Editor’s Note: During this period of social distancing, Student Group Tour magazine will continue to provide ideas for planning educational travel. Many attractions and destinations are closed at this time; please contact them directly for updated information.
Situated on a 5½-acre garden estate in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood, The Frick Pittsburgh invites students to experience the culture and refinement of the Gilded Age.
The Frick Pittsburgh comprises a complex of museums, historical buildings and gardens, all left as a legacy to the people of Pittsburgh by the family of industrialist Henry Clay Frick.
“With three museums on site, plus nearly six acres of greenspace and an operational historic greenhouse, we can provide students with the type of programming they cannot get anywhere else in Pittsburgh,” said Kelsie Torrenti Paul, manager of school learning at The Frick Pittsburgh.
During tours of the three museum spaces, student groups are broken up into smaller groups of eight students or less.
“This ensures that each student receives a personal, unique tour that encourages their participation,” Torrenti Paul said. “Many of our school programs also include a hands-on component, whether that means an opportunity to handle historic objects or to create works of art. The programs are designed to engage students in more specific topics, including the European guild system, the importance of the assembly line and industrialism in the Gilded Age — just to name a few.”
Clayton, the home of the Henry Clay Frick family, is a meticulously restored, 23-room mansion. Students touring the mansion see historic objects up-close. The Frick Art Museum houses Helen Clay Frick’s personal collection of fine and decorative arts, including French 18th-century paintings, Renaissance and baroque bronzes, and Chinese porcelains. The museum also features changing special exhibitions. The Car and Carriage Museum takes students back in time to see historic automobiles including a Model T and Rolls-Royce.
“We hope that students who visit The Frick Pittsburgh walk away knowing that museums don’t have to be dusty old buildings with objects behind glass, but that they are fun, engaging places to learn new things and connect with art and history,” Torrenti Paul said. “If a student leaves the Frick inspired to learn more about the Gilded Age, the invention of the automobile or the impact of art on pre-revolutionary France, then we have done our job.”
For more information, call 412-342-4087 or visit thefrickpittsburgh.org.