Mystery at the Museum

Teens at a table participating in an activity

Mystery at the Museum: Thursday 10 AM–2 PM
National Portrait Gallery Mystery: Tuesday 10 AM–2 PM
DC Public School (DCPS) middle schools, grades 6–8
Pre-registration required

“Mystery at the Museum” is a special program for DCPS middle schools. Teachers in qualifying schools can contact hmsgeducation@si.edu to register a class of up to 30 students. Not a DCPS teacher? Learn how you can visit the Museum with your class and find classroom resources here.

DC teachers: Can your students crack the code?

Do your students have what it takes to solve an art museum mystery? In this free full-day field trip for DCPS middle schools, students go behind the scenes to help Museum staff track down an artwork that has mysteriously disappeared. We’ll put code-cracking skills to the test as students learn about the fields of curation, conservation, exhibitions, and museum librarian. Can we restore the missing artwork before it’s too late? 

What’s included?

The “Mystery at the Museum” program is fully facilitated by Hirshhorn Museum educators. The program is an action-packed four hours, available on Thursdays from 10 AM–2 PM.  

The Hirshhorn is proud to present “Mystery at the Museum” with the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) and Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. NPG offers its own mystery field trip for DCPS middle schoolers on Tuesdays from 10 AM–2 PM, beginning in February 2025. To register for the National Portrait Gallery “Mystery at the Museum”, email HMSGeducation@si.edu. 

Bus transportation to and from the Museum and lunch are provided free of charge for up to 30 students and 3 adult chaperones.

Standards-Aligned Arts Experiences

“Mystery at the Museum” aligns to the following National Core Arts Standards:

VA: Cr2.1.6a Demonstrate openness in trying new ideas, materials, methods, and approaches in making works of art and design. 

VA:Cr2.1.8a Demonstrate willingness to experiment, innovate, and take risks to pursue ideas, forms, and meanings that emerge in the process of artmaking or designing. 

VA:Pr4.1.5a Define the roles and responsibilities of a curator, explaining the skills and knowledge needed in preserving, maintaining, and presenting objects, artifacts, and artwork.

VA:Pr6.1.6a Assess, explain, and provide evidence of how museums or other venues reflect history and values of a community. 

VA:Re.7.1.6a Identify and interpret works of art or design that reveal how people live around the world and what they value.

VA:Re.7.2.6a Analyze ways that visual components and cultural associations suggested by images influence ideas, emotions, and actions. 

VA:Re8.1.7a Interpret art by analyzing artmaking approaches, the characteristics of form and structure, relevant contextual information, subject matter, and use of media to identify ideas and mood conveyed. 

VA:Re9.1.8a Create a convincing and logical argument to support an evaluation of art. Establish relevant criteria in order to evaluate a work of art or collection of works

VA:Cn11.1.6a Analyze how art reflects changing times, traditions, resources, and cultural uses.

Thank You to our “Mystery at the Museum” Program Sponsor

Field Trip: Developing Student Pathways through Authentic Museum-School Partnerships is supported with Youth Access Grant funds from the Smithsonian Institution’s Together We Thrive initiative.

Thank You to our “Mystery at the Museum” Program Partners

“Mystery at the Museum” is facilitated in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.