We Dig Learning
Discover, create, and connect through art inspired by the AGB’s dynamic exhibitions.
The Art Gallery of Burlington is proud to offer a thrilling and engaging field trip option to learners of all ages! Whether you’re bringing your elementary school class, your high school SHSM group, your guides or scouts, we have something special for everyone to enjoy and remember.
A visit to the AGB includes a 30-minute tour of our exhibitions followed by 90 minutes of hands-on artmaking in our studios. Our skilled gallery guides and artist educators help students build confidence in their critical thinking and creative abilities, using art to make meaningful connections between the curriculum and real-life situations. We offer focused programming for a range of ages and can tailor each experience to meet the specific needs of your group, whether by linking directly to classroom discussions or arranging multi-week visits that explore the full scope of our studio projects.
Building an Artful Foundation
Primary Program
Discover the exciting landscape of your own imagination! Our primary program is designed to encourage the youngest of learners to create connections between their own lives, our exhibitions, and their creative ideas. Students will learn the basics of art with new vocabulary and techniques, while expressing themselves through exploration, conversation, and art-making.
Art/Life Balance: Explore, Learn, Create!
Elementary Program
Take your skills to the next level! Our elementary program is all about challenging students to explore new ideas as they tour our exhibitions, and to try new skills and techniques in the studio. Students will learn about our collection and exhibitions, applying art-specific vocabulary to guided discussion. Our artist educators will inspire students to get creative in the studio, while building their confidence in both self-expression and project-specific techniques.
Seeing the World through Art
Middle and Secondary Program
Take a step back to see the full picture – this program is designed to get students thinking about how art really applies to their lives. Students will be led in dynamic conversation about our collection and exhibitions, highlighting the ideas put forward by artists. This season, Russna Kaur’s expressive and boundary-pushing paintings will ignite conversations about family traditions, expansive ways of being, and the surprising ways unusual tools or ingredients can augment one’s practice – whether that practice is visual arts, science, sports or beyond!
Collection/Connection
Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) and Post-Secondary
Take a peek behind the curtain to understand how galleries and museums create exciting collections of artworks. Led by our Collections Manager, Christine Saly-Chapman, students will be treated to in-depth knowledge of the artists, artworks and stories that make up the AGB’s ceramic collection. With over 4000 contemporary Canadian ceramic works to explore, this tour will prompt exciting discussion and will inspire students who are curious about a career in visual arts, galleries or museums. Afterward, students will create their own work in our pottery studio. Please note that our maximum capacity for wheel-throwing is 12, and that food-safe glazes will incur an extra fee of $12/student.
Inspired School Visits
A visit to the AGB includes a 30-minute guided tour of our current exhibitions, followed by 90 minutes of hands-on artmaking in our studios. Led by our skilled gallery guides and artist educators, students build confidence in their creative and critical thinking skills, using art to connect curriculum learning with real-life experiences.
Russna Kaur: Been there twice, haven’t got there yet (the space behind a thin screen, and prying eyes)
This exhibition invites students into an abundantly colourful world of painting, where materials like rice flour, dried flower petals, and sawdust transform into vibrant textures and layers. Guided by Kaur’s expressive, recipe-like approach to painting, students experiment with “ingredients” for creativity while reflecting on their own family histories. Rooted in cultural exchange and belonging, these projects bridge classroom learning with hands-on artmaking and meaningful, real-world connections.
Gikinoo’amaatowin – This Is All Learning
Anishinaabe artists Jean Marshall and Nicole Richmond share teachings carried through beadwork and jingle dresses. Their work reminds us that learning happens everywhere — not only within traditional classrooms. Students explore the idea of continuous, embodied learning while engaging with the rich traditions and artistry of Indigenous women.
School and group visits can be scheduled during the following times:
- Wednesdays: 9:30–11:30 am or 12:30–2:30 pm
- Thursdays & Fridays: 9:30–11:30 am
- Evenings (Tues–Fri): 6:00–8:00 pm
Program fee: $18 per person (minimum 15 participants)
Smaller groups may book for a flat rate of $270.
Thanks to the generous support of the Joyce Family Foundation, the AGB offers subsidies to schools needing financial assistance for field trips. Fifteen subsidies are available each year to help offset the cost of in-gallery educational experiences.
The subsidy application opens each September for the upcoming school year.
Our 2025–26 bursaries have been fully awarded. Please check back next September.
For details, contact our Educational Team.