Interested in a Group tour?
To schedule a tour for children or school groups, please contact [email protected] or
540-204-4120 for more information.
“But What Is It?” – Abstract Art Tour
What can a work of abstract art tell us when there are no people, places, or familiar objects to explain the story?
In this engaging, Virginia Standards of Learning-aligned tour, students become active observers as they explore It’s a Party! Abstract Work from the Permanent Collection. Rather than simply asking “What is it?”, students will learn to look closely at how artists use line, shape, color, form, and other visual elements to communicate ideas, moods, and meaning. Through guided discussion and works selected from the Taubman’s Permanent Collection, students will practice observation, interpretation, critical thinking, and visual literacy—discovering along the way that the same work of art can inspire different responses and that there isn’t always just one “right” way to see it.
The experience continues in the studio, where students put those ideas into practice. Inspired by music and emotion, they’ll experiment with the elements of art to create an original abstract work of their own—making intentional artistic choices about how a color, line, or shape can express an idea or feeling.
Designed for Virginia public school students in grades K–12 and homeschool learners, the tour connects directly with grade-level Virginia Visual Arts Standards of Learning while giving students something equally valuable: the confidence to look at unfamiliar art, ask questions, form their own interpretations, and explain the thinking behind them.
Related SOLS:
Kindergarten Visual Arts: K.1-K.5, K.7, K.8, K.11-K.13
1st Visual Arts: 1.1-1.5, 1.11-1.13, 1.17
2nd Visual Arts: 2.1,-2.5, 2.7, 2.11, 2.12, 2.17
3rd Visual Arts: 3.1a-3.5, 3.7, 3.11, 3.12, 3.15
4th Visual Arts: 4.1, 4.2a-4.5, 4.7, 4.11, 4.12, 4.15
5th Visual Arts: 5.1, 5.2b-5.5, 5.7, 5.11, 5.12, 5.15
6th Visual Arts: 6.1-6.2b, 6.3-6.5, 6.7, 6.12, 6.17
7th Visual Arts: 7.1-7.2b, 7.3-7.5, 7.7, 7.12, 7.17
8th Visual Arts: 8.1a, 8.3-8.5, 8.7, 8.12, 8.17
9th Visual Arts: AI.1, AI.2i,AI.3, AI.4, AI.5, AI.6acd, AI.12, AI.15, AI.17
10th Visual Arts: AII.1, AII.3ab, AII.4-AII.6, AII.12, AII.15, AII.17
11th Visual Arts: AIII.2b, AIII.3acd, AIII.4, AIII.5, AIII.6bd, AIII.15, AIII.17
12th Visual Arts: AIV.3ab, AIV.4-AIV.6, AIV.15
Duration: 90 minutes for 2-3 classes/groups; 120 minutes for 4 classes/groups
Cost: $5 per student, required chaperones free (1 per 10 children required), additional chaperones $5
Roanoke County K-1st grade free
Washington’s Greatest Victory: History, Geography, and Art Tour
Bring American history to life as students explore the Siege of Yorktown through art, maps, and objects connected to the victory that effectively ended the Revolutionary War. Organized in collaboration with George Washington’s Mount Vernon and presented during the 250th anniversary of American independence, Washington’s Greatest Victory: Yorktown and American Art gives students an opportunity to examine how artists have used portraits, landscapes, battle scenes, and commemorative images to tell the story of Yorktown—and shape how this pivotal event has been remembered.
Through guided observation and discussion, students will practice historical inquiry, visual literacy, critical thinking, and interpretation, considering questions such as: How can we use art as historical evidence? What choices does an artist make when depicting an event? And how might an image influence our understanding of history?
The learning continues with a hands-on project connecting art, history, and geography. Drawing inspiration from George Washington’s early work as a land surveyor, students will explore mapmaking concepts including symbolism, cardinal directions, and scale before creating a map-based artwork of their own.
Designed for Virginia public school and homeschool learners, this interdisciplinary tour transforms the gallery into another kind of classroom—one where students can investigate history through artifacts and original works of art and connect visual evidence with what they are learning in school.
Related SOLs:
Kindergarten:
History: K.1, K.2, K.3,K-4, K.5, K-6, K-7
Visual Arts: K.1-K.1.9, K.12abcd, K.13
1st:
History: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 (c), 1.7
Visual Arts: 1.1-1.6, 1.8, 1.9, 1.12abcd, 1.13, 1.16, 1.17
2nd:
History:2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12
Visual Arts: 2.1-2.7, 2.9, 2.12acd, 2.13, 2.17
3rd:
History: 3.1,3.2, 3.3, 3.6, 3.9
Visual Arts: 3.1-3.7, 3.9, 3.12ad, 3.13, 3.14, 3.15, 3.17
4th:
Virginia Studies: VS.1, VS.4, VS.5, VS.6,
Visual Arts: 4.1-4.7, 4.9, 4.12abef, 4.15, 4.17
5th:
US History: USI.1b, USI.5, USI.6, USI.7
Visual Arts: 5.1-5.3abd, 5.7ac, 5.15, 5.17
6th:
History: USII.1, USII.9
Visual Arts: 6.1, 6.2b, 6.3-6.7, 6.9, 6.11, 6. 12, 6. 15
7th:
History: CE.1, CE.2, CE.6, CE.7
Visual Arts: 7.1, 7.2b, 7.3-7.7, 7.11, 7.12, 7.15, 7.17
8th:
History: WG.1, WG.17 bc
Visual Arts: 8.1a, 8.3-8.7, 8.11, 8.12, 8.15
9th:
Visual Arts: AI.1, AI.2cefgi, AI.3-AI.6, AI.9, AI.10, AI.12, AI.15, AI.17
10th:
History: WHII.4c
Visual Arts: AII.1, AII.3ab, AII.4, AII.5, AII.6, AII.9, AII.10-AII.12, AII.15
11th:
History: VUSa-f, VUS.2, VUS.3, VUS.5ef, VUS.6
Visual Arts: AIII.3cd, AIII.4-AIII.6, AIII.10, AIII.11, AIII.17
12th:
History: GOVT.1, GOVT.2, GOVT.3, GOVT.4, GOVT.12
Visual Arts: AIV.3b, AIV.4-AIV.6, AIV.10, AIV.17
Duration: 90 minutes for 2-3 classes/groups; 120 minutes for 4 classes/groups
Cost: $5 per student, required chaperones free (1 per 10 children required), additional chaperones $5
Roanoke County K-1st grade free
American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection
Take your students on a visual journey through two centuries of American history in American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection. Featuring more than 80 works, the exhibition brings together portraits, landscapes, still lifes, sculpture, trompe l’oeil, Modernism, and Realism by artists including Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, Elizabeth Catlett, Robert Henri, Charles Alston, and many more.
During this private, guided tour, students will become art detectives—looking closely for clues about the people, places, ideas, and experiences that shaped America. They’ll explore how artists responded to a changing country while discovering how artistic styles evolved from the 19th century into the modern era.
Along the way, students will practice observation, comparison, interpretation, and critical thinking as they consider questions such as: What can a portrait tell us about the person—and the time—in which it was made? Why did artists choose certain subjects? What happens when artists begin breaking with tradition? And what can changes in art reveal about changes in American life?
After exploring the galleries, students will put those discoveries to work in a hands-on collage project inspired by the changing artistic styles represented in American Made. They’ll combine imagery, color, shape, and composition to create an original work that reflects what they’ve learned while making creative choices of their own.
Designed for Virginia public school students in grades K–12 and homeschool groups, the experience can be adapted to students’ grade level and connects Visual Arts with History, Virginia Studies, U.S. History, World History, Geography, Civics, and Government Standards of Learning.
Related SOLs:
Kindergarten:
History Skills: K. b-e, History:K.6
Visual Arts: K.1b, K.6, K.8, K.9, K.11-K.13, K.17b
1st:
History Skills: 1.b-e, History: 1.5.c
Visual Arts: 1.1-1.6, 1.8, 1.11-1.13, 1.16, 1.17b
2nd:
History Skills: 2.b-e, History: 2.7, 2.10, Geography: 2.12
Visual Arts: 2.1a-2.6.bc, 2.7, 2.11-2.13, 2.17
3rd:
History Skills: 3.b-e, Civics: 3.1-a,
Visual Arts: 3.1-3.6abd, 3.7, 3.11-3.13, 3.15
4th:
Virginia Studies: VS.5.b
Visual Arts: 4.1-4.7, 4.11-4.13, 4.15, 4.17
5th:
US History: Skills USI:b-e, USI.5.e, USI.6, USI.8.c
Visual Arts: 5.1-5.6abc, 5.7, 5.11-5.13, 5.15, 5.17
6th:
History: Skills USII.b-e, US.1.a-b, USII.3
Visual Arts:6.1, 6.2b, 6.3-6.7, 6.9, 6.11, 6.12ade, 6.13, 6.17
7th:
History: Skills CE.e-f
Visual Arts: 7.1, 7.2b, 7.3-7.7, 7.11, 7.12acde, 7.13, 7.17
8th:
History: Skills WGa-f, WG.1.a-c, WG.4.b-c, WG.5.b-c, WG.14.a-b
Visual Arts: 8.1a, 8.3-8.7, 8.11, 8.12acde, 8.13, 8.17
9th:
History: Skills WHI.b-f
Visual Arts: AI.1, AI.2acefgi, AI.3, AI.4, AI.5, AI.12-AI.14, AI.17
10th:
History: Skills WHII.a-e
Visual Arts: AII.1, AII.2a, AII.3ab, AII.4, AII.5, AII.7, AII.11-AII.14, AII.17
11th:
History: Skills VUS.a-e, VUS.1.b,VUS.6.c, VUS.10.b-d
Visual Arts: AIII.2b, AIII.3ac, AIII.4, AIII.5, AIII.11, AIII.13, AIIII.14, AIII.17
12th:
History: Skills GOVT.a-f
Visual Arts: AIV.3ab, AIV.4, AIV.5, AIV.13, AIV.16
Duration: 90 minutes for 2-3 classes/groups; 120 minutes for 4 classes/groups
Cost: $5 per student, required chaperones free (1 per 10 children required), additional chaperones $5
Roanoke County Public Schools K-1st grade free
