Visual Arts

The Visual Arts Department encourages and works with PCS teachers in taking their classes on meaningful Visual Arts field trips - thanks to PCS Referendum Funding. Field trips to see great works of Art and beautiful Art venues in-person engage, expand, and inspire young minds. These relevant real-world experiences also allow students, teachers, and chaperones to learn more about our local, state, and world's shared cultural and historical treasures.

• Read this article about how Art museum visits during childhood inspired modern-day artists to fall in love with Art!
• Read this article about an unexpectedly positive result from arts-focused field trips “The surprising result is that students who received multiple field trips experienced significantly greater gains on their standardized test scores after the first year than did the control students.” 

Art Field Trip Planning Process for PCS Teachers (Referendum-Funded*):

*Referendum funds dedicated to the Visual Arts are available to cover the cost of commercial buses and/or admission fees for any PCS teacher planning a field trip to an approved Art venue; however, TDEs from the Visual Arts Department can only be provided for PCS Art teachers.

1. At Least Five Weeks in Advance of Proposed Field Trip Date:

The teacher (in any content area) requests school administrator's approval and follows school's field trip procedures.  Then makes a field trip reservation with Art venue, obtains student and adult admission rates, and requests a written confirmation from the venue (see currently district-approved Art venues below):

• The Dali Museum, St, Petersburg 
• Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg
• Chihully Collection presented by Morean Arts Center
• Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg - masks required at this time
• Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, Tarpons Springs
• Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin
• Wheels on Wheels presented by Dunedin Fine Art Center
• Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa - masks required at this time
• Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota - no docent-led school tours at this time
• Duncan McClellan Glass, St. Petersburg
• The James Museum, St. Petersburg  - masks required at this time
• Imagine Museum, St. Petersburg
• Pinellas County African American History Museum, Clearwater - contact Hillary Van Dyke: vandykehillary@gmail.com
• Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum, St. Petersburg -contact Terri Scott: terrilipseyscott@gmail.com
• African American Heritage Trails - contact Hillary Van Dyke: vandykehillary@gmail.com or Gwendolyn Reese: gwen.reese@gmail.com
• The Harn Museum of Art - UF, Gainesville
• USF Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa
• Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa
• Florida CraftArt: Central Arts District Mural Tour, St. Pete

2. Transportation:

District School Bus

1. Teacher requests their school's Bookkeeper to schedule bus transportation. IMPORTANT: Pick up and return times must be between 10:15 am and 1:00 pm (no exceptions).  

Commercial Carrier

1. Teacher contacts approved vendors found on Authorized Commercial Carrier Services List to obtain a written quote/acceptance letter from the carrier.
2. Teacher must complete Request for Quote Commercial Carrier form (see link to below) and submit form to school's Bookkeeper.

3. At Least Four Weeks in Advance of Proposed Field Trip Date:

Teacher completes the Visual Arts Field Trip Funding Request Form 2-2102 AND the Application for Field Trip Form 1-294. After principal signs both forms, teacher scans the two forms, the carrier bus acceptance letter (if applicable), and the art venue confirmation letter, and sends all of the files together in one email to: Francine Giannotti <giannottif@pcsb.org> or ponies to the Visual Arts Office at the Administration Building.

4. Field Trip Approval:

The Visual Arts Department will email an approval memo to both the teacher and their school's Bookkeeper with funding cost strip information for paying the admission (if there is an admission fee) and/or commercial carrier fees.

5. After Receiving the Approval Memo:

1. The school's Secretary/Bookkeeper will generate a TDE for the Art teacher* and email it to Francine Giannotti <giannottif@pcsb.org> for funding a substitute teacher. (*Only Art teachers can be provided a Visual Arts Department-funded TDE.)
2. The teacher will immediately confirm carrier transportation.
3. The teacher will coordinate with school's Bookkeeper to arrange admissions payment via P-Card or PCS Purchase Order using cost strip.

Cancellations:

• The teacher must notify their school's Secretary/Bookkeeper, the Art venue, the commercial carrier, and the Visual Arts Office of a cancellation ASAP.

Contact with any questions about the above process: Francine Giannotti <GIANNOTTIF@pcsb.org> Art Office Phone: 727-588-6057

 

Want to Become a PCS Visual Arts Field Trip/School Tours Community Partner?

Field Trips provide an excellent learning opportunity to address a number of the Visual Arts Florida Standards in a unique and stimulating community setting. In an effort to provide a wide variety of field trip offerings, we invite interested community organizations to complete this application form requesting to be added to our district-approved Art venues list (see above). Also, please explore the approved K-12 Visual Arts courses taught currently in Pinellas County Schools to see how your field trip/school tour may support students' learning.