For Schools

Let the Wexner Center help you expand your classroom with all the connections contemporary art can offer. Drawing from the center’s exhibitions, performances, and film/video screenings, our programs emphasize active looking and learning and complement curricula in language arts, social studies, science, foreign languages, math, and history—as well as in the arts. School programs help K–12 students work toward key academic content standards by encouraging the development of critical thinking, comprehension skills, and creativity.

Remember: school programs are always free at the Wexner Center and bus subsidies are available; contact us at education@wexarts.org or at (614) 292-6493.

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Tours

A group of people tour a gallery.

School tours highlight the Wexner Center's exhibitions and architecture, with content that is age appropriate and can be customized to enhance your classroom curriculum. Tours and admission for students, teachers, and chaperones is free. Find details on the Tours page.

  • Teachers, are you bringing your class to the Wexner Center soon? Find out more about our upcoming exhibitions here.

Pages: Art and Literacy

A stack of Pages books on a table.

High school students participating in the Pages program visit the Wexner Center at least three times during the school year, to experience visual arts, performing arts, and film projects, and to develop their own responses through poetry, prose, and art work. Pages is free for participants, including transportation and admission.

  • Find out more about Pages here.

Call & Response

A teen holds a sign.

A responsive school program that works closely with students who are doing student-led, student driven work in their schools and community. This program provides resources and various access points to contemporary art as students explore contemporary social issues. The program operates both in and beyond school hours, and provides creative integration to support activated students with their community service learning initiatives. This program cultivates a partnership with students while including teacher(s), adult mentors, and the parents that support these students. Programming is driven by youths participating in service learning initiatives in school and in the community. Call & Response is open to student-led groups or clubs in any central Ohio school. In 2016-18, we worked with students at Fort Hayes HS. In 2018-19, we will work with students at Westerville North HS.

Performing Arts for Kids

Two actors perform The Young King play.

At least once a year the Wex presents a performing arts experience with as much international renown and cutting edge experimentation as our mainstage presentations: but created with a child audience in mind. Free performances of these shows are available to K-12 groups during the school day and include curriculum resources.

WorldView

A student talks to her peers.

Every thinking mind needs a worldview. This half-day seminar for students grades 8–12 builds on the cross-cultural understandings and perspectives that engage and influence many contemporary artists. Each year, the Wexner Center invites artists making work of cultural, political, social, and economic impact to offer students a broad cultural context for critical and creative thinking and help them gain global literacy. Subject to availability, this program provides experiences with multiple art-making disciplines, including visual arts (painting, sculpture, photography), media arts (filmmaking and video art), and performing arts (theater, dance, and music).

  • Click here for WorldView events and check out the WorldView blog here.

Expanded Classroom: Contemporary Art in Practice

A child wraps himself in fabric.

Each exhibition in our galleries presents opportunities to explore different techniques employed by today’s artists. In these programs, students tour an exhibition or watch a film, then work directly with an artist to expand their knowledge of a specific art form. Expanded Classroom also offers hands-on workshops with artists in the classroom.