Learn & Teach

While the Palmer is closed for the move to its new building, connect with the museum's diverse collections and exhibitions through online resources or plan ahead to return to in-person programs when the museum reopens on June 1, 2024. Contact Museum Educator Brandi Breslin at bgb56@psu.edu for questions about educational opportunities and programs at the Palmer.

Online Resources

Engage with the museum's collection through virtual tours, online exhibitions, webinars, and art activity videos.

Are you looking for a way to stay connected to the Palmer Museum of Art and experience art from the comfort of your home? With just a few clicks, art-enthusiasts of all ages can explore museum collections, watch recorded talks, take virtual tours, and access video resources to get creative, plan lessons and curriculum, explore the collection, or enhance a future visit to the museum.

Click here to explore online resources
Who Am I Virtual Tour

New Museum Teaching Gallery

For the first time in its history, the Palmer Museum will have a Teaching Gallery in the new museum anticipated to open in the spring of 2024. A hybrid gallery-classroom space, the Barbara and Lee Maimon Teaching Gallery will provide a responsive pedagogical platform for faculty to engage their students in the collection while investigating course concepts.

Class discussion in the galleries

Interested in proposing an exhibition in the Teaching Gallery?

We welcome proposals for Spring 2025 and beyond. Faculty from all colleges and academic units are encouraged to propose exhibitions, installations, and projects that embed the museum’s collection into university curriculum and academic research.

 

Please complete the form linked below to submit your proposal, including a project description, object checklist, and description of curricular connections. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis with priority given to proposals that coincide with a course being taught on campus.

 

For additional information or questions, contact Keri Mongelluzzo, Educator for Academic Engagement and Access, at klm556@psu.edu.

Teaching Gallery form

Internships

Are you a Penn State student looking for professional experience and to enhance your skills while learning and contributing to museum exhibitions, collection research, programs, and communications? A Palmer internship might be for you!

Interns working at the Palmer Museum

Academic Year Internships


During the fall and spring semesters, students work 8–10 hours per week contributing to ongoing projects and department needs. Positions are available in all museum departments, including: curatorial, education, communications, graphic design, digital projects, visitor services, collections management, and preparation. Recruitment takes place in March for fall semesters and October/November for spring semesters.

 

Fall 2024 Intern recruitment is open! Internship descriptions and application information are available via the following links. Students will need to sign in with a Penn State account to access the links.

 

Project Descriptions + Application Instructions

 

Recommendation Form

 

Cover Letter + Resume Tips

 

Application Deadline: April 1, 2024 (11:30 p.m.)

A grad assistant giving a gallery talk at the Palmer

Summer Internships


Penn State graduate students and upper-level undergraduates  contribute to research, interpretation, exhibition planning, project management, and collections care in addition to completing regular department assignments. Recruitment takes place during February of each year.

 

Summer 2024 Internship applications are now closed.

Summer internships are funded by the Art Bridges Foundation, Silver Trout Curatorial Graduate Internship Program, the Annie Gooding Sykes Internship, and the Pincus Family Foundation Endowment for Student Education.


Palmer Student Ambassadors

Palmer Student Ambassador recruitment is open for 2024–2025!

The Palmer Museum of Art seeks Penn State student volunteers from all colleges and majors  to represent student voices at the museum. Palmer Student Ambassadors (PSAs) interact with the public, inspire close-looking with original works of art, assist in creating gallery activities, and host public programs designed for Penn State students and community members, like Art After Hours. Check out the application instructions and form, linked below:

 

PSA Application

 

Application Deadline: Tuesday, September 3, 2024 (11:59 p.m.)

 

NOTE: PSA weekly meetings will take place Thursdays, 3:30–5:00pm (excluding university holidays and closures).

Three Palmer Student Ambassadors pose for a photo during Art After Hours

Plan Ahead

Guided Tours

Tours and programs are suspended while the Palmer Museum transitions to its new location at the Arboretum, but information is still accessible to help you plan ahead for visiting after June 1, 2024.

 

Private group tours of the NEW Palmer Museum of Art will begin in July 2024. Private tours may include fees that cover the cost of tour guides and operations. To request a private group tour and tour fee estimate, please complete the form linked below and allow one to two weeks for confirmation. Public drop-in tours, scheduled a minimum of once or twice monthly, and Penn State academic tours will remain free.

Tour Request Form
Tours at the Palmer

Outreach Programs

Connect with us out and around the local community.

Look for museum staff at local community festivals and enjoy family-friendly activities inspired by art in the permanent collection.

Find us at these upcoming events:

There are currently no scheduled outreach programs, but stay tuned for upcoming events!

The Palmer art activity at Arts Fest 2023

Have questions about educational programs at the museum? Contact Brandi Breslin at bgb56@psu.edu.


The Collection

Learn more about the Palmer Museum’s growing collection of 10,450 objects and why it is considered the leading cultural resource of the region.

Click here to visit our Collections page.

Grafton Tyler Brown, Hot Springs at Yellowstone, 1889, oil on canvas, 16 x 24 inches. Purchased with funds from the Terra Art Enrichment Fund, 2020.16.

Impact the arts and your community! Directly engage with the Palmer Museum. Work with Us!