The CJM is proud to be a recipient of the 2022 Superintendent's Award for Excellence in Museum Education, awarded jointly by the California Association of Museums and the California Department of Education, for this virtual tour.
For students in grades 1–2; available by reservation September–December, 2024
ADMISSION: Free for Bay Area school groups through the 2024-2025 academic year; $100 per class of 25 for non-Bay Area school groups. Reserved SFUSD classes receive a free class set of art materials for the art making activity.
Experience the magical world of Ezra Jack Keats through this award-winning* arts-integration program for first and second grades! This tour brings a Museum educator to your classroom over Zoom for an interactive look at past CJM exhibition, The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats, highlighting early literacy concepts, followed by a guided art making session inspired by Keats’s illustrations. The perfect complement to curricula exploring one’s neighborhood and community, students will be introduced to Keats’s biography as the son of Jewish immigrants, his path to becoming an artist, and the central role children of color hold in his books. This sixty-minute experience will engage students with an interactive tour, art making, and an optional break in the middle. Reserved SFUSD classes receive a free class set of art materials for the art making activity!
This fall, The CJM will pilot an in-school version of this tour with five SFUSD sites. Placing a CJM educator in participating classrooms, the in-school tour will delve deeper into close looking at Keats’s illustrations and expand upon the art making portion of the virtual experience. If your school is interested in registering for an in-school visit for the 2025-2026 school year, please email schools@thecjm.org.
The CJM is proud to be a recipient of the 2022 Superintendent's Award for Excellence in Museum Education, awarded jointly by the California Association of Museums and the California Department of Education, for this virtual tour.
The CJM is proud to be a recipient of the 2022 Superintendent's Award for Excellence in Museum Education, awarded jointly by the California Association of Museums and the California Department of Education, for this virtual tour.
Book your tour using the button below, or visit our School Tours page to see all of our school tour options.
The Ezra Jack Keats Bookmaking Project is an annual project presented by The Contemporary Jewish Museum, Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), and the San Francisco Public Library that promotes the art and craft of original bookmaking in the classroom and invites SFUSD students in grades K–12 to design, write, and create their own books. At the end of the project, books are honored, showcased, and celebrated.
Learn more about our other current school tour offerings by clicking below.
The CJM offers an array of free, downloadable resources designed to prepare students and teachers to view exhibitions, and to support your tour experience.
For questions or assistance, call 415.655.7855 or email schools@thecjm.org. Plus, for the latest updates on new programs and resources for educators, sign up for our mailing list below.
The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats was the first major exhibition in the United States to pay tribute to award-winning author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats (1916–1983), whose beloved children’s books include Whistle for Willie (1964), Peter’s Chair (1967), andThe Snowy Day (1962)—the first modern full-color picture book to feature an African American protagonist. Published in 1962, at the height of the civil rights movement in America, the book went on to become an inspiration for generations of readers, transforming children’s literature forever. The exhibition featured over eighty original works by the artist, from preliminary sketches and dummies or preparatory books to final paintings and collages, including examples of Keats’ most introspective but lesser-known output inspired by Asian art and poetry.
Major support for K-12 School and Teacher Programs is generously provided by California Bank & Trust; William Randolph Hearst Foundation; Barbara and Ronald Kaufman; The Bernard Osher Foundation; Pacific Gas and Electric Company; and Yerba Buena Community Benefit Fund.
Header image: Ezra Jack Keats, “After breakfast he put on his snowsuit and ran outside” (detail). Final illustration for The Snowy Day, 1962. Collage and paint on board, 10 x 20 in. Ezra Jack Keats papers, de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection, McCain Library and Archives, The University of Southern Mississippi. Copyright © Ezra Jack Keats Foundation.
Exhibition image: Ezra Jack Keats, “It was hot. After supper Roberto came to his window to talk with Amy.” Final illustration for Dreams, 1974. Marbled paper and paint on board, 13 9/16 x 20 9/16 in. Ezra Jack Keats papers, de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection, McCain Library and Archives, The University of Southern Mississippi. Copyright © Ezra Jack Keats Foundation.