America's Field Trip | Virtual Artist Residencies
America's Field Trip
Join classrooms from coast to coast for virtual experiences rooted in art, history, and stories—brought to life by artists nationwide and launching in honor of our nation’s 250th anniversary of independence.
As a Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art initiative, developed in collaboration with Focus 5 teaching artists, these free three-day virtual residencies bring the America 250 celebration to classrooms across the nation. Grounded in the Crystal Bridges collection, each residency blends art, history, STEM, and hands-on making to help students connect with the American story—and their role in it.
What’s Included
Each virtual residency is hosted on Zoom and is three sessions in length. Each session is 60 minutes. The three sessions will happen within one school week (M-T-W,T-W-Th,W-Th-F or M-W-F) within one school week. A minimum of 4 classes from each school (same grave level bands K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12). If you don’t have 3-4 classes, we will pair you with another school. A 30-minute orientation meeting with all participating teachers will happen prior to the residency to discuss all logistics and details.
Virtual Artist Residencies Catalogue
Tiny Toy Tales: Big Symbols
Lines and Shapes: Exploring Geometry Through Art
Looking for America: A Song of the Land
Drawing with Scissors: Portraits of the People
Warhol’s Wild Adaptations
National Ballad: The Pros and Cons of Industrialization
George Washington: A Change-Maker in Light and Shadow
The Eagle Illuminated: America’s Symbol in Shadow Puppetry
We the People: Folded into One
Painting America’s Blues: Jacob Lawrence in Story and Song
United Sounds of America: Pollock and Percussion
From Art to Argument: Using Visual Literacy to Strengthen Writing
FAQs
Yes. All experiences are designed with state-aligned curriculum standards in mind and connect to a range of STEM and humanities subjects.
Each residency includes three Zoom sessions, typically 60 minutes each (K–2 sessions may be 45 minutes). All three sessions take place within the same school week.
Sessions run on a set three-day schedule such as M–T–W, T–W–Th, W–Th–F, or M–W–F.
A minimum of four classes per school is required within the same grade band (K–2, 3–5, 6–8, or 9–12). If your school has fewer than four classes, we’ll pair you with another participating school.
Yes. A 30-minute orientation meeting will be held with all participating teachers before the residency to review logistics and expectations.
Yes. The program is completely free for all participating schools.
The residencies are open to public, private, and charter schools, as well as homeschool groups, in all 50 states and U.S. Territories.
About Focus 5, Inc.
Focus 5, Inc. provides high-quality, professional learning opportunities and program consulting focused on aligning arts integration, best instructional practices, and current thinking in the field of arts and education. We collaborate and consult with teachers, teaching artists, schools, school districts, arts organizations, arts commissions, arts councils, and museums around the USA and internationally. We are in classrooms on a daily basis to keep our work refined, relevant, and effective in the ever-growing and evolving field of arts integration and education. We seek to be a national leader in the field of arts integration and educational consulting with a team of personable experts dedicated to high-quality education for all young people. Our consulting staff includes National, Board-Certified teachers, professional artists, teaching artists, arts integration specialists, a technology specialist, and a reading specialist.