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School Programs

School Programs

Exhibition Tour

Exhibition tours for 2024-2025 will focus on Digital Capture: Southern California and the Pixel-Based Image World. Digital Capture is an ambitious exhibition spanning six decades (1962–2020s) that investigates the history and creative uses of digital imaging technology, from the genesis of digital imaging in Southern California research laboratories during the Cold War and Space Race of the 1960s, to the ubiquity of digital media in our contemporary world.

*All field trips will include an exhibition tour.

Duration: +1.5 hours

Archives Visit

Step into the California Museum of Photography (CMP) at UCR ARTS, home to the largest collection of photographic treasures in the American West. With more than 250,000 stereoscopic glass-plate and film negatives and over 10,000 cameras—discover the evolution of photography as art, technology, and culture.

Whether you’re a teacher, scholar, student, or simply curious, our doors are open to all. Guided by our experts, delve into highlights from our collection or customize your visit to fit your classroom goals.

Duration: +1 hour

Workshops

Introduction to Digital Photography

Join our beginner’s workshop for middle & high school students to explore the fundamentals of digital photography. Learn essential camera skills to unlock your creative potential behind the lens.

Level: Beginner
Duration: +1.5 hours
Offered: October 2024—May 2025

Storytelling Through Photography

Calling all photography and digital media middle & high school classes! Join us for an interactive workshop where students discover the art of storytelling through photography.

Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Duration: +1.5 hours
Offered: October 2024—January 2025

Future Focus

Experience the future of imaging technologies (and how they connect with past technologies) through an exploration of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI), with a focus on media literacy. Designed for middle & high school students.

Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Duration: +1.5 hours
Offered: October 2024—January 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqNlNy-K944

Off the Block: Documentary Filmmaking

Off the Block is an annual month-long immersive workshop that exposes high school student filmmakers to the history of film and the documentary format as well as equipping them with the artistic concepts and technical skills necessary to complete their own documentary. Beyond learning practical filmmaking skills, students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and team building, as well as positive self-expression through the arts. Off the Block is now offered as an in-school workshop that can be customized for your class needs.

Camera Obscura

Experience our walk-in camera obscura, the ancestor of all camera technologies, built into the California Museum of Photography. They’re rare—just a handful exist in California. Ours is free and open to the public when the Museum is open.

“Camera obscura” is a Latin phrase meaning “darkened room.” (“Camera,” meaning room, plus “obscura,” meaning darkened = “darkened room.”) Place a small hole in one side of a dark, enclosed space and it is transformed. It becomes an optical device when light reflected from the scene outside passes through the hole and strikes an internal surface. The result is an image reproduced, upside-down and reversed, but with detail, color, motion, and perspective preserved.

*Included in any field trip visit!