Our Commitment to Education
At Memphis Art Museum, education starts with the art itself.
A preschooler can name shapes in a gallery. A middle school class can use one object to talk about history and identity. A family can turn close looking into a game. An older adult can return to the same work and notice something new. MAM creates space for each of those encounters.
Our education programs reach more than 20,000 school-aged children each year.
In galleries and classrooms, students study original works of art, explain what they notice and listen to how others interpret the same image. These experiences strengthen critical thinking and help students understand perspectives beyond their own.
Access is part of the work. Free events, school partnerships and outreach programs create more ways for people across Memphis to learn through art.
Our programs invite people to look closely, ask questions, make art and connect what they see to their own lives. We work with schools, teachers, families and community partners across the region to make direct experiences with art part of learning at every age.
Explore our education programs
For Schools and Educators
Bring students face-to-face with original works of art through field trips, outreach programs and teacher workshops. MAM’s school programs support classroom learning while giving students room to form their own ideas.
For Families and Young People
Families can make art together, explore the galleries through play and return for programs designed around different ages and interests. Opportunities range from drop-in activities to camps and youth leadership programs.
For Adults and Community Groups
MAM offers programs that use art to support conversation, creativity and connection throughout adulthood. Offerings include programs for adults ages 55+ and opportunities to learn as a volunteer docent.