Election Day PD: America 250 Through the Lens of Artists

Registration is now closed for the 2026 Election Day PD.

Tuesday. November 3, 2026

9 a.m.-3 p.m.

$75 per teacher (Lunch and coffee included)

The New Britain Museum of American Art, the first museum dedicated to American art in the nation, is honoring our country’s 250th anniversary with a professional development program for teachers on Election Day. Join us as we reflect on our nation’s past, honor the contributions of all American artists, and look ahead toward the future of our nation through the integration of visual arts learning with other subjects.

This full-day PD will include gallery conversations and multimodal activity sessions in the morning and speakers, teaching resources, and hands-on artmaking sessions in the afternoon.

Professional Development at the Museum

The New Britain Museum of American Art offers full-day or half-day professional development workshops for K-12 educators from varying disciplines. Teachers will explore American art, artists, and movements–and learn how to connect them to classroom curricula and make interdisciplinary connections with other subjects like language arts and social studies.

Using the Museum’s collection to promote creative and critical thinking skills, these workshops include guided gallery conversations and activities centered around your school or district’s teaching focus, such as:

• Integration of visual arts with other subjects
• Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
• Inquiry-based learning
• Relating art and ideas with societal, cultural, and historic context
• Multimodal Learning

Educators may register throughout the year or districts may book their own workshop in advance by working closely with the Learning and Engagement Department.

Half Day Professional Development:

• Duration: 3 hours
• Cost: $35 per teacher

Full Day Professional Development (minimum 8 teachers):

• Duration: 6 hours
• Cost: $75 per teacher for full day workshop with food; $50 per teacher for full day workshop with no food

Contact us to plan a workshop specially adapted to your needs. Email [email protected] for current fees or to schedule a program. 

Hear from Past Attendees:

"The sessions you designed, focusing on the Creative Process, were tailored perfectly to meet the needs of our K-12 Visual Arts teachers. As always, you welcomed every participant, making sure they were comfortable in the museum and understood the goals and intent for the day.

The museum setting offered a unique opportunity to connect with a local resource and engage in collegial problem-solving and gallery discussion. We had a fantastic time exploring studio offerings where staff immersed themselves in processes with innovative materials, which sparked many new possibilities for our classrooms. It was inspiring to see 90 teachers from surrounding districts come together, using the New Britain Museum of American Art's incredible collections and current exhibitions as a springboard for aesthetic conversations.

Everyone left with valuable resources to support instructional strategies, particularly in enhancing student self-efficacy in the creative process. Your hard work and dedication was completely evident in the effectiveness of this collaborative experience." - West Hartford Visual Arts Educators