Field Trip Educational Hub

What Is Immersive Art? (10 min)

Ask: “What are the rules at a traditional museum?”

Then explain that at JAMNOLA, you walk inside the art, touch interactive pieces, and hear music all around you.

Key Words

• Immersive art: art you step inside.
• Culture bearer: someone who keeps a community’s traditions alive, like Mardi Gras Indians, brass band musicians, and second-line clubs.
• Symbol: a picture or object that stands for something bigger, like crawfish, streetcars, or the fleur-de-lis.

Activity Sheet, Part 1 (20 min)

Students draw their favorite New Orleans symbol.

Visit Prep (10 min)

• Museum feet, gentle hands, and no food or drinks inside.
• Storytellers throughout JAMNOLA share the stories behind the art and can help take group photos.
• No worksheets during the visit. Students just explore.

Reflect (10 min)

Ask: “What part of JAMNOLA made you feel the most joyful? What did you hear? What textures did you see?”

JAM App Favorite Stop (10 min)

Open the Main Tour in the JAM App. Each student picks a favorite stop and shares why. Families can explore it at home too.

Activity Sheet, Part 2 (20 min)

Students draw their favorite moment and circle 3 words from the Word Bank.

Adinkra Link

Connect shapes and patterns from the visit to Adinkra symbols like Sankofa (learning from the past). See the bonus Adinkra lesson.

Project Ideas (25+ min)

• Build a shotgun house from an empty milk carton.
• Draw a Mardi Gras scene in JAMNOLA’s pop-art style.

• Visual Arts · VA-CA-E2 (Louisiana)
  Identify images, colors, and other art elements that have specific meanings in cultural contexts.
• Visual Arts · VA-CE-E5 (Louisiana)
  Draw on imagination, individual experience, and group activities to generate ideas for visual expression.
• Visual Arts · VA-AP-E5 (Louisiana)
  Participate in guided inquiry into the basic question, “What is art?” and share personal feelings or preferences about various works.
• Music · M-HP-E2 (Louisiana)
  Recognize and discuss the function of music within historical and cultural contexts, including celebrations, ceremonies, and special occasions.
• Social Studies · 3-5.SP1c (Louisiana)
  Understand and use content-specific vocabulary and phrases.
• Social Studies · 3.6b, Grade 3 (Louisiana)
  Describe the significance of state and nationally designated holidays, including … Mardi Gras.
• ELA · SL.3.4 / SL.4.4 / SL.5.4 (Louisiana)
  Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.

Louisiana’s arts benchmarks are written for grades K–4 and 5–8. Grade 5 classes can use the matching 5–8 benchmarks: VA-CA-M2, VA-CE-M5, VA-AP-M5, and M-HP-M2.

• Lesson Plan, Grades 3–5 (PDF)
• Student Activity Sheet, Grades 3–5 (PDF)

Upcycling & Culture Bearers (20 min)

Define upcycling (turning discarded materials into something of higher artistic value) and compare it with recycling. Connect it to culture bearers, like Mardi Gras Indian suit makers, who use found materials and craftsmanship to carry history forward.

Activity Sheet, Part 1 (15 min)

Students sort upcycling vs. recycling examples (a few are hidden JAMNOLA pieces), sketch their own upcycled creation, and explain why upcycling is both an artistic and an eco-friendly choice.

Things to Look For (5 min)

Give students three things to notice at JAMNOLA. No notes or worksheets during the visit. They just keep these in mind.

• Materials: What everyday objects can you spot inside the art?
• Sound and light: How do music and lighting change the way a space feels?
• Stories: What piece of New Orleans history or culture is hiding in the art?

Visit Prep (5 min)

Review expectations. Storytellers throughout JAMNOLA share how the art was made and the stories behind it, and can help take group photos.

Debrief (15 min)

• Which upcycled material surprised you most up close?
• How did light and sound make historical stories feel modern?
• How does JAMNOLA reflect Louisiana’s economy and community identity?

Activity Sheet, Part 2 (35 min)

Students record everyday objects they spotted at JAMNOLA, then choose one:

• Artist Spotlight: Research a featured JAMNOLA artist and complete a fact card: their materials, how their work connects to New Orleans, and a question for the artist.
• Exhibit Blueprint: Map out an original exhibit for your school or neighborhood, with symbols, textures, upcycled materials, and a soundscape.

Share (10 min)

Partners present their research or blueprints.

Adinkra Link

Discuss how West African craftsmanship carried into Louisiana through Black masking culture, beadwork, and architecture. See the bonus Adinkra lesson.

JAM App: Behind the Music (10 min)

On the Music Tour in the JAM App, curator Melissa Weber explains how she built the sounds of JAMNOLA. Listen to a stop together, then have students choose the song or sounds they’d use for their own exhibit’s soundscape.

• Visual Arts · VA-HP-M4 (Louisiana)
  Distinguish media and techniques used to create works of art throughout history.
• Visual Arts · VA-CA-M2 (Louisiana)
  Analyze and interpret art images for their symbolic meaning, purpose, and value in place and time.
• Visual Arts · VA-AP-M6 (Louisiana)
  Describe the use and value of the visual arts in daily life, the workplace, and the community.
• Visual Arts · VA-CE-M5 (Louisiana)
  Produce ideas for art productions while engaging in individual and group activities.
• Music · M-AP-M3 (Louisiana)
  Describe the emotional and intellectual impact of music in various contexts.
• Visual Arts · VA:Cn11.1.6a (National Core Arts)
  Analyze how art reflects changing times, traditions, resources, and cultural uses. (Grades 7 and 8: VA:Cn11.1.7a and VA:Cn11.1.8a.)
• Social Studies · 6.10b, Grade 6 (Louisiana)
  Describe the factors that influenced migration within and to Louisiana by various groups, including French, Spanish, Africans, Acadians, Germans, Canary Islanders/Islenos, and Haitians, and explain how individuals and groups interacted and contributed to the development of Louisiana.
• ELA · SL.6.1 / SL.7.1 / SL.8.1 (Louisiana)
  Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• ELA · W.6.2 / W.7.2 / W.8.2 (Louisiana)
  Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

Louisiana’s arts benchmarks are written for grades 5–8, so they cover all of grades 6–8.

• Lesson Plan, Grades 6–8 (PDF)
• Student Activity Sheet, Grades 6–8 (PDF)

The Creative Economy (15 min)

Introduce New Orleans’ creative industries, from float building and Mardi Gras suit design to fabrication, lighting, and audio engineering.

Behind the Build (10 min)

Share the story of the giant seashell in JAMNOLA’s Rougerie. Its frame is old rocking chairs and a cast-iron bed frame, and its backing is Mylar tablecloths from a 6th birthday party (icing hosed off first). Nearby, the purple fringe comes from the artist’s personal vintage stash and is more than 40 years old.

Ask: “What does it take to turn found objects into art that holds up to thousands of visitors?”

Activity Sheet, Part 1 (15 min)

Students break down the seashell build and take a position on how public art shapes a city.

Things to Look For (5 min)

No notes during the visit. Students just keep these in mind:

• The build: How was this made, and what challenges did the builders solve?
• The sound: How does the music change the energy of the space?
• The people: Whose job made this possible?

Visit Prep

Storytellers throughout JAMNOLA share how the art was made and can help take group photos.

Debate (20 min)

Debate: “Does turning living culture into an interactive, Instagrammable experience preserve traditions or commodify them?”

To commodify something is to turn it into a product to be bought and sold. Split the class to argue both sides.

Activity Sheet, Part 2 (15 min)

Students map both sides of the debate and decide where they land.

Take It Further (optional)

Students choose one:

• Curator’s Critique: Write a museum review arguing whether JAMNOLA preserves or commodifies culture.
• Workforce Project: Pick a career seen at JAMNOLA and pitch an original exhibit honoring an unsung piece of Louisiana culture.

Adinkra Link

Students browse more than 100 Adinkra symbols at adinkra.art and choose one that reflects them, their community, or New Orleans. See the bonus Adinkra lesson.

JAM App: Career Path Research (10 min)

In the JAM App, students pick a tour stop, identify the artist or role behind it, and research how someone gets into that career.

• Visual Arts · VA-HP-H5 (Louisiana)
  Investigate and assess roles, careers, and career opportunities in the visual arts.
• Visual Arts · VA-CA-H3 (Louisiana)
  Critique the design of structures or areas in the created (built) environment based on aesthetic criteria.
• Visual Arts · VA-CA-H5 (Louisiana)
  Develop and justify personal interpretations of works of art based on information from inside and outside the work.
• Visual Arts · VA-AP-H6 (Louisiana)
  Integrate knowledge of the visual arts in the total environment to understand the arts within a community.
• Visual Arts · VA:Pr6.1.Ia (National Core Arts)
  Analyze and describe the impact that an exhibition or collection has on personal awareness of social, cultural, or political beliefs and understandings.
• ELA · W.9-10.1 / W.11-12.1 (Louisiana)
  Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
• ELA · SL.9-10.1 / SL.11-12.1 (Louisiana)
  Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

• Lesson Plan, Grades 9–12 (PDF)
• Student Activity Sheet, Grades 9–12 (PDF)

Adinkra symbols are visual icons created by the Akan people of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Each one carries a proverb or core value, like resilience, wisdom, or honoring the past.

West African visual traditions are woven throughout New Orleans, from the ironwork and architecture of Tremé and the French Quarter to the beadwork of Black masking culture.

This lesson works for every grade band. Use it on its own or add it to your post-visit plans.

Part 1: Symbol Matching

Students match five Adinkra symbols (Sankofa, Dwennimmen, Hye Won Hye, Asase Ye Duru, and Nyame Dua) to their literal meanings and core values.

Part 2: Cultural Reflection

Students answer three written prompts:

• Heritage: Why is it important to study and preserve the West African symbols woven into New Orleans?
• Sankofa: How does honoring a New Orleans landmark, person, or tradition reflect Sankofa (learning from the past)?
• Resilience: When has New Orleans shown the strength of Hye Won Hye ("that which does not burn")?

Part 3: Creative Design

Students sketch one symbol from Part 1 and explain how its meaning connects to their life, school, or city.

Grades 3–5

After the visit, have students recall shapes, animals, and repeating patterns they saw at JAMNOLA, then connect them to Adinkra symbols like Sankofa (learning from the past).

Grades 6–8

Discuss how West African craftsmanship survived and evolved in Louisiana through Black masking culture, beadwork, and architectural motifs, and how materials and symbols express community identity.

Grades 9–12: Explore the Symbols

There are more than 100 Adinkra symbols, each tied to a proverb or value. Have students browse the collection at adinkra.art, choose the one that best reflects them, their community, or New Orleans, and write a short piece explaining their choice.

Take it further: Students design an original symbol inspired by Adinkra’s visual style to represent something meaningful in their own lives, and explain the story behind it.

• Adinkra Symbols Worksheet (All Grades) (PDF)
• Teacher Answer Key (PDF)

• Make groups: Plan to split students into groups of 6, each with one adult. Teachers count toward the 1:6 ratio.
• Prep your chaperones: Review the Chaperone Guide together, or email it ahead of time so they know how to help students make the most out of the visit. Make sure every chaperone has your phone number and knows the meeting spot and time.
• Prep your students: Walk students through what to expect during the visit. Consider bringing JAMNOLA into the classroom the week before your visit with our pre-visit lesson plans, aligned to Louisiana and National Core Arts standards.

• Arrival: Plan to arrive about 10 minutes before your start time (for example, 9:50 AM for a 10:00 AM visit).
• Drop-off: Bus drop-off and pick-up happen in front of JAMNOLA at 940 Frenchmen St.
• What to expect: On average, field trips spend about 1 hour exploring JAMNOLA. Storytellers are stationed throughout to share the stories behind the exhibits and answer questions. (They also know the best spots and poses for group photos!)
• Accessibility: JAMNOLA is wheelchair accessible and fully ADA compliant, with occasional seating and rest areas throughout. Music is a big part of the experience and can’t be turned down. There are quieter spots, but no completely quiet space.

• Stay with your group at all times, and walk, don’t run.
• Touch gently unless there’s a DO NOT TOUCH sign. No climbing on exhibits or pulling on fixtures.
• No food, drinks, or gum inside, to protect the artwork.
• Keep bags small. Large backpacks are discouraged so hands stay free.
• Photos and videos are encouraged!

• Emergency: JAMNOLA has several emergency exits. Wait for staff instructions.
• Separated student: Alert the nearest JAMNOLA staff member right away. Chaperones should keep the rest of their group together and stay put.
• Overwhelmed student: Move to a quieter spot with help from JAMNOLA staff. If the student needs more time, another adult can step outside with them.

Download the one-page Know Before You Go: Teacher Guide (PDF) to print or keep on hand.

• Stay together: You’re in charge of about six students for the whole visit. Keep them with you, count heads whenever you move to a new area, and help with bathroom breaks.
• Explore together: Stay close, move as a group, and jump into the conversation. Your curiosity sets the tone!
• Be a good guest: Walk, don’t run. Touch gently unless there’s a DO NOT TOUCH sign, and no climbing or pulling on exhibits. Photos and videos are encouraged!

Try these anywhere:

• What’s the first thing you noticed?
• Can you find a detail nobody else spotted?
• What do you think this is made of?
• How does this space make you feel? Why?
• What part of New Orleans does this remind you of?

Meet a storyteller: JAMNOLA storytellers are stationed throughout the space. When your group comes across one, stop and listen! They share how the art was made, the stories behind it, and fun facts about the artists.

• If a student gets overwhelmed: Ask JAMNOLA staff for the nearest quieter spot and take a short break there with your group. If they need more time, tell the Lead Teacher.
• If a student gets separated: Keep your group together and look around. Tell the Lead Teacher and the nearest JAMNOLA staff member what the student is wearing, then stay put until they give you the next step.
• If a student gets hurt or sick: Keep the other students back, alert JAMNOLA staff, call the Lead Teacher, and stay with the student until help takes over.

• Save the Lead Teacher’s phone number.
• Know your students’ names and what they’re wearing.
• Know the meeting spot and time.
• Ask which students might need breaks.

Download the one-page Chaperone Guide (PDF) to print or share with your chaperones.