School Programs
UCR ARTS offers K–12 arts education programs that connect students to the collections and exhibitions of UC Riverside’s California Museum of Photography and Culver Center of the Arts. Based in Riverside, California, our programs include hands-on art workshops, interactive museum tours, and film and media projects designed for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. Each workshop is led by experienced arts professionals, practicing artists, and dedicated educators who bring creativity and expertise directly to students.
Exhibition Tours
Book a docent-led tour of our exhibitions of photography and contemporary art.
Duration: 1 hour
View Current Exhibitions
Archives Visit
Guided by our experts, delve into highlights from the CMP collection or customize your archives visit to fit your classroom goals.
Duration: 1 hour
Workshops
UCR ARTS offers workshops related to digital photography, visual storytelling, and more!
Elementary & Middle School
Cyanotype Workshop
Add on a hands-on making activity to your field trip for elementary and middle school students. After a guided exhibition tour, students will make their own camera-less photography using the cyanotype process!
Level: Beginner Artists (Elementary & Middle School Students)
Duration: 1 hour
Offered: October to May
Middle & High School
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 Photographers (Middle & High School Students)
Duration: 1.5 hours
Offered: October to May
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.
*Students who participate in this workshop are eligible to submit artwork for the annual Storytelling Through Photography high school exhibition! Be sure to book before the end of January.
Level: Intermediate to Advanced Photographers (Middle & High School Students)
Duration: 1.5 hours
Offered: October to January
Creative Portrait Lighting
Students explore light as a design element in portrait photography, using direction, contrast, and shadow to shape mood, meaning, and visual impact. The workshop emphasizes critical thinking, visual problem-solving, and intentional decision-making, aligned with CTE and California Arts Standards.
Level: Beginner to Advanced Photographers (Middle & High School Students)
Duration: 1.5 hours
Offered: October to May
UCR ARTS x UCR Botanic Gardens Photo Walk
Book a joint field trip and workshop at UCR ARTS California Museum of Photography and UCR Botanic Gardens! After viewing nature and landscape photography at the California Museum of Photography in downtown Riverside, take a short trip down to UCR Botanic Gardens on campus and go on a photo walk adventure with UCR ARTS’ teaching artists.
Level: Beginner to Advanced Photographers (Middle & High School Students)
Duration: 1.5 hours
Offered: October to May
Off the Block
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. Applications for 2026 are due May 22. Click here for the application.
Off the Block is now offered as an in-school workshop that can be customized for your class needs. Contact for more information on in-school workshop options: Lindsey Hammel, Director of Learning and Engagement, lindsey.hammel@ucr.edu.
Level: Beginner to Advanced Filmmakers (High School Students)
Camera Obscura
Step inside the original camera—no electricity required.
Visit our rare, walk-in camera obscura, built into the California Museum of Photography. This fascinating device is the earliest form of camera technology, and only a few like it exist in California today.
“Camera obscura” means “dark room” in Latin. When light passes through a small opening into a dark space, it creates a real-time projection of the outside world—flipped upside down, but full of movement, color, and detail.
It’s a powerful, hands-on way to experience how photography began.
Included with all school field trips.
