School Tours Program
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.
Each tour and art workshop is modified for the appropriate age and grade level standards.
A $250 donation fee applies to independent and private schools to cover the cost of the art workshop.
Tours and workshops address the California Common Core State Standards, National Common Core VAPA Standards, and California History–Social Science Standards.
This year, our program explores how art depicting sacred animals, guardians, and revered beings reflects important cultural beliefs and values.
Through tours and workshops for the special exhibition Mythical Creatures: The Stories We Carry, students will learn how cultures of Asia and the Pacific Islands have historically used representations of animals and mythical beings to express their stories and beliefs. Students will consider how these stories and beliefs continue to offer strength and protection to people today, especially to those who have immigrated to the United States. They will also see how contemporary artists have incorporated these themes into their work. In the workshop, students will create their own art inspired by the exhibition.
Please read Pre-visit Guide 2025-26 below before submitting an application.
Please read pre-visit Guide 2025-2026 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.
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.
*Note: The Distance Learning Program focuses on the permanent collection, not special exhibition.
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.