New Museum First Saturdays for Families at the New Museum offer special, hands-on programs designed for families with children and young adults 5 to 15 years old, conducted by trained New Museum educators the first Saturday of each month. Families have the opportunity to explore the New Museum's exhibitions through lively conversations in the galleries, and to engage in related creative activities.

New Museum First Saturdays for Families are free of charge, and include New Museum admission for up to 3 adults per family. Children under 18 are always admitted free. No preregistration is required. Tickets are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. Your entire party must be present; tickets will not be given to partial parties.

For more information about New Museum First Saturdays for Families, please email familyprograms@newmuseum.org.

Major support also provided by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Endowment support is provided by The Keith Haring Foundation School and Youth Programs Fund, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Skadden, Arps Education Programs Fund, and the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs at the New Museum.

The Global Classroom (G:Class) is an innovative interdisciplinary museum education program that encourages visual literacy and critical thinking skills in high school students by integrating contemporary art into the core curriculum. It emphasizes inquiry-based education, problem solving, and self-expression by connecting the New Museum's mission, resources, and programs with students' personal, political, and cultural realities. Founded in 2005, G:Class is presently partnered with New Design High School, Pace High School, City-As-School, and the Beacon School.

The New Museum launched G:Class in 2005 with the mission to:

• Encourage students' cultural literacy and global awareness through contemporary art
• Cultivate students' critical thinking, visual literacy skills, and self-expression through innovative curriculum
• Utilize the New Museum as a cultural and educational resource to expand learning beyond the classroom

G:Class empowers youth to think critically about global cultural issues, develop their own cultural perspectives, and support their ideas through evidence. Drawing upon the New Museum's extensive resources, the G:Class curriculum utilizes concepts, themes, and skill-based lessons that encourage students to examine the relationships between art and relevant cultural and social issues. Current themes include global media and communication; transportation and design; architecture; current events and critical perspectives; race, gender, and social change; and popular youth culture.

Seminars connect students with noted artists, designers, and architects. Through G:Class seminars, artists lead hands-on workshops, critique student projects, discuss social issues relevant to their work, and promote the arts as a potential career for young people. This experience supports the holistic approach G:Class applies to art education.

Gclass.org, the G:Class Web site provides online resources for teachers and students, such as lesson plans and access to a selection of the New Museum's Digital Archive. Gclass.org engages young people by showcasing their work and writing, and provides students with the opportunity to explore contemporary art on their own, outside the classroom. Visit Gclass.org now.

G:Class grew out of New Museum's The Visible Knowledge Program (VKP) dedicated to educational and professional development program for public high schools from 1984 to 2005. For twenty-one years, the VKP paired artist/instructors with high school teachers on a semester-long basis with the goal of integrating contemporary art with social studies, language arts, and studio art curricula through a multicultural and interdisciplinary approach. VKP ended as the New Museum closed it doors on 583 Broadway. The New Museum made a decision to transition to The Global Classroom (G:Class) with a more international perspective. 

The Global Classroom is made possible by The Bloomingdale’s Fund of the Macy’s Foundation and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Additional support is generously provided by the May and Samuel Rudin Foundation and the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation. Endowment support is provided by The Keith Haring Foundation School and Youth Programs Fund and the Skadden, Arps Education Programs Fund. Additional endowment support provided by the JPMorgan Chase Professional Development Workshop Program for Teachers, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs at the New Museum.

You may schedule a tour for your high school or college class when the Museum is closed to the public. Tours must be scheduled a minimum of three weeks in advance, based on availability. Multilingual tours are available upon request. Group tours begin February 1, 2008.

• High Schools
  Students develop visual literacy, critical thinking and communication skills while exploring contemporary art and culture. Depending on the size of the group, students and accompanying adults may be broken up into smaller groups upon entering the galleries. Scheduled tours can be tailored to fit the needs and interests of your school group.
  Maximum group size: 20; 1 adult companion required per 8 high school students
  Fee: $65
• Colleges and Universities
  Museum staff members facilitate careful observation and interactive discussion.
  Maximum size of group: 20
  Fee: $150
• Self-Guided Tours
  Groups are welcome to guide themselves through the Museum. However all self-guided tours must be scheduled in advance and are limited to ten people. Upon reservation, you will receive educational materials that will help you prepare for your tour. Self-guided tours begin February 1, 2008.
  Fee: $20 plus admission

Learn more about tours

Schedule a tour

Banner image:
Pace High School students on G:Class tour of "Unmonumental," 2008. Photo by Ethan Swan.