PK-12 Programs
"My students and I had so much fun learning a dance with Sankofa Danzafro! It has inspired me to find Hispanic dance tutorials to occasionally share with my class. I am constantly searching for cultural materials and experiences to share with the students, and to connect Hispanic culture to the real world outside of class, so this dance class was absolutely fantastic."
— Sydney Altizer, teacher, Pulaski County Middle School
we're here to help
Please reach out with questions about teaching, learning, and engaging with our programs.
PK-12 Engagement
Bethany Costello
Engagement Manager
bethanycostello@vt.edu
540-231-0806
FIELD TRIP GUIDE
Are you planning a field trip to the Center for the Arts, such as a student matinee or gallery tour? Check out this field trip guide for helpful tips and tricks!
Stay in Touch
Do you want to be the first to know about special PK-12 opportunities and events? Sign up for emails here and select "K12 and school-day events."
Arts experiences are a critical part of a child’s education, cultivating empathy, expanding world views, creating human connections, and enhancing creative problem-solving skills. We present special opportunities such as school-day matinee performances from professional touring artists and gallery tours that spark interest in the arts and the creative process for public, private, and home-schooled students of all ages and backgrounds. Since we opened in 2013, more than 23,000 children have enjoyed these kinds of opportunities at absolutely no cost to the schools or the students.
School-Day Matinees
Check out the upcoming opportunities for free school-day matinees at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech this season. Do you have questions about attending a school-day performance at the center? Take a peek at our handy Field Trip Guide or read our FAQs.
Check back this summer for information about our 2025-2026 season school-day matinees. Registration opens on Thursday, July 31.
Summer Field Trips
THESE FIELD TRIPS ARE FULL
Thanks for your interest!
PK through rising 8th graders in your summer program can explore art, architecture, and creativity for one fun and immersive day with the Center for the Arts’ Discovery Day, an exciting, hands-on field trip on Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus! The free field trip can include a guided gallery tour, an interactive building tour, or a unique workshop in which participants can get creative with an arts experience. Delve into the perfect opportunity to spark imagination and discover new skills this summer!
Explore Our Community Art Project
Mapping My Story is a collaborative art project and innovative engagement for PK-5 students from various schools and districts. Students created and submitted art that reflects a place or location they feel strongly about, and their work was. on display in the Grand Lobby this spring.
Learning Resources
The learning doesn't end when our visiting artists leave town! If you're looking for opportunities to keep the fun going, try this shadow puppet workshop from our friends at Manual Cinema.
Study Guides
We're dedicated to providing transformative arts experiences to children through gallery tours, artist engagements, and special school-day matinee performances from renowned touring artists for children, teachers, and families. Explore exciting new opportunities to connect with the arts through study guides created especially for young audiences, like this guide to our spring 2025 exhibitions.