San Antonio Museum of Art - Dining at SAMA

Classroom Visits and Resources

SAMA on the Go!

The San Antonio Museum of Art is dedicated to bringing arts education to San Antonio area schools. Through SAMA on the Go, Museum-trained docents lead interactive discussions of works of art, make personal connections, and lead classroom activities that encourage creative expression.

SAMA on the Go is open to K-6 classrooms.

Presentations are 1 hour long (30 minutes of interactive discussion + 30 minutes of hands-on art activity).
Two week's advance reservation is required.
SAMA can accommodate groups of 15-30 students. Special accommodations will be made for larger groups.
Teacher(s) must be present.
Free of charge. A donation, no matter how small, will help SAMA on the Go volunteers continue their outreach efforts (a $15 donation is suggested).
Ask about our bilingual docents.

Available Themes:

Animals in Art (recommended for K-2nd grade)
Stories in Art (recommended for 3rd-6th grade)
Mythology in Ancient Greece and Rome (recommended for 4th-6th grade)

Download the request form for SAMA on the Go!

SAMA's Traveling Trunks

Take a journey through time and culture with SAMA's Traveling Trunks project. Designed to increase student exposure to the arts, Traveling Trunks allow students the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of history and culture through hands-on experiences. Each trunk contains specially designed costumes based on works of art from the Museum's collections and reproductions of artworks with accompanying descriptions, books, lesson plans and music.

All activities are aligned with 6th grade TEKS but can be adapted for other grades as needed.

Trunks may be checked out for up to 2 weeks at a time.
A non-refundable fee of $25 is required for the rental of each trunk. Funding is available.
Borrower must arrange a date and time to pick up and return trunk.
Borrower agrees to check all items against inventory list before return and agrees to pay for lost or damaged items.
Late fees of $5 per day apply.

Available Traveling Trunks:

Japan
Early America
Ancient Greece and Rome
Ancient Egypt
Latin American Folk Art
China
Oceania
Ancient Near East
India
Spanish Colonial Art
Contemporary Art

Download the Traveling Trunks Program Overview

Download the Traveling Trunks Lending Agreement

K-12 Educator Programs

Advance registration and payments are required. Access the registration form.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012 - 5:30–7:30 p.m., 2 CPE/GT
Evening for Educators: Aphrodite and the Gods of Love and Take One Object
Known today as the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, or Venus as she was known to the Romans, was one of the most powerful ancient Greek divinities and a favorite subject in ancient art. Aphrodite and the Gods of Love reveals a more complex picture of this popular ancient goddess. Celebrate the special exhibition and learn how to be a part of SAMA's new educator program emphasizing cross-curricular learning through the in-depth exploration of one object in the Museum's collection. Learn how you can win a cash prize by participating in the Museum’s Take One Object program.
Saturday, November 10, 2012 - 10 a.m.–3 p.m., 5 CPE/GT
Saturday Educator Workshop: Beauty Around the World
Explore standards of beauty and customs adopted by various cultures in this survey of the Museum's collection. Incorporate art, aesthetics and social studies in hands-on lessons that focus on various aspects of beauty. Learn what is considered beautiful in a variety of cultures from Pre-Columbian Latin America to Asia.
Saturday, January 26, 2013 - 10 a.m.–4 p.m., 6 CPE/GT
Saturday Educator Workshop: The Chemistry of Color
Take a step back in time! Mix paints and pigments using techniques from the past while learning the history of paints and pigments found in the Museum's collections. Science and art converge in this workshop with hands-on activities and interdisciplinary lessons for the classroom.
Saturday, April 6, 2013 - 10 a.m.–3 p.m., 5 CPE/GT
Saturday Educator Workshop: Early Childhood Series —1, 2, 3, Sí!
Count on lively lessons for the early childhood classroom in the workshop inspired by SAMA's first children's book: 1,2,3, Sí! Art elements such as line, shape and color are reinforced with literacy in hands-on lessons. Participants will receive a copy of the book for their classroom.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013 - 5:30–7:30 p.m., 2 CPE/GT
Evening for Educators: Take One Object: Pasión Popular
Join us as we celebrate and learn from the winners of the Take One Object program. Tour the special exhibition Pasión Popular: Spanish and Latin American Folk Art from the Cecere Collection while you enjoy refreshments and hands-on activites designed for the K-12 classroom.
Tuesday, June 18–Friday, June 21, 2013 - 10 a.m.–3 p.m. daily, 20 CPE/GT
Summer Teacher Institute: Myths and Stories in Art
Every picture tells a story, and SAMA’s encyclopedic collection has objects from many cultures with a variety of fascinating stories. Learn to combine art with myths and stories to enhance learning in your classroom. Interdisciplinary lessons combining art, social studies and science will be presented in a hands-on environment.

Lesson Plans and Pre-Visit Guides

2011-2013 Education Brochure

This brochure provides information about learning opportunities for both K-12 students and educators at the San Antonio Museum of Art during the 2011-2013 school year.

2011-2013 Educator Brochure

Teacher Resource Guides

Teacher Resource Guide: Asian Art in Focus

This guide provides an overview of the primary cultural regions addressed in the collections of the Lenora and Walter F. Brown Asian Art Wing, with maps and time lines to assist in teachers’ development of lessons to utilize the collection. Each geographical region includes highlights of the collection,with curatorial notes about the significance of the objects, their function and how they were made. Access the complete Asian Art in Focus: A Resource Guide for Educators PDF.

The Asian Art in Focus: A Resource Guide for Educators has also been separated into smaller sections which can be downloaded more easily. Access the Lesson Worksheets PDF. You are encouraged to develop your own lesson plans for these pieces of artwork found in the new Lenora and Walter F. Brown Asian Art Wing.

Teacher Resource Guide: Retratos: 2,000 Years of Latin American Portraits

This Guide and other resources are available at http://www.retratos.org/education.php.

The guide is designed to be used with grades 4–12, although teachers of younger students will be able to adapt the information and activities for their own needs. The guide is divided into sections that correspond to the five main periods of Latin American portraiture: Pre-Columbian (100 B.C.–A.D. 1492), Viceregal (1492–1810), Independence (1810–1910), Modern (1910–80) and Contemporary (1980–present). The timeline and map provided in this packet will help you and your students place artworks in their historical and geographical context. Each of the five sections opens with learning objectives that help identify core concepts. These are followed by a list of terms and vocabulary, which are explained in the text and defined in the glossary at the back of the guide. Students’ familiarity with these terms will aid in class discussion. Each section provides historical and cultural background information on special topics and makes connections to specific artworks. Suggested activities are provided for use both before and after visiting the exhibition, with correlations to National Education Standards listed. “Looking Exercises,” which can be used with the transparencies in this packet, allow students to creatively and critically explore the subject of Latin American portraiture. This guide was intended to help facilitate and enrich the experience for teachers and students experience as they toured the special exhibition Retratos: 2,000 Years of Latin American Portraits (February 4 - April 30, 2006), but can also be used independently long after the exhibition has closed.