The program with Cole School is made possible through the Museum’s collaboration with the St. Louis Children’s Zoo and the Center for Conservation in Forest Park.

Over the course of four weeks in April and May, staff from the Children’s Zoo introduced students to native wildlife and local habitats by bringing a range of animals to the Cole classrooms. Students observed the animals, keeping a journal of notes and sketches. Each class also visited the Art Museum to engage with works that connect to nature, including Claude Monet’s Water Lilies (1916) and the outdoor sculpture Placebo (2004) by Roxy Paine.

The program culminated with a visit to Forest Park where each student had the opportunity to create an original landscape painting based on their observations of the natural habitat.