Teacher Resources

The Vancouver Art Gallery’s School Programs support teachers in bringing art into the classroom and creating meaningful learning experiences through the arts.

Explore resources and professional development opportunities designed to deepen your understanding of art, artists and exhibitions and to support your teaching practice.

Teacher Study Guides

The Gallery’s Teacher Study Guides are designed to help you prepare your students for their Gallery visit. Each guide includes background information about the artist(s) and exhibition your class will explore, along with activities and discussion prompts to use before and after your visit.

Study Guides are available for select exhibitions and are an essential resource for preparing your group for their Gallery experience.

If you require a study guide from previous years not listed below, please contact learn@vanartgallery.bc.ca with your request.

Teacher Orientations

The Vancouver Art Gallery offers complimentary tours of select exhibitions for teachers from across Metro Vancouver. Teacher Orientations are an opportunity to preview an exhibition, take a closer look at selected artworks and learn more about the accompanying workshop before bringing your students to the Gallery.

All sessions run from 4 to 5:15 PM. Registration is required.

Upcoming Sessions

Future Geographies: Art in the Century of Climate Change
Thursday, September 17, 2026 | 4 PM

Modern Iran and the Avant-Gardes, 1948–78
Thursday, January 7, 2026 | 4 PM

For information about upcoming Teacher Orientations or to join our mailing list, please contact learn@vanartgallery.bc.ca.

Professional Development

The Vancouver Art Gallery offers professional development opportunities for educators to deepen their engagement with art and explore new approaches to arts education. Through exhibition tours, discussions, workshops and guest speakers, these programs provide opportunities to learn, connect and bring new ideas into the classroom.

BC Professional Development Day
Friday, October 23, 2026

Join us at the Gallery for a full day of learning inspired by the exhibition Future Geographies: Art in the Century of Climate Change.

The morning session will explore strategies for engaging students with art, followed by a guided tour of the exhibition and a hands-on workshop. The afternoon will be spent exploring the exhibitions Vancouver Now! Emily Hermant and Highlights from the Collection.

Program Fee: $100, including refreshments. Lunch is not included.

About the Speaker

elin kelsey, PhD, is an environmental educator, author and sought-after speaker whose work focuses on fostering hope, agency and empowerment in the face of climate change and environmental despair. She co-founded the viral social media campaign #OceanOptimism and is the author of Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think Is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis, as well as numerous children’s books exploring the connections between humans and the more-than-human world. An Adjunct Faculty member at the University of Victoria and Western Washington University, kelsey is also a co-creator of an international network focused on the emerging field of Climate Emotions. She regularly works with educators, youth climate activists, environmental organizations and community groups, sharing evidence-based approaches to hope and climate action.