Faculty Resources
Discover academic programs, curricular connections, and other resources to support your teaching and research at Penn State.Guided Class Visits
Enrich course content and engage students through art and cultural connections. Guided visits are provided free of charge to Penn State classes. All tours encourage close-looking and interpretation through dialogue and personal reflections.
University Tour Themes:
- Pop + Politics: Civic Engagement, Art, and Activism – Experience the power of art and popular culture to mobilize community action.
- Art + Objects – Discover the diverse roles of objects in art, both as the subject of a work and as the material used to create it.
- Racial Justice + the Museum – Examine the framing of race and the fight for liberation through art.
- Women in Art – Explore representations of women across media and investigate the gendered divisions of creative labor in art and craft.
- Museum Highlights – Introduce students to the museum through a selection of culturally significant works on view.
Click here to request a guided class visit. Three weeks advance notice is required.
For questions about class visits or to inquire about custom class connections, contact Keri Mongelluzzo, educator for academic engagement and access.
Instructor-Led Class Visits & Student Assignments
Faculty are welcome to lead a class tour or other gallery experience for students, during the museum’s regular operating hours. We ask that you reserve a date and time for your visit to avoid overcrowding in the galleries or conflicts with scheduled programs.
We are also delighted for instructors to send students to the museum to complete assignments. We invite you to share your assignment plans with us so that our Visitor Services staff may assist students with wayfinding and other questions.
Drawing and writing are allowed in the galleries – with pencils only. Portable gallery stools are available upon request to assist with extended viewing.
Click here to request an instructor-led visit reservation or tell us about an upcoming student assignment.
More Info and Resources
Object Study
Contextualize course topics with works of art for a class session or conduct research on objects in our collection by making an appointment in the Object Study Room (three weeks advance notice required).Object Study Request Form
Faculty Guide
Want to integrate the museum into your courses but not sure where to start? Consult our Faculty Guide for information on class visits, sample assignments, creative collaborations, the Teaching Gallery, and more!Faculty Guide
Subject Guides
With over 10,750 objects, the Palmer has artwork to engage your students, regardless of course topic! Explore the collection using our curated Subject Guides in eMuseum below the listed collecting areas.Subject Guides via eMuseum
Talks & Discussion
Take a deeper dive into an exhibition or the collection by attending a public lecture or gallery talk. Check listings for upcoming talks on our Learn & Teach page.Learn & Teach
Creative Collaborations
Interested in connecting your class, group, or department to one of the museum’s Student Engagement Programs? Examples of past collaborations include: Data Visualization showcase, Art & Engineering night, poetry readings, and acting performances. To explore possibilities, contact Keri Mongelluzzo, educator for academic engagement and access, at klm556@psu.edu.Faculty Programs
Gallery Teaching Workshops and other programs offer faculty the opportunity to explore museum resources and object-based teaching strategies to support experiential learning and integration of the museum’s collection into courses.
Upcoming Faculty Programs:
Faculty Open House: August 15, 1:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Drop-in to explore curricular connections, browse current exhibitions, chat with museum staff, and brainstorm ways to integrate the museum into your courses.
Teaching Gallery
The Teaching Gallery is an exhibition space devoted to presenting works from the Palmer Museum’s collection with direct connections to Penn State courses and other instructional programs. Installations in the Teaching Gallery provide an interdisciplinary approach to object-based teaching and learning.
Find information about current, upcoming, and past Teaching Gallery exhibitions, along with exhibition proposal guidelines, at the link below.
Teaching Gallery Proposal Form