THE FRICK PITTSBURGH UPDATE
While the majority of our site remains open, The Frick Art Museum is temporarily closed while we replace the fire alarm system. You can still explore Clayton, the Catching Sunbeams greenhouse exhibition, the Car and Carriage Museum, the Café at the Frick, and the grounds during regular hours, Tuesday – Sunday. The museum will reopen on August 1, 2025.
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Real Art. Real History. Real Learning.

School Programs

The Frick Pittsburgh believes in creating meaningful, engaging learning experiences for students, whether they take place online or in-person. We offer a wide variety of student programming at every grade level.

School Programs at the Frick

Our hands-on learning programs for students K-12 are teacher friendly, address academic standards and use art, history, and nature to understand different times and contexts.  Frick programs address cross curricular standards, integrating writing, art, science and even economics to broaden student perspectives.

If you're interested in bringing your students to The Frick, our 2024-2025 School Programs Booklet is the best place to start the planning process. The booklet contains all of the information you need to plan an exciting, engaging field trip for your students, including program descriptions by grade level, lunch information, and tips for booking. By popular demand, we have also added an a la carte option that allows you to customize your own field trip experience! Download your free copy below.

School Program Booklet  
 

What You Need to Know

  • Book early! Certain times of the year (like December and May) filly more quickly than others. Call or email at least six weeks before your preferred date.
  • Not sure which program is best for you? We are happy to talk with you to customize a program to fit your classroom’s needs.
  • Only interested in touring one of our museums? Check our pricing and a la carte options in the School Program Booklet!
  • The earliest time that programs begin is 9:30 a.m.
  • Occasionally, certain programs may be temporarily unavailable due to special events, special exhibitions, or closures onsite.
Contact us
To request a school program for your students, please submit a school field trip request form. Please note that space is limited and we recommend that you contact us at least one month prior to your preferred date.

Field Trip Request Form
 
COVID-19 Policies
As part of our continued commitment to keeping our staff and visitors safe and to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our community, The Frick Pittsburgh has put the following policies in place:
 
  • For on-site school programs, the Frick will defer to each school’s masking policy for their students. KN95 masks are available on-site by request.
  • The Frick Pittsburgh follows the CDC’s guidance for COVID-19 transmission levels in Allegheny County. If transmission levels in Allegheny County are designated as high at the time of a scheduled school program, we request that all students and chaperones wear masks when indoors at the Frick.
  • Whenever possible, students participating in art projects will be provided with their own set of clean art supplies.

Digital Learning with the Frick

If you are unable to make it to the Frick for an in-person visit, we are happy to talk with you about digital options. For more information about virtual learning with the Frick, please contact Stacey McSorley, Youth and Family Program Coordinator, at SMcSorley@thefrickpittburgh.org. In your email, please be sure to include the following information:
  • Your name and contact information, including email and phone number
  • Name of the school
  • Grade level of students
  • The subject matter you are interested in (i.e. art, history, etc)

Grade Level Experiences

Kids in Clayton or The Frick Art Museum?  Not a problem!  Younger students can enjoy a multidisciplinary morning designed just for them.  Lively interaction is the norm as students delve into the world of artists and their creations, compare and contrast modern childhood with that of Victorian boys and girls and imagine what travel would be like in the days of horse-drawn carriages and rickety Model Ts.  Games, rhymes, and hands-on projects make these visits to The Frick Art Museum, Clayton, and the Car and Carriage Museum memorable experiences for your students.

Students are challenged to use deductive reasoning, visual literacy and critical thinking skills as they experience the Frick.  Why is the queen in the painting without a crown? How did you charge an electric car in 1902?  What would it take to get a house ready for a visit from President Teddy Roosevelt?  And what in the world is an orchestrion? Whether making art in our studio, examining banana trees and cactus in the greenhouse, struggling to fasten shoes with a buttonhook or figuring out how to start a Model T, students will gain new perspectives as they interact with art and history through engaging, hands-on discovery.

As students look closely at sculpture or handle century-old household objects, learn the personal histories of chambermaids and countesses and even use math skills to solve perspective or convert nineteenth-century value into modern dollars, they can apply concepts learned in the classroom with a new context at the Frick.  Our programs communicate wide-ranging experiences, stories and emotions that make sense to today’s students.

Students explore a wide range of cultures and times at the Frick, including European history and Gilded Age America.  Themes of labor, aesthetics, economics, industrialization and human struggle can all be addressed in our inquiry-based tours and workshops.  Whether you are looking to help your students understand the formal properties of art or the impact of automobile design on society, we can help you find the right program to enhance your curriculum.

Enjoy special discounts

Teacher Membership

Did you know there’s a category of membership just for teachers and administrators? You can enjoy all the regular benefits of membership at the individual level, receive free admission for two to all lectures and discounts on Act 48 programs.

Purchase Teacher Membership

The Roy A. Hunt Foundation Award for Commitment to Education in the Arts and Humanities

Each year, the Roy A. Hunt Foundation Award for Commitment to Education in the Arts and Humanities is presented to a teacher who has demonstrated a commitment to participating in the Frick’s education programs, and who has successfully integrated the arts and humanities into the students’ learning experience.

Learn More