Arnot Art Museum

LEARN

Education Programs

A Legacy of Education

Matthias Arnot lived at a time when the average American had limited access to fine art and strove to provide fine arts learning opportunities to his fellow Elmirans: a defining facet of his legacy. With a standing weekend community invitation, Matthias Arnot would open his picture gallery to the citizens of Elmira.

The Education Department at the Arnot Art Museum continues the mission of artistic enrichment and education started by Matthias Arnot. A variety of customizable programming from child-to-adulthood continues inspiring generations of art enthusiasts at all ages. Follow the links on this page to learn more about the educational opportunities available at the Arnot Art Museum.

Art Library

Matthias Arnot’s wishes voiced a need for the formation of an art library within the Museum, free and open to the public. Currently, the Arnot Art Museum holds a collection of over 700 volumes that cover a wide scope of topics in the arts. The library remains free and open to the public. The only regulations are that all library resources remain in the Museum and that a library appointment, whether for personal interest or scholarly research, is made in advance. To find out more about the library’s collection, follow the link below.

View The Online Catalog

Learning to Look

The Arnot Art Museum has designed educational programming around the collections at the Museum, all of which meet a variety of New York Standards and Common Core initiatives. All education programming is customizable to fit the needs of your tour groups, at all ages. Please contact a Museum Educator at 607.734.3697 or email: if your students have specific learning needs.

Arnot Expeditions

The Arnot Art Museum hosts regional tours and, through the Museum Travel Alliance, travels around the world with luxurious accommodations and expert tour guides. To find out more about the program, click here.

Grade Level Curriculum

The Arnot Art Museum offers education in the arts from Grades 3 to 12. Three highlights from this annual curriculum program are Every Picture Tells A Story (Grade 3), Ancient Egyptian Art & Culture (Grade 6) and Studio in Art (Grades 9-12).

Find Out More

Chemung River School

Chemung River School is the Museum's award-winning interdisciplinary education program for fourth grade classrooms. Inspired by the Hudson River School--the first truly American art movement--the program focuses on historical, cultural, commercial and natural aspects of the Chemung River, integrating a fine arts approach with other academic concentrations.

Presented as a series of experiences in area museums, classrooms and outdoors along the River itself, Chemung River School offers 4th grade students a full school year of exploration and learning. The collaborative program combines fourth grade science, natural and social history and ecology curricula with writing, literature, performing and visual arts.

Find Out More

Scholastic Art Awards

The Scholastics Art & Writing Awards is a national juried competition for students in grades 7 to 12. Each year the Arnot Art Museum hosts an exhibition of regionally-local student art works selected as Scholastics Art Competition winners. Award recipients with work displayed in the Museum are students attending school in the Twin Tiers region. For further information regarding competition entrance and the education programming surrounding this annual show, follow the link below.

Find Out More

Your Classroom Visit - Booking a Tour