Museum Quest
Once or twice per quarter, EFBA offers an original, play-based program of cultural discovery in French in various museums and cultural sites.
The annual program covers 5 different destinations. These museums or cultural sites are located all over the Bay Area and present various subjects mixing history, geography, nature, science, art and other human social or technological creations. Each destination offers its own journey of discovery, with various treasures and secrets.
A booklet with games guides the children through the different galleries and exhibits. Each team, chaperoned by an adult, will make careful observations to solve the final riddle of the scavenger hunt through the Art Gallery…
Museum outing: Discovering Matisse and His Work Jazz
About the event
As part of our Museum Quest program, EFBA invites children ages 6–12 to join us for a French-language visit to the De Young Museum to explore the work of one of modern art’s giants: Henri Matisse.
On Sunday, May 25, 2025, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., participants will tour the exhibition Matisse’s “Jazz” Unbound at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. The visit will be led by Julia Peillon, EFBA’s Cultural Programs Director. After the visit, children will take part in a hands-on creative workshop inspired by Matisse’s iconic cut-paper technique—an opportunity to extend their artistic experience in a fun and engaging way.
🎁 Bonus: Online Workshop the Day Before (Saturday, May 24, 10:00–11:00 a.m.)
To prepare for the outing, EFBA will offer a free interactive online workshop introducing children to Matisse’s life and work in a playful, age-appropriate format. This session is highly recommended, as it will help children better appreciate the museum visit. Can’t attend the live session? No worries! A recording will be sent to all registered participants who are unable to join live, so every child can benefit from the preparation.
Learning Objectives
This activity combines educational value with a relaxed, fun, and friendly atmosphere. Children will:
- Discover Henri Matisse’s unique artistic approach, especially his use of bold colors, simplified forms, and cut-paper collage
- Connect music and visual art, exploring how jazz influenced Matisse’s work and how rhythm and movement can be expressed through shapes and colors
- Develop visual literacy, learning to observe, describe, and interpret artistic choices with curiosity and confidence
- Expand their French vocabulary related to art, colors, emotions, and creative expression in a real-world context
es and storytelling through art.
Cultural FocusHenri Matisse: Master of Color and Creative Freedom
Who was Henri Matisse? Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was one of the most important French artists of the 20th century. Renowned for his bold use of color, his work had a profound impact on modern art. In the final years of his life, as his health declined, he developed a new technique: cut-paper collage, which he described as “drawing with scissors.” His 1947 work Jazz, a series of 20 vividly colored cut-paper compositions accompanied by handwritten notes, celebrates movement, rhythm, and spontaneity. The title pays tribute to jazz music—improvised, free, and full of energy—all qualities Matisse captured in his dynamic shapes. Fun Fact The original edition of Jazz was so bold and unconventional that it was initially described as “an impossible book to print.” Matisse personally oversaw the production to ensure the vivid colors were faithfully reproduced. A devoted jazz fan, he was drawn to the music’s energy and unpredictability. Julia Peillon, who will lead both the online workshop and the museum visit, shares Matisse’s passion for jazz. A native of Nice, the city where Matisse lived and worked for many years, Julia brings deep enthusiasm for this joyful, inventive, and profoundly human artist—and she’s eager to share it with the children. |
Details
Date and Time of the Museum Trip: Sunday, May 25, 2025 – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. (PST)
Where: De Young Museum, Golden Gate Park 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive San Francisco, CA 94118
Event Schedule:
- 9:30 am: arrival of the families in front of the De Young museum
- 9:30-11:30 am: tour of the exhibit
- 11:30 am: families pick up their child(ren) in front of the museum
| 🎁 Bonus Online Workshop: Discovering Matisse 🎁
As a special bonus, the museum outing participants will be automatically enrolled in a free online workshop to learn more about Matisse. 🗓 Date: Saturday, May 24, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Can’t make it that day? No problem—a recording of the workshop will be sent to all participants who are unable to attend live. |
Who Can Participate? This activity is open to children ages 6 to 12 who already have some proficiency in French—at least two recent years of French study or equivalent. A language assessment is required for children not enrolled in EFBA’s 2024–2025 programs. For EFBA students, a minimum level of FSL3 or enrollment in the Francophone track is required.
Participants must be able to:
- Speak French comfortably
- Understand the main ideas of conversations on a wide range of topics
Questions about your child’s French level? Email us at admissions@efba.us before registering.
During the visit, participants should bring:
- Comfortable shoes
- …that’s it!
Prices & registration:
- EFBA students: $29
- General admission: $34
➡ This fee includes the guided museum visit and access to the online preparatory workshop (participation in the online session is highly recommended but optional).
PRICES & REGISTRATION
General Admission
EFBA Students
PAST ACTIVITIES
| DATES | OUTINGS |
|---|---|
| Saturday, February 26, 2022 from 9:30 am to 11:00 am (PST) | On Saturday, February 26, 2022, our explorers visited the Jules Tavernier and the Elem Pomo exhibit at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. The exceptional work of French artist Jules Tavernier (1844-1889) and the cross-cultural exchange between Tavernier and the Elem community of the Pomo people, an indigenous people of Northern California, was presented in partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. |
| Sunday, November 7, 2021, 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. PST | On Sunday, November 7 2021, pastel art was celebrated through the exhibition Color Into Line: Pastels from Renaissance to the Present. The Legion of Honor fine arts museum in San Francisco offered a selection of masterpieces drawn in pastel and invited students to discover this material through the centuries and artists such as Rosalba Carriera, Edgar Degas, and Jean-Baptiste Perronneau. |
| Sunday, January 15, 2023 – 9:30 am to 11 am PST
Sunday, January 15, 2023 – 11:30 am to 1:00 pm PST |
To celebrate the bicentennial of Champollion’s decoding of the Rosetta Stone and its hieroglyphs in 1822, the EFBA team is pleased to offer a visit in French to an exceptional exhibition on Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs on Sunday, January 15, 2023 at the De Young Museum. |
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