The mission of Education at The Trout Gallery is to activate the power of art to illuminate human lives.  Through close looking, training in visual literacy skills, hands-on demonstrations and guided inquiry, our programs foster interdisciplinary explorations that connect people, art, and ideas.  Works of art are ideally suited to the learning process.  They naturally provoke questions and provide clues by which students have the opportunity to discover new ideas, perspectives, and ways of knowing. In all education programs we seek to provide students with dynamic experiences that advance the values of creativity, freedom of expression, global diversity and social justice.

The Education Program brings the museum’s collection and exhibition resources into meaningful relationship with the museum’s visitors. The Program was initiated with the founding the museum in 1983 and provides interpretive activities for college courses, area K-12 schools, summer and community groups, and teacher workshops for ACT-48 credit. Through a variety of age- and learning-specific pedagogical approaches, the Education Program expands the museum experience to analyze ideas, issues, and concepts raised by works on display and in the museum’s collections.