Museum Visits for K–12 Student Groups

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Self-Guided Visits

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to the anticipated volume of visitors in 2008–2009, the Museum is not able to accept requests for self-guided visits unless schools have purchased King Tut tickets or scheduled a docent-guided visit. Self-guided groups will have to pay admission to visit the galleries.

Student groups who have already purchased tickets to the King Tut exhibition, or who have scheduled a docent-guided visit, are also welcome to explore the Museum’s collections and special exhibitions independently.
Teachers are encouraged to visit the Museum prior to their student group visit, as galleries and the artworks on view change throughout the year.
Self-guided visits are available during regular Museum hours only: Tuesday–Sunday, 11–5; Thursday, 11–9; Closed Mondays.
To make the most of your self-guided experience, please consider the following:

  • Explore the Museum’s permanent collection with this self-guided tour. Click here to print the self-guided materials in black-and-white. Click here to print a color version.
  • Audio guides of the Museum’s collections are available to scheduled self-guided groups at the price of $4 per person. Audio guides are available on a first-come, first-served basis and may be paid for upon arrival. Note, there may be an additional cost for special exhibition audio guides.
  • Take advantage of the wealth of teaching resources available online. Click here for resource information.
  • Attend a teacher workshop! Click here for workshop information.
  • For information on scheduling a self-guided visit to the exhibition Tutankahmun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, click here.

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Docent-Guided Visits

Docent-guided visits allow students to form meaningful connections with works of art through close looking and interactive gallery experiences, including sketching, writing, group discussion, and more. Led by trained volunteers, these visits encourage critical and creative thinking while addressing all learning styles. Guided visits are presented appropriately for each group’s grade level and subject interest and are aligned with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.

  • Available September 16, 2008–May 22, 2009.
  • Offered Tuesday–Friday at 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., noon, and 1:00 p.m.
  • Guided visits last one hour; groups may also schedule self-guided time in addition to the guided portion of their visit.
  • Guided visits are offered in English. If needed, please bring teachers or parents that can assist with translation for bilingual or ESL students.
  • Minimum of 10 students required; see specific topics for maximum number per hour.
  • K–3 docent-guided visits are only offered on the first Tuesday, second Wednesday, third Thursday, and fourth Friday of each month.
  • IMPORTANT NOTICE: docent-guided tours of the exhibition Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs are not available.

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Docent-Guided Visit Topics

Special Exhibition Visits
The following topics are recommended for grades 4-12. Click here for more information on current and future exhibitions. Exhibition dates are subject to change.

  • Take Your Time: Olafur Eliasson Guided visits offered November 18, 2008-March 6, 2009; limited to 30 students. Use your senses to explore the unique environments created by one of Iceland’s most renowned contemporary artists.

Permanent Collection Visits
Topics that do not list a specific grade level are recommended for grades 4-12.

  • Dive into Art at the DMA Recommended for kindergarten; limited to 60 students. Make works of art come alive with multisensory activities, stories, and conversations. This program is offered only at 10:00 a.m. and only during the spring semester.
  • Me and My World Recommended for 1st grade; limited to 60 students. Explore people and places in art through stories, clues, and gallery activities. If your school is within Dallas city limits, we recommend that you follow this Museum Visit with a related Go van Gogh program in your classroom.
  • Searching for Faces Recommended for 2nd grade; limited to 60 students. Look for clues – including faces, clothing, and gestures – that tell us about figures in works of art.
  • Stories in Art Recommended for 3rd grade; limited to 60 students. Have fun learning to “read” stories in art from a variety of times and places.
  • A Looking Journey Recommended for 4th grade; limited to 90 students. Take an interactive journey through the magical world of art by looking carefully, thinking critically, and paying attention to what you feel.
  • Arts of the Americas Recommended for 5th grade; limited to 90 students. Explore the arts of ancient American peoples, American Indian cultures, the Spanish and British colonies, and modern Mexico and the United States.
  • Ideas Take Shape Recommended for 6th grade; limited to 90 students. Travel the globe as you look at the ways in which diverse peoples and cultures communicate their values and beliefs.
  • Past to Present: Arts of Mexico and Central and South America Limited to 45 students. Ancient times to the 20th century
  • Ancient American Art Limited to 45 students. Mexico and Central and South America
  • Colonial to Modern American Art Limited to 45 students. 17th- to 20th-century United States
  • Arts of Europe Limited to 60 students. Classical times to the 20th century
  • The Classical World Limited to 30 students. Ancient Greece and Rome
  • Arts of the Ancient World Limited to 30 students. Bring the past to life by examining works from Egypt, the classical World, Asia, and the Americas.
  • Arts of Africa, Asia, & the Pacific Limited to 90 students
  • Arts of Africa Limited to 30 students
  • Arts of the Pacific Limited to 30 students
  • Arts of Asia Limited to 30 students. India, Southeast Asia, China, and Japan
  • Contemporary Art Limited to 60 students. 1945 to the present
  • Collection Highlights Limited to 60 students. Treasures throughout the Museum’s collections
  • Custom Visits Limited to 60 students. Request a theme or idea you would like explored during your visit

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Scheduling Museum Visits for Student Groups

REQUEST YOUR PROGRAM AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE!
On August 1, 2008, we begin accepting requests for the 2008–2009 school year; availability is limited, and openings are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

STEP 1 Please check testing dates, holidays, and bus availability before requesting your visit.

STEP 2 Submit the 2008–2009 Museum Visit Request Form at least three weeks before your earliest requested visit date. (For docent-guided visits, we recommend requesting at least six weeks in advance.) Request forms can be submitted online or by mail; student group visits cannot be scheduled by phone.

STEP 3 You will receive e-mail confirmation of your scheduled date and time within approximately ten business days of submitting a request form. If none of your requested dates are available, you will be contacted by e-mail or phone.

STEP 4 Prepare students and chaperones for their visit. You will receive detailed information on Museum guidelines, parking, entrance location, lunch at the Museum, and online teaching resources approximately one month prior to your visit.

Fees
Docent-guided visits to the collections and the Olafur Eliasson exhibition are free of charge for students and chaperones when scheduled at least three weeks in advance. With less than three weeks’ notice, or if you plan to do only a self-guided visit, the following admission prices apply: adults $10, students with an ID $5, and children under 12 free. Fees for the King Tut exhibition can be found here.

Chaperones
One adult chaperone is required for every 15 students on docent-guided visits.

Parking—New Policy for 2008–2009
On-site school bus parking will not be available. Buses will drop students off at the Museum and then be directed to off-site parking. If you are a teacher or chaperone who is driving to the Museum separately, click here for a list of area garages and surface lots. Limited underground parking is also available on site for a flat fee.

Lunch—New Policy for 2008–2009
The Museum will not have space available during the King Tut exhibition for students to eat sack lunches. Teachers will be responsible for making alternate eating arrangements for their groups.

Self-Guided Visits—New Policy for 2008–2009
Unless a docent-guided visit has been booked or tickets to the King Tut exhibition have been purchased, the Museum will not accept requests for self-guided visits.

Questions
Contact us via e-mail at tours@DallasMuseumofArt.org or by phone at 214-922-1331.

Click here to submit a Museum Visit Request online.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the printable request form. If you do not already have Adobe Acrobat Reader, please click here to install the free software.