Nasher in the News

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Family Days take place on select Sundays from 12 - 4 PM. On these days families visiting the museum enjoy live entertainment, create hands-on projects and explore exhibitions with a gallery hunt. Made possible in part by Duke Medicine, Nordstrom and RBC Bank.

2011-2012 Family Days

May 20, 2012
Sept. 23, 2012
Nov. 18, 2012
Jan. 27, 2013
March 17, 2013
May 5, 2013
Visit the calendar page of our website for additional information.

Support for the Nasher Museum’s education programs is provided by Nordstrom, the Fox Family Foundation, and SunTrust Foundation. In-kind support is provided by The Container Store®.

If you would like to learn about Teacher programs through the Nasher's Educators listserv, please send an e-mail message to sympa@duke.edu and include "Subscribe Nasher-Teachers" (without the quotes) in the subject or body of your e-mail. To be added to our snail mail list send your name and address to NasherEd@duke.edu.

Teacher Programs

The Nasher Museum offers free teacher programs throughout the year.

FREE K-12 Educator Workshop
Thursday, February 9, 2012, 4 – 6 PM
February’s workshop will focus on the exhibition Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, Joy. During this FREE program, participants receive partial CEU credit and interdisciplinary curriculum-based materials to use in the classroom. View a slide preview of the exhibition, experiment with hands-on art activities, network with peers, enjoy refreshments and learn about field trip opportunities.

Please note: the exhibition will not yet be open at the time of this workshop. All teachers who attend this workshop will receive a ticket to attend the Educator Open House on Monday, February 27.

Registration deadline: Monday, February 6, 2012. The program is free, but space is limited, so early registration is encouraged. Register online now.

FREE K-12 Educator Open House
Monday, February 27, 2012, 4 – 7 PM
Attend this FREE event exclusively for educators to tour the exhibition Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, Joy. This program will begin with a presentation by Kristi Lippire and Jason Middlebrook, contemporary artists from the exhibition. Participants will then explore the exhibition independently and enjoy a light reception.

Registration deadline: Wednesday, February 22, 2012.
Educators who attend the workshop on February 9 will receive a ticket to this event. All others should register online now. The program is free, but space is limited, so early registration is encouraged.

Teacher Resources

The Education Department develops a number of materials for teachers to use with their students including background information about exhibitions, Pre-Visit and Post-Visit activities, images and lists of selected resources. Teachers who attend teacher programs or schedule a guided or self-guided tour receive folders with these materials. These materials are also available upon request. You can request materials by sending your mailing address to NasherEd@duke.edu or by calling 919.684.8816.

Before requesting a K-12 Guided Tour, please check this calendar for tour availability. Tour times listed on the calendar are currently available for the number of students listed in parenthesis. This calendar will be updated as often as possible, but it does not reflect a "real-time" schedule of K-12 tour reservations.

Request a guided or self-guided K-12 visit

Bus Scholarships

Bus scholarships are available for a limited number of K-12 guided field trips to the museum. Please contact NasherEd@duke.edu, or call 919.684.8816, to find out if your school qualifies.

Guided Tours

Special format for Spring 2012
Guided tours last 60 minutes for K-12 school groups. On their tour, students will discuss approximately seven artworks in the Calder exhibition. Guided tours engage students in discussions about the artwork on view while encouraging critical thinking and the development of higher-order processing skills.

Groups visiting the museum on Fridays will add a 20 minute hands-on mobile-making activity.

During the summer season, all guided tours last 60 minutes and include hands-on activities in the museum galleries.

Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art
Recommended for grades K-12
Available March 6 – June 1, 2012
Discover balance, motion and inspiration with the mobiles and stabiles of Alexander Calder and seven contemporary artists influenced by his work in the exhibition Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, Joy.

FREE K-12 Educator Open House
The open house will highlight the exhibition:
Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, Joy
Monday, February 27, 2012, 4 – 7 PM
Register by February 22, 2012

Art Passport: Summer Groups Explore the Nasher
Recommended for grades K-8
Available for summer camp groups
With a focus on fun hands-on activities, students examine and explore art from all of the museum’s current exhibitions on this interactive tour designed specifically for summer groups.

Art Squared – Kinetic Works Dancers Science in Motion:
Balance, Patterns, & Laws of Motion Performance
Friday, April 27, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Suggested for 5th and 6th grade students
FREE at Reynolds Theater, Duke University West Campus
The Nasher Museum partners with the Durham Arts Council’s CAPS program to expand your museum visit. Charlotte-based dance group Kinetic Works Dancers will present their Science in Motion: Balance, Patterns, & Laws of Motion performance. Science in Motion performances reinforce concepts from science curriculum with ties to the kinetic sculptures and mobiles of Alexander Calder. Connections are made through choreographic works including: Simple Machines and Tools, Life Cycles, and Newton’s Laws of Motion.

Groups will take a guided tour of the exhibition prior to the April 27th performance. Call 919-684-8816 or email NasherEd@duke.edu to schedule your museum visit and reserve your seats for this event.

Self-Guided Tours

Self-guided groups or teacher-led school tours are permitted in all of our galleries. We highly recommend that educators preview exhibitions prior to the student visit to assure the content in each gallery is age appropriate.

Admission fees apply for self-guided groups visiting the Calder exhibition.

Self-guided visits must be scheduled in advance.

Before requesting a K-12 Guided Tour, please check this calendar for tour availability. Tour times listed on the calendar are currently available for the number of students listed in parenthesis. This calendar will be updated as often as possible, but it does not reflect a "real-time" schedule of K-12 tour reservations.

Request a guided or self-guided K-12 visit

What to Expect during a Guided Tour at the Nasher Museum of Art

• Inquiry-based tour approach where students and Gallery Guide discuss artworks.
• Opportunity to practice critical thinking skills.
• Focused discussions on a selected group of about 6-10 works of art.
• All guided tours meet multiple North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Standards.
• Tours engage multiple learning styles.

Preparing for Your School Tour
Special Needs: Help us create an inclusive program. Please inform us in advance of any students with cognitive, emotional or physical disabilities in your group. We will do our best to adapt the program to best meet everyone's needs.

Class Size: Classes will tour the museum in groups of 10 -15 students. Usually we can accommodate a maximum of 60 students per tour time.

Chaperones for guided tours:
--Grades K-5: 1 chaperone for every 5 students.
--Grades 6-8: 2 chaperones for every 15 students.
--Grades 9-12: 1 chaperone for every 15 students.

Chaperones for self-guided groups: We require 1 chaperone for every 5 students.

Lunch: K-12 school groups may eat lunch or snacks in the Community Classroom only if this space is reserved in advance. The Community Classroom seats a maximum of 32 people. Weather permitting, school groups may picnic on museum grounds in designated areas only. Outside food and drink are not permitted anywhere else in the museum or on museum grounds.

Questions About School Tours
Contact the Associate Curator of Education nashered@duke.edu / 919.684.8816.