As a branch of the The Floyd County Library we support the growth and creativity of an engaged, informed, and connected community. Check out all of our educational programs and opportunities!
The Floyd County Library Cultural Arts Center is excited to offer a customizable experience for children in grades Pre-K through 12. Schools, non-profits community organizations, and homeschool groups in Southern Indiana may choose from FREE on-site or off-site programs in both art and history. For more information or to schedule a program, contact Sheridan Bishoff at sbishoff@carnegiecenter.org or by calling the Cultural Arts Center at 812-944-7336.
Additionally, the Cultural Arts Center is committed to serving the Floyd County and Southern Indiana community through outreach. To schedule a community outreach opportunity, please contact the Center at 812-944-7336 or info@carnegiecenter.org.
As a public entity the Center has designated entrances, restrooms, and elevator services that are compliant for accessibility following State and Federal ADA requirements.
Historian For a Day: The Lucy Higgs Nichols Story
Learn about the Underground Railroad and the story of Lucy Higgs Nichols, a Civil War nurse who escaped enslavement and settled in New Albany! This program is a 1.5-hour experience designed for 3rd-5th graders that combines a one-hour live, synchronous, interactive storytelling session using primary sources with our Museum Educator and your choice of a collaborative or individual bookmaking art activity. Interested in this program but you have a middle or high school class? Let us know and we can work to accommodate your needs! Schedule this experience for your classrooms of up to 50 students at a time by contacting us directly at info@carnegiecenter.org or 812-944-7336.
*Note: this program is free for Floyd County, IN classrooms and non-profit organizations. Fees per classroom may apply for schools outside of Floyd County.
Reason to Remember: A Virtual New Albany Field Trip
A Reason to Remember: A Virtual New Albany Field Trip is a 35-minute educational film about New Albany, Indiana, that visits four local historic sites in addition to the Cultural Arts Center: the Town Clock Church, Culbertson Mansion, Scribner House, and Division Street School. This film was produced in 2021 by the Carnegie Center with Uproar Films as a response to the cancellation of 3rd and 4th grade field trips to these local sites due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Download our A Reason to Remember Educators Guide HERE.
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage: The Men and Women of the Underground Railroad Short Film
An introduction to the history of the Underground Railroad in Southern Indiana, this 15-minute educational film is an edited version of the 1 hour film Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage: The Men and Women of the Underground Railroad, produced by the Cultural Arts Center. This film is presented to 3rd-5th graders as a part of our educational program Historian For a Day: The Lucy Higgs Nichols Story.
FIVE corresponding age-appropriate lessons plans are available to teachers as free downloadable PDFs:
The Center is starting an exciting new classroom opportunity for middle and high school students! In this 45-minute class led by a Museum Educator students will learn all about what oral history is, why it’s important, and create their own class oral history archive. All students will need is a device, such as a Chromebook or tablet, that they can use to record their oral history interviews of their classmates. For more information contact info@carnegiecenter.org or 812-944-7336.
Family and Youth Programming at the Cultural Arts Center
The Cultural Arts Center is expanding its offerings for youth and families! Check out this webpage to learn all about our new offerings including Open Studio, Family Tours, Gallery Games, and MORE! Many of these programs are monthly but, as always, keep an eye on our Events Page and the Library’s calendar of events for exact dates and times. Questions? Contact Sheridan Bishoff at sbishoff@carnegiecenter.org or 812-944-7336.
Floyd County Library Special Collections
The Floyd County Library’s new Special Collections catalog includes the historic photographs collection, as well as artifacts, artwork, and archival collections located in the Indiana Room and Cultural Arts Center. Library staff are in the process of adding all Special Collections materials to this site; please check back regularly for added content. Questions? Contact us at indiana@nafclibrary.org or (812) 949-3527. Schedule A Research Appointment
Teacher Resource Guides
The Center’s Museum Educators have put together Teacher Resource Guides for all of our exhibits. Each guide has exhibit information, additional resources, and suggested activities related to the content of the exhibit. Bring your class in to explore the exhibitions and then use these guides as companion pieces to your visit!
The Cultural Arts Center, a branch of The FloydCountyLibrary, has launched an Audio/Visual Arts Makerspace. The Makerspace provides equipment and software for a wide variety of projects, such as photography and photo editing, video and audio projects such as short films and podcasts, and digital drawing and art-making. This equipment includes 3 cameras and tripods, green screen and seamless photo backdrop, lighting kit, digital drawing tablets, Cricut Machine and Cricut Press, lavalier microphones, adapters and card readers, and much more. This Makerspace is meant to promote creativity, innovation, and self-guided, experiential learning. All equipment and software provided is meant to be used on site. Support for the Makerspace has been generously provided by the Samtec Cares Grant Program.
We love posting videos to our YouTube channel of activities you can do at home! We’ll give you the supply list and some guidance on how to create your masterpiece, and the rest is up to you! Check out this video (pictured above) of Miss Tee explaining how to make a “pictorial handscape,” along with a lesson on mapmaking! You can also check out these art-and-history-inspired downloadable activities for all ages:
DIY Egg Tempera Paint (Instructions for using eggs and gel food coloring to make paint!) + a follow-along VIDEO!
Use Hoopla and Libby to download and stream free movies, TV shows, music albums, audiobooks, eBooks, and comic books on your computer or mobile device. Even read the latest issues of your favorite magazines with Flipster!
Access over 15,000 onlineclasses in graphic design, business, web development, and more to achieve your personal and professional goals with the online educational site LinkedIn Learning.
Take professional six-week courses with highly interactive instructor-led learning in a wide range of subjects with Gale Courses. Classes offered support business professionals, computer and technology, language & arts, hobbies, health, and wellness. Courses run for six weeks and new sessions begin every month.
Mango Languages offers over 40 foreign languages to explore, plus 15 ESL courses taught in your native language. Learn anytime and anywhere with online access and free mobile apps.
Need help figuring out how to use any of this stuff? Visit the Library’s Niche Academy site for tutorials on how to use Hoopla, Libby, Flipster, Mango Languages, and more.
Hear from Artists and Experts
