Kids & Families

Our programs encourage kids and families to make meaningful connections to art and one another through a range of creative experiences.

Visitors of all ages are invited to drop in for hands-on, creative activities inspired by artworks on view. Facilitated by Hammer student educators. Every Saturday, 1-4pm. Check out our Public Programs page for upcoming Art Lab dates.

Presented with 826LA, these workshops combine writing with creative activities. Reservations are encouraged. Visit 826la.org or call 310-915-0200.

UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Hammer Museum have teamed up for a matinee screening series of new and classic family-friendly films from around the world.

K.A.M.P. is a unique family fundraiser that provides kids of all ages the chance to be creative with Los Angeles-based artists. Proceeds from K.A.M.P. provide essential support to Hammer Kids programming, which serves thousands of  children and families annually.

The Hammer Museum offers resources to help facilitate discussions around artwork before, during, or after your visit to the museum. 

PST ART: Breath(e): Towards Climate and Social Justice Gallery Guide—English (PDF, 12 pp., 8MB) 
PST ART: Breath(e): Towards Climate and Social Justice Gallery Guide—Spanish(PDF, 12 pp., 8MB) 
For families and K–12 students and teachers 

Use this guide to explore the exhibition Breath(e): Towards Climate and Social Justice either at the museum, or in your classroom, or at home. These activities help students engage with climate crises through careful observation of artworks. 

Sculpture Garden Looking Guide (PDF, 15 pp., 1.1 MB)

This guide is intended for teachers visiting the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden with their students. Students are encouraged to use this guide for independent exploration in the garden.

Guide to Thomas Heatherwick's Spun Chair (PDF, 1 p., 40KB)
For families and K–12 students and teachers

This one-page guide lists fun facts and activities to inform your experience of Thomas Heatherwick's Spun Chair. Several chairs are usually placed throughout the Hammer courtyard.

Art Cards (PDF, 2 pp., 36KB)
For K–12 students and teachers

Art Cards is a resource for teachers visiting the museum with their students. These cards will help you facilitate discussions around the artwork in any gallery and foster conversations among classmates.

Discovery Guide (PDF, 9 pp., 289KB)
For families and K–12 students and teachers

This guide is designed to help you make meaningful connections to artworks of your own choosing. We encourage you to pick a place in the museum that interests you, and use the prompts provided to discover more about art.

Getting Started with Contemporary Art
For high school teachers
Download Conceptual Art (PDF, 1 p., 40KB)
Download Installation Art (PDF, 1 p., 40KB)
Download Performance Art (PDF, 1 p., 34KB)
Download Video Art (PDF, 1 p., 34KB)

These one-page guides are designed to be used in conjunction with a visit to the Hammer Museum, where students might encounter a range of contemporary art forms. Each guide focuses on a different art form, but they are not mutually exclusive; for example, conceptual art can be performance-based. All guides contain information and discussion prompts that can be used to engage with art during your visit, or in preparation for your visit with images available on our website; and an activity to extend student learning in the classroom after your visit.

For artmaking projects the whole family can do at home, check out:

• Our Hammer at Home Pinterest page
• Black Voices, Black Joy: A Reading Series with the Los Angeles Public Library