Autry National Center

Teachers and School Groups

The Education Department at the Autry provides a number of unique and engaging programs for students as well as teachers.

Tuesday through Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the Autry in Griffith Park becomes a series of classrooms as Museum Teachers and Docents take students on tours and provide lessons on Western history. Topics include Native American culture, California Gold Rush history, and westward expansion. Students also get a broad overview of the museum and its exceptional collection of historical artifacts and Western art (from 19th-century landscape paintings to movie and TV Westerns).

Several times a year, the Autry offers training opportunities, including professional development webinars, for classroom teachers. In addition, our “Teacher Appreciation Days” provide teachers with information about the many classes and programs available to K–12 classes while also thanking them for their hard work and service with free tickets to one of our Sizzling Summer Nights salsa concerts.

The Autry also provides several hands-on In-Class Community Stories Kit Rentals, which help bring to life the stories of individual Westerners. Each kit profiles a community through the eyes of an actual person. Their stories, traditions, challenges, and opportunities come to life through carefully chosen resource materials and lesson plans, encouraging students to investigate their own family and community histories.