Arts Education at the QCA
Gallery tours, stage and musical performances, art and creativity camps, juried exhibitions for school-age artists, art lessons and activities delivered to your school by our traveling Artmobile. These activities and more are available through our Arts Education program.
Gallery tours and all art education activities are free, school day performances have a nominal fee, and the Quick Center can pay for your bus transportation costs the day of your visit.
Tour the Quick Center art galleries
We incorporate math, history, language arts and science in gallery tours and arts education activities, and we'll work with you to plan the best tour for your students' ages and your study focus.
Offerings include:
- 3D Expression, a glimpse into a new, revolutionary dimension of art quilts, creatively interpreted
by artists from 14 states and 10 countries.
- Fiesta Friends, a fun and interactive immersion in Spanish and Latin American art and culture.
- Exploring Asia, a firsthand look at the art and culture of China, Korea, Japan and other Asian nations
Please schedule a tour by completing and submitting our online Gallery Tour Request Form.
We will then contact you to determine which gallery activities are appropriate for your students' ages and your study focus. We'll work with you to plan the best tour for your students.
Remember, tours and art programs are available free of
charge for all students.
School bus grants are available to help regional school districts bring their elementary, middle and high school students to exhibitions, performances and other programs at the Quick Center.
You need to submit two things:
- a completed School Bus Grant Application
- a quote from the transportation company your school will be using to bus students to and from the Quick Center.
Applications should be submitted one month prior to your visit. Notification usually takes about two weeks after the receipt of the request. Funds will be disbursed in the form of a check mailed to the school on the day of your visit to the Quick Center.
Please note: Bus grants are available for Quick Center/Dresser-Rand Challenger Learning Center tours only when you book a tour and art activities at the Quick Center lasting two hours in length.
Questions?
Contact Jennifer Skroback, Office Manager
(716) 375-2493
Send an email
Young people's school day performances
Each year the Quick Center hosts a series of daytime performances for young audiences. Some feature performances by the same accomplished musicians visiting campus as part of the Friends of Good Music's Performing Art Series, others are productions by professional theater companies catering to young and family audiences.
Juried art exhibitions for young artists
Each year we conduct art exhibitions for young artists across the region. Please return to this site often for information on the 2021-22 juried exhibitions for elementary, middle and high school students.
Art shows go digital in 2021
Each year, the Quick Center holds juried exhibitions for young artists. Typically, three exhibitions are scheduled over the school year, an elementary exhibition (students in grades K-5), a middle school exhibition (6-8) and a high school exhibition (9-12). The exhibitions are held in the Quick Center's Mezzanine Gallery,
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, however, only middle and high school juried art exhibitions were held in 2021.
See the work of the region's young artists 2021 Middle & High School Juried Art Exhibitions.
Please return to this site often for information on the next juried art exhibitions for young artists.
The QCA ArtMobile brings art to you
The Quick Center's ArtMobile provides traveling art outreach programs to six neighboring counties in New York and Pennsylvania, with visits to requesting nonprofit organizations serving all ages and art levels. The ArtMobile provides access to the Quick Center’s collections of original works as well as quality art lessons and activities. To request a visit from the ArtMobile, use our online form below.
A number of structured programs are available through the ArtMobile:
- Mastering Matisse
- Art and Culture of Japan
- Design Meditation
- Space Exploration
- In Plein Air
- Harlem Renaissance
- Modern Art Madness
- Fiesta Friends
- Summer Library Program
Information on each of these programs will be provided here upon resumption of ArtMobile visits.
We regret that due to the COVID-19 pandemic visits by the ArtMobile are unavailable through the summer of 2021. The ArtMobile Request Form will be available here when conditions permit.
Art Teacher Professional Development Day
The Quick Center hosts an Art Teacher Professional Development Day each year. It's an opportunity for art teachers from the region to share lesson plans and best practices, learn about new practices and techniques, and hear from interesting and accomplished speakers. Please return to this site often for information on the next program.
QCA Summer Experiences
We offer several QCA Summer Experiences, each designed to spark the imagination and creativity of young art lovers.
Please return to this site in spring 2022 for information on next summer's progrrams.