guided tours & field trips

A TRIP TO THE IDEA PLACE
Art Museum field trips for 1st grade and beyond!

Located in the heart of downtown Fort Collins in the historic Post Office building, FCMOCA, is a jewel waiting to be discovered.

A hands-on field trip combines contemporary art with an historic setting. Our two galleries offer a new exhibition every eight to twelve weeks showcasing local, regional, national, and international artists.

Enrich the minds and lives of your students by bringing them to, what may be for many, their first art museum experience!

Take a look at the current and upcoming exhibits in the Museum and get some ideas for a field trip now!

COMBINE THIS TOUR WITH OTHER FIELD TRIPS
The Museum of Contemporary Art is only a short walk from the Fort Collins Museum and Library, and the Avery House. If you are thinking of a taking your students any place nearby, schedule your field trips back-to-back and save on busing.

A UNIQUE FIELD TRIP EXPERIENCE
FCMOCA welcomes students of all ages from elementary through high school and beyond. "A Trip to the Idea Place" is a specially designed program for 1st grade classes. Guided visits or self-guided tours are available. There is no charge for PSD Schools visiting FCMOCA. Docents will guide students through the exhibitions offering opportunities for learning in the museum setting.

All students will learn:
- about the history of the building
- about the differences between a contemporary art museum and other art museums
- museum etiquette
- skills for looking at art that can be used in any type of art museum
- about the artist's ideas behind the art on exhibit

See below for registration information.

1st GRADE FIELD TRIPS: A TRIP TO THE IDEA PLACE
FCMOCA invites first grade and elementary art teachers to participate annually in "A Trip to the Idea Place," a unique field trip program at the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art.

- It's Free!
- Funding for buses and substitute art teachers is available for every 1st grade class in Poudre Schools

Three Part Program
Museum education studies have shown that a three-part program is most effective in making museum visits meaningful learning experiences for young students. FCMOCA, in consultation with teachers and art educators, has developed a three-part program that includes:

- Pre-visit activity led by artist/teacher Stephie Morton at the school
  - Prepares children to discover their own ability to express original ideas through visual art and to recognize and respect the original ideas of others.

- Visit to the museum
  - The art museum is presented as an "Idea Place" where artists display their original ideas for others to see; once there, children have the opportunity to talk about, sketch or write about new ideas that arise from looking at the art.

- Post-visit activity done in the art or 1st grade classroom at the school with the teacher.
  - Suggested post-visit activity allows children to explore the ideas gathered from the museum into new expressions of their own creativity.

The whole experience is an opportunity for teachers to help their students get the most from their visit to FCMOCA and to prepare their students to visit any art museum.

Museum Etiquette
Never touch the art in a museum.
Always walk in a museum.
Ask the museum staff or guards if you have questions about the art.
Always talk about the ideas you get from the art!

Tips for Looking at Art
- Look for things in the artwork that help to tell a story.
  - Tell your story to a friend or write it down.
  - Listen to a friend's story about the art.
- See if the colors and lines make you feel a certain way.
  - Look for hot and cold colors. o Look for active, smooth, heavy or curvy lines.
- Look for shapes or designs that remind you of something else.
  - Ask your friends if they see the same things, or something different.
- Think about why the artist made the choices she or he made.
  - Do some choices help tell the story?
  - Do some choices help give a certain feeling?
  - Would you have made the same choices?

HOW TO REGISTER FOR YOUR FIELD TRIP
Call FCMOCA at 482-2787 to schedule the field trip visit and to arrange for the pre-visit activity time with Stephie Morton (first grade only).

FCMOCA will need to know:
- number of children (requires 1:5 adult:child ratio)
- preferred date, start and finish time of visit
- name and contact info of Teacher-in-charge (email, address, and phone of school)

Buses and Subs for Art Teachers (first grade only)
Contact Stacy Poncelow at 491-3173 or poncelow@psdschoools.org to receive the application for bus and sub funds.

Important information for teachers:
- Pre-visit activities take 90 minutes.
- Museum visits can be scheduled Tuesday - Friday, year-round, between the hours of 10am - 2pm.
- Museum visits can be scheduled for up to 60 minutes (longer for older students).
- Up to 50 students can be accommodated at once.
- Post-visit activities are planned to be 45 minutes.

Confirmation letter
You should receive a confirmation letter with the time of your Pre-visit and museum visit. If you do not receive a confirmation letter within a week of scheduling your visit, please call the museum.

Questions? Contact FCMOCA at 970.482.2787 or info@FCMOCA.org