDF)

  • Major Goals:

  • Learn the three main components of a story: character, setting, and plot
  • Learn how to find visual clues in a work of art
  • Learn to observe closely
  • Use visual evidence and clues in the artwork to compose a story

Grades 4—8 Our Charleston: South Carolina History and Beyond

Students will learn about the history and art of Charleston, the South, and America on this tour. From early colonial times to the Civil War, Reconstruction, economic expansion and the Charleston Renaissance, to contemporary issues of race and heritage, Charleston has been a center of American history and art. This tour examines how artwork documents history and how artists and artistic movements reflect trends throughout the south and United States. Exact timeframes covered will match grade level standards and teacher’s request.

Curriculum Connections:

VA, ELA, SS
Download a list of SC Learning Standards addressed. (PDF)

  • Major Goals:

  • Possess a greater understanding of major events in South Carolina and US history
  • Learn that art is an expression of its time
  • Learn about people and their lives by studying their portraits