Educator Resources

The Education Department regularly produces educator resources for current and past exhibitions. Our mission is to help teachers and students obtain a deeper understanding of important themes and content within our exhibitions through materials that can be used before, during and after visits to the Museum. 

If you would like to request resource packets for a current or past exhibition, please contact the Gallery Education Coordinator, Alicia Herrera, by e-mail at alicia@nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org or by phone at 312-433-3921. Please allow up to 10 business days for mail delivery. 

Available Educator Guides

Copies of the following guides can be mailed to you. 

  • Day of the Dead Teaching and Learning Guide for Grades K-12
  • The African Presence in Mexico Teaching and Learning Guide for Grades 6-12

Downloadable Educator Guides

The following guides can be downloaded from this website. 

  • Signature Works: 25th Anniversary Gifts to the Permanent Collection

Our current exhibition in the Main Gallery features highlighted work from our recent donation campaign. The exhibition contains work from 63 named artists and demonstrates the current direction that our collection is moving towards. The educator guide focuses on how collections are formed by curators and includes two related activities as well as an interview with Rebecca D. Meyers, the curator of the exhibition and the Museum's Permanent Collection. This guide also features alignment to Common Core literacy standards.  

CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE SIGNATURE WORKS EDUCATOR GUIDE

 

  • El Alma de Fiesta: Mexican and Mexican-American Festivals and Celebrations

The El Alma de la Fiesta exhibition, which was on display during the summer of 2012, showcased art and ephemera related to several major Mexican festivals and traditional celebrations. The guide includes reference information on these celebrations and holidays, a glossary, artwork from the exhibition and graphic organizers for a museum visit. 

 CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE PACKET

 

  • Hanal Pixan: Food for the Souls - Day of Dead 2012

The 2012 Day of the Dead exhibition featured the theme of Hanal Pixan, the name given to Day of the Dead festivities in the Yucatan region of Mexico. The packet features information about the Mayan roots of this holiday and showcases the unique traditions of this region.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE PACKET