NAEA Position Statement on Field Trips or Field-Based Learning

NAEA believes field trips or field-based learning, particularly visual arts field trips or field-based learning, are part of a comprehensive education. Field-based learning experiences include both artmaking in the community and engagement with actual art in artistic environments. These learning environments may include but are not limited to, museums, galleries, artists’ studios, nature centers, and community art events. These opportunities enhance students’ experiences with and enrich knowledge of art and artifacts beyond what can be taught in a classroom.

Field trips or field-based learning are a vital part of the learning process. Experiential learning nurtures a series of skills and capacities for learning among interrelated cognitive, affective, social-emotional, and academic domains.

Through the sensory and kinesthetic learning that takes place in artistic environments, students gain a better understanding of the world around them and the various roles art plays in it.

NAEA supports field trips or field-based learning embedded within the curriculum and as such, field trips or field-based learning should be provided for all learners regardless of socio-economic, academic, behavioral, artistic ability, physical or cognitive abilities, or geographic factors.

This Position Statement was formerly titled: Position Statement on Field Trips/Field Based Learning. [Adopted March 2015; Reviewed and Revised March 2019 when it was also retitled as part of the rewriting.]

Resources:

NAEA Museum Division and AAMD (Association of Art Museum Directors) field trips study: https://www.arteducators.org/research/articles/377-naea-aamd-research-study-impact-of-art-museum-programs-on-k-12-students