Educational Tours at Piedmont Arts

Last Friday, high schoolers from Magna Vista High School in Ridgeway had an amazing opportunity to experience the current exhibits on display at Piedmont Arts. Throughout the day, art students would be dropped off by busses for a tour led by Sarah Short, Piedmont Arts’ Education Coordinator. Knowing what each class was currently working on in their own projects at school, Short tailored conversations to each class’ specific interests. This included elements of mythology in Virginia Derryberry’s paintings, patterns and process through David Choun’s work, and watercolor techniques used by Pat Coleman.

According to Short, the students all had fun making connections in the pieces they were viewing to the pieces they had been working on themselves. In addition, they had a blast in the Discovery Room. The Discovery Room, located in the museum, is stocked with arts and crafts supplies, musical instruments, dress up items, and even puppets. The goal is to create an opportunity to spark imaginations by providing all the tools needed for creative exploration. Usually used by children, the high schoolers proved that the room is perfect for all ages as they created their own music video with the objects and instruments available. The Discovery Room is free to the public (of all ages) and open during the museum’s regular business hours.

Piedmont Arts offers guided tours for local schools, homeschool groups, and other groups that may be interested in experiencing local art. Each tour is guided by the museum’s education staff who are well versed in each piece and artist on display. The tours can also be tailored to your group’s age range and interests. Tours must be scheduled 48 hours in advance and can be requested on Piedmont Arts’ website.

Piedmont Arts is a nonprofit art museum in Martinsville, Virginia that inspires and engages the diverse Martinsville-Henry County community and surrounding areas through visual arts, performing arts and arts education. Piedmont Arts is a statewide partner of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Piedmont Arts programming is partially supported by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Piedmont Arts is located at 215 Starling Ave., Martinsville. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free. Learn more at PiedmontArts.org.