Education & Family
Gallery-Related Student Programs
With each exhibition, Japan Society offers a variety of educational programs and online educational materials, ranging from hour-long inquiry-based gallery lessons to longer-term projects related to the exhibition. Programs include:
Gallery Lessons
Facilitated by a Museum Educator, Gallery Lessons are explorations of Japan Society's Gallery exhibitions for community groups and children in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade classes. Lessons are comprised of object-centered guided discussions, which are planned in collaboration with teachers and group coordinators.
Lessons provide students with opportunities for artistic, cultural and personal discovery while supporting learning across the curriculum. Students are encouraged to observe, investigate and discuss a number of selected objects in the exhibition; non-verbal response drawing, writing and movement activities are included.
View an image gallery of Graphic Heroes, Magic Monsters
Graphic Heroes, Magic Monsters Educators' Materials
Glossary (PDF)
Background Information (PDF)
Technical Information (PDF)
Activity Sheet (PDF)
Gallery lessons Fees and Admission
- Title 1 schools: Free
- Non-Title 1 and Private Schools: $45 gallery lesson fee, waived admission
- Pre-K Programs: $100 gallery lesson fee, waived admission,
Adult admission cost for chaperones
Student Docent Program
The Student Docent Program is a school program for grades ten through twelve, designed to equip students with the skills to discover and engage with the arts and culture of Japan. Selected students are taught techniques to facilitate conversations about art with their classmates. Student docents participate in a multi-part training course which includes lectures, workshops, curatorial walkthroughs and selected readings. This training is two-pronged: firstly it is a focused study of Japan which centers on a critical examination of cultural products within historical, social and cultural contexts; secondly, it fosters peer teaching skills and self -expression.
Responding to…series
The Responding to… series pairs youth groups from two select organizations in a multi-part, intensive study of Japan Society's current Gallery exhibition. Groups are chosen on the basis of shared artistic knowledge and common interests. Through this program, students from distinctly diverse backgrounds have opportunities for dialogue, social interaction and community awareness that otherwise may not be available to them.
Responding To...activities engage multiple intelligences and different learning styles. They include Gallery lessons, lectures by scholars and practical workshops with professional artists. The program culminates with a student exhibition at Japan Society.
- View student work from Responding To... The Genius of Japanese Lacquer: Masterworks by Shibata Zeshin.
- View student work from Responding To... Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York.
- View student work from Responding To... Awakenings:Zen Figure Painting in Medieval Japan.
- View student work from Responding To... Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century.
Goals for Responding To... :
- To develop a dialogue between young people from different backgrounds through an extended partnership with Japan Society, based on a common ground of artistic experience.
- To pair groups of young people in planned events in which they will develop a deeper understanding of Japanese art, art history, and culture.
- To instruct youth in visual art techniques relevant to Japan Society's Gallery exhibitions.
Upcoming Programs for Students
View upcoming Student Programs