Education
Art Is for Everyone
The MFAH is founded on one simple belief: Art is for everyone. The mission of the Education Department is to offer programs, tours, resources, and materials that teach and engage adults, children, educators, and students in the world of art. The goal is to create experiences that embrace the importance of art and the museum; to position art and the museum as a meaningful part of a well-rounded life; and to work with partners who support the community through shared values and interests.
To learn about specific offerings, visit:
Membership
Patron Groups
Programs for Adults
Programs for Families
Programs for Educators and School Groups
Programs for Colleges and Universities
Programs for Visitors with Disabilities
History
Since 1900, when the MFAH opened as an art education project in the public schools, the institution has maintained its mission of bringing art to people wherever they live, play, and learn. This commitment has established the MFAH as A Place for All People, an initiative that began in the 1990s with the support of the Wallace Foundation. A Place for All People includes a range of community partnerships (outlined two sections down), audience development, and research projects. Contact outreach@mfah.org to learn more.
Kinder Foundation Education Center
The Kinder Foundation Education Center (KFEC) is the central source of information on art for visitors of all ages at MFAH. A physical space within the MFAH campus, a hub of resources and materials, and curriculum support for educators, KFEC is the heart of the education department and the driving force that helps the museum achieve its mission of being A Place for All People.
Community Partnerships/A Place for All People
Art for All
These programs include Art Beyond Sight for visitors who are blind or have low vision; and Looking Together for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their family members or care partners.
Art for the Mind and Spirit Where Will I Go Today?
This partnership with Texas Children’s Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children, and the Ronald McDonald House brings meaningful art experiences to patients, their families, and caregivers. Designed to provide comfort and healing, the initiative recognizes that engaging with art contributes to one’s health, well-being, and social inclusion.
Community Festival Partner
The MFAH supports festivals throughout the community, including Bayou City Arts Festival.
Developing a Creative Family Life
These workshops teach parents how to engage children with the world of art and the MFAH.
Eye on Houston: High School Documentary Photography
Eye on Houston, originally called Eye on Third Ward, is an annual exhibition of photographs by local high school students. The program is designed to express the distinctive identity of Houston’s diverse communities as well as challenge students to hone their technological skills and powers of observation. The resulting photographs reflect students' personal lives as well as broader themes and issues such as the economy, education, and family. View the CBS Sunday Morning segment about Eye on Third Ward.
Impressions A Program for Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
A collaboration with HISD's T. H. Rogers School, this artist residency offers students specially designed experiences to interpret art from the MFAH collections and make their own original work.
Murals in the Parks
Launched in 1996, this collaboration between the MFAH and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department created murals at more than 50 Houston city parks. Inspired by art on view at the museum, these murals were designed and painted by local artists and children.
Partnership with Beeville, Texas
This partnership with Beeville, located 180 miles southwest of Houston, includes workshops for teachers, programs for students, and exhibitions and programs at Beeville ISD, the Beeville Art Museum, and the Beeville Library.
Picture Books: Summer Art Camps at the Library
Offered with select Harris County Public Libraries, these summer camps combine literature and art for children ages 6 to 12.
Texas Sor Juana Festival
A multidisciplinary event that honors one of Mexico’s greatest writers and champions of education, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the festival also pays tribute to the accomplishments of women from Mexico and the United States. Organized by the National Museum of Mexican Art (Chicago), Museo Alameda, Arte Público Press, Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts (MECA), the Mexican American Cultural Center ( MACC), Talento Bilingüe de Houston (TBH) and various organizations throughout Texas.
Join the Patron Group: Family Circle
The Family Circle is a group for families who want to foster a long-term appreciation of the visual arts in their children while supporting the MFAH. The museum hosts four events per year exclusively for Family Circle members: three programs that focus on the MFAH permanent collections and touring exhibitions, and one major benefit staged throughout the museum. Family Circle members have the opportunity to take exclusive behind-the-scenes tours designed to give children a personalized and interactive introduction to the world of art; attend seminars that share strategies for enhancing children’s visits to the museum; and participate in other fun programs that encourage a lifelong interest in the visual arts. Annual dues: $950 (includes a Family-level membership to the MFAH)
Education Programs receive generous funding from:
The Kinder Foundation; the Institute of Museum and Library Services; ExxonMobil; the Favrot Fund;
Michael C. Linn in memory of his mother Patricia G. Linn; the National Museum of Korea;
Mrs. Evelyn Houstoun Chew; The Hamill Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Susanne M. and Melbern G. Glasscock; The Brown Foundation, Inc.; The Boeing Company; An Anonymous Donor; Mr. William J. Hill; Houston Junior Woman’s Club; JPMorgan Chase Foundation; the Sterling-Turner Foundation; The Susan Vaughan Foundation; The Americana Foundation; KUHF 88.7 FM, Houston Public Radio; the Joe Barnhart Foundation; Mary and Michael Epps in memory of Ralph E. Wallingford;
the Ralph H. and Ruth J. McCullough Foundation; The John M. O'Quinn Foundation; The Powell Foundation; the William A. and Madeleine W. Smith Foundation; The Marcus Institute for Digital Education in the Arts; Houston Antiques Dealers Association; Junior League of Houston, Inc.; CFP Foundation;
Mr. Samuel F. Gorman; Mrs. Nancy Glanville Jewell; Toni Wallingford; Texas Commission on the Arts; Humanities Texas - a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities; Mrs. Daniel R. Japhet;
Dr. Charles & Jo Ann Onstead Foundation; VSA—The International Organization on Arts and Disability; Polly and Murry Bowden; Nancy and James Gordon; the Lubrizol Foundation; and Mrs. Sara E. White.
All education programs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, receive endowment income from funds provided by:
Caroline Wiess Law
The National Endowment for the Humanities
The William Randolph Hearst Foundation
Fondren Foundation
BMC Software, Inc.
The Wallace Foundation
The Louise Jarrett Moran Bequest
Neal Myers and Ken Black Children’s Art Fund
The Favrot Fund
Gifts in honor of Beth Schneider