Class Sessions at the Johnson Museum
Plan Your Class Session
The Johnson hosts around 400 Cornell class sessions from more than 50 departments and programs every academic year. In addition to focusing on our current exhibitions, we help design and lead class sessions in our permanent collection galleries and classrooms, using works of art from our global collection spanning 6,000 years, six continents, and 40,000 objects.
Class sessions at the Johnson are held Tuesdays to Fridays from 10AM to 5PM (special arrangements can be made for Cornell classes that meet only on Mondays or outside of regular hours). Due to high demand, it is recommended that you contact the Museum before the semester begins. Three weeks’ notice is required to reserve a class session; requests made with shorter notice cannot be guaranteed. Sessions are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Faculty and instructors are required to attend class sessions.
Contact Alison Rittershaus, the Lynch Postdoctoral Associate in Curricular Engagement, for further information or to arrange for your class session.
Please include:
- Department and title of course
- Copy of syllabus
- Number of students and TAs (if applicable)
- Preferred dates and times for Museum session
Best practices for planning your class session
Whether you’re looking to reinforce skills, contribute to class content, take a break from the classroom, or all of the above, determining clear goals and outcomes for a class session is essential. What do you want your students to know, experience, and produce by the end of their session at the Johnson? Answering this question will help us guide you to meaningful ways to teach with art during your class session and will inform the selection of artworks to study.
To this end, we believe it is also important to create a strong connection between your class session and the rest of your syllabus. Enjoyable and effective class sessions, including casual ones, feature a thoughtful link between what is happening in the classroom and the collections and learning opportunities that the Johnson has to offer. Instructors are in a prime position to understand and define this relationship, and the Museum encourages active participation in planning and executing class sessions.
Advise students to bring pencils, and that backpacks, food, and beverages are not allowed in the galleries. Students can leave bags and other items in the Museum’s lobby during the class session. The use of pencils helps to protect the artworks on display.