USC PAM provides FREE guided tours for grades K-12 from schools of all types, Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm.

Specially trained docents guide students in interactive explorations of the museum’s treasures that promote learning, understanding, creativity, and critical thinking. Art workshops are led by professional teaching artists and enhance the experience by providing students an opportunity to create art while learning more about Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Field trips consist of a 1-hour guided tour and a 1-hour art workshop, unless otherwise requested. Groups of 30 students or fewer participate in a tour followed by an art workshop. For groups of 30-60 students, half of the students will go on a tour, while the other half participate in the workshop. The two groups will then switch to give students both experiences.

Themes to select from based on grade level:

  • K-2: Animals in Asian and Pacific Art
  • 3-5: Nature in Asian and Pacific Art
  • 6-8: Exploring the Silk Road
  • 9-12: Untold Stories: Contemporary Asian Art

A $250 donation fee applies to independent and private schools to cover the cost of the art workshop.

Tours address California Common Core State Standards and VAPA Standards.

Please read USC PAM School Tour Guidelines below before submitting an application.

Transportation 

The museum offers limited bus scholarships for Title 1 public schools, available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Schools and classes that have not visited the museum before are prioritized. Awarded schools are signed up for a bus by education staff and are responsible for confirming their reservation with the bus company.

How to Schedule 

Applications for the School Tours Program for the 2023-2024 school year are now open! Our School Tours program runs from October 11, 2023 – May 17, 2024, and is offered Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for a duration of 2 hours. The application is a Google form that allows you to list 3 potential visit dates. This year, we continue to offer limited free bus scholarships for Title 1 schools. Applications for the bus scholarship are found on the same form in which  you request a school tour. The School Tours application will appear below on August 23, 2023.

Please note that we are prioritizing schools and classes that have not visited our museum before. The same applies to our free bus scholarship for Title 1 schools. From February 2024 – April 2024 we are in partnership with My Masterpieces, a program for 6th graders from the Pasadena Unified School District, and cannot offer dates for those months to other schools.

For questions, special requests, changes, and cancellations, please contact Janelle Sangalang, School Programs Coordinator, at jsangala@usc.edu

Distance Learning Program 

If you are unable to visit the museum in-person, we offer live virtual sessions. Check out our Distance Learning Program which was designed to bring the museum’s collection of Asian and Pacific art to students learning at home.


My Masterpieces Program

In partnership with Pasadena Unified School District, USC Pacific Asia Museum is pleased to be participating in My Masterpieces, an award-winning innovative partnership between Pasadena’s schools and cultural institutions. My Masterpieces brings Silk Road-themed art, social studies, and creative writing lessons to local 6th graders, as they design historic characters, work as a team in a virtual caravan, and encounter objects from the museum’s collection in their travels. The students enjoy a free visit to the museum, where they explore the collections with a docent, and engage in a hands-on art activity.

Find the curriculum here.