National Gallery of Art :: Education :: Teachers :: School Tours :: Nature in Art

Teachers

Online Resources & Loans

On-site Programs

Nature in Art

Kindergarten–Grade 3

If you could step into a landscape, what would you hear or feel? This tour explores how artists depict the natural world and invites students to use their imaginations while carefully exploring art and nature too.

LOOKING AND LEARNING SKILLS

During four or five tour stops in the galleries, students engage in activities—such as careful looking exercises and small group work—that foster conversations about works of art. The following skills are promoted:

  • observing, describing, and sharing ideas about nature in art
  • drawing on prior knowledge to generate ideas about works of art
  • comparing and contrasting works of art that depict nature
  • discovering art as a way to explore and connect to nature

 

EXAMPLE WORKS FEATURED ON TOUR

  • Example works featured on the Nature in Art school tour http://media.nga.gov/public/objects/1/1/4/7/1147-primary-0-740x560.jpg

    John Constable, Wivenhoe Park, Essex, 1816

    Learn more about this artwork
  • Example works featured on the Nature in Art school tour http://media.nga.gov/public/objects/9/6/6/5/5/96655-primary-0-740x560.jpg

    Jan van Huysum, Still Life with Flowers and Fruit, c. 1715

    Learn more about this artwork
  • Example works featured on the Nature in Art school tour http://media.nga.gov/public/objects/1/3/8/8/5/2/138852-primary-0-740x560.jpg

    John Ward of Hull, The Northern Whale Fishery: The "Swan" and "Isabella", c. 1840

    Learn more about this artwork
  • Example works featured on the Nature in Art school tour http://media.nga.gov/public/objects/7/4/7/9/6/74796-primary-0-740x560.jpg

    Claude Monet, The Japanese Footbridge, 1899

    Learn more about this artwork

LOGISTICAL INFORMATION

Group Size: Up to 60 students
Length: 60 minutes
Meeting Location: West Building, Rotunda, Main Floor

ADDITIONAL GALLERY RESOURCES

 

Schedule a Tour

Note: We are no longer accepting tour requests for spring 2013. We will begin accepting fall 2013 requests on August 1.

Pre-Visit Information

Watch a video or download a presentation to show your students prior to your visit. View our museum policies, location, parking, accessiblity, security, lunch options, and other important information about visiting.

Questions

Our tour scheduler is available to answer questions on Monday through Wednesday between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. (September through May). Please contact her at (202) 842-6249 schooltourrequests@nga.gov.

Also see our Frequently Asked Questions about School Tours.

Feedback

We greatly value your feedback about your school tour experience. Please submit this form to share your feedback.